Hunter's Dr. Judith Aponte Wins Award for Nursing Excellence

Dr. Judith Aponte, a professor at the Hunter College School of Nursing, won the 2014 New York/New Jersey Regional Nursing Excellence GEM Award for Advancing and Leading the Profession. The award, which is presented by Nurse.com and sponsored by the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future, recognizes "an RN who is well-known and respected as a visionary, innovative leader and change agent, and who moves the profession forward through work in patient care administration, education or research."

Aponte, who has been a member of the American Diabetes Association's Latino advisory committee for the past six years, was chosen by fellow nursing professionals for her work developing ways to reach out to and educate the Hispanic community about diabetes.

Aponte, representing the New York/New Jersey regional area, will compete for the National Nurse of the Year Awards in October.