January Leader 2021 Honoree

Audrey exemplifies selflessness and dedication as a leader. Audrey consistently achieves the difficult balance of guiding her staff through the process of critical thinking and promotion, and also stepping up during critical census times so that her team is never overwhelmed. Audrey continues to be on call at night and on the weekends, making sure her dialysis nurses have the critical rest they need to deliver optimum care for these tenuous patients. Audrey strengthens her team’s critical thinking skills by supporting them to be involved in quality improvement projects. Audrey does this in the most gentle and encouraging way, always teaching the QI basics and being at their side while figuring out the specifics for a pediatric dialysis population. Audrey’s dedication to QI projects in the pediatric dialysis unit has made her a leader in patient quality and safety.

Not only does Audrey lead a team of nurses and dialysis technicians, but she is a key member of the Standardized Care to Improve Outcomes in Pediatric End-stage Renal Disease (SCOPE) collaborative. This collective’s goal is to prevent infections in pediatric peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis patients using large-scale collaboration to identify and spread effective interventions across pediatric care settings.  Within SCOPE, Audrey is part of the faculty where she leads monthly webinars and develops and facilitates discussions at the biannual workshops. Additionally, Audrey is one of two members leading the Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor (ABPM) innovation group for pediatric hemodialysis patients.

Audrey had initiated a Pediatric Dialysis Newsletter for both staff and patients, highlighting birthdays, milestones and fun facts for the Pediatric Dialysis Unit.  This has been a true joy for all involved, emphasizing the commonalities between patients, families and all those who work in the dialysis unit.  Audrey epitomizes the nurse leadership qualities promoted by UCSF Magnet status and the PRIDE values of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.  Her unwavering dedication to the patients, families and staff at the UCSF Pediatric Dialysis Unit are incomparable.