Grill Honored by UAB School of Nursing
October 4, 2022
On September 22, East Alabama Health President and CEO Laura Grill received the JoAnn Barnett Award for Compassionate Care at the UAB School of Nursing’s Alumni Night. The award was established in 2002 after JoAnn Barnett, an esteemed neonatal nurse practitioner and two-time UAB School of Nursing alumna, lost her battle with cancer. According to UAB, “this award carries on her legacy by honoring recipients for their compassionate care, just as JoAnn exemplified in her nursing care.”
Information from UAB states that the award recognizes nurses who work in a healthcare setting focusing on one or more of the following areas:
- Direct care in hospitals, homes, clinics, etc.
- Teaching patients, students, or nursing personnel
- Leading others through administration, ensuring the implementation of policies and procedures positively impact quality patient care
Grill, who earned her nursing degree from UAB in 1984, joined East Alabama Health in 1992 as the director of Cardiology. After two years in that role, she moved to Administration where she served as a vice president until October 2018 when she became the hospital’s first female president and CEO. In her first four years, she has led the organization through the March 2019 tornado response and through more than two years of COVID response, which included major changes to everyday operations as well as community-wide testing and administering of COVID vaccine doses. Aside from disasters, she has overseen the opening of the Spencer Cancer Center and the Auburn Medical Pavilion.
Pictured here presenting the award to Laura Grill (far right) are UAB School of Nursing Dean, Dr. Maria Shirey and UAB Alumni Board President, Dr. Bryan Combs.
