Profs. Maya Clark-Cutaia and Selena Gilles receive “40 and Under” award from National Black Nurses Association

Maya Clark-Cutaia, PhD, MSN, RN, assistant professor at NYU Meyers, and Selena Gilles, DNP, ANP-BC, CNEcl, CCRN, clinical assistant professor at NYU Meyers, have been named recipients of the 2019 National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) 40 and Under Awards. Clark-Cutaia, Gilles, and 15 other nurses will receive their awards on July 27 at the NBNA's 47th Annual Institute and Conference in New Orleans.

The award honors and celebrates NBNA members 40 years old and younger who have shown strong leadership and demonstrated excellence and innovation in their practice setting, in their NBNA chapters, and in the communities they serve.

“These energetic, innovative and knowledgeable nurses are ready to take their rightful place as nurse leaders within NBNA and within the profession of nursing, stated Eric J. Williams, DNP, RN, CNE, FAAN, president of NBNA. “They are bedside clinicians, academicians, researchers, and entrepreneurs.  They have helped to start chapters within NBNA. And, they are serving on various NBNA Committees and hold leadership roles in other health organizations.”

Clark-Cutaia, a member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Area Black Nurses Association, focuses on the increased risk morbidity and mortality that result from end-stage renal disease (also known as kidney failure) and hemodialysis renal replacement therapy. People with end-stage renal disease are more likely to suffer from sudden cardiac events, are two to three times more likely to be rehospitalized than the general population, and spend a disproportionally high percentage of Medicare funds. Clark-Cutaia’s long-term goal is to improve the quality of life for those with end-stage renal disease by decreasing the symptom burden.

Gilles, a member of the Greater New York City Black Nurses Association, Inc., began her career as a critical care nurse and later became an adult nurse practitioner in the Department of Neurological Surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She was recently chosen for the National League for Nursing’s year-long LEAD program, designed for nurses in both education and practice who have experienced rapid transition into leadership positions or aspire to advance their status as leaders in administration.

The NBNA’s mission is “to serve as the voice for Black nurses and diverse populations ensuring equal access to professional development, promoting educational opportunities and improving health.”