Liesel M. Hiemenz Scholarship
Scholarship
For Graduate Nursing Students Interested in Public Health
This longstanding NEF scholarship was established in memory of Liesel M. Hiemenz, a nurse from Germany. It is awarded with preference to graduate nursing students interested in public health.
Featured Liesel M. Hiemenz Scholarship Recipients
These featured NEF Scholars go beyond merely completing graduate nursing coursework by championing sustainable change in their hospitals, schools, and communities to improve public health:
Marie Toupou, FNP-BC
2025-2026 Winner | Doctoral Degree
- Worked in various hospitals as a critical care nurse, witnessing firsthand how many acute conditions could have been prevented or better managed through accessible, adequate primary care, which inspired her to transition to primary care
- Worked directly with a Federally Qualified Health Center and actively participated in research and quality improvement initiatives focused on equitable access to care
- Served as a teaching assistant for multiple classes, allowing her to develop valuable skills in nursing education and mentorship
Nicole Knight
2021-2022 Winner | Master’s Degree
- Started her nursing career at Tucson Medical Center in the Emergency Department where she was a member of the Hazmat Team
- Continued her nursing career as an Emergency Department travel nurse working at Cedars Sinai and then John Muir Medical Center
- Earned certification as a Certified Emergency Nurse, Mobile Intensive Care Nurse, TNCC, ENPC, and Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse
- Took on peer instruction in emergency pediatric care, was co-leader of the Pediatric Champions of the ER, co-wrote a pediatric educational newsletter and co-led monthly pediatric mock codes for the ER staff
Yvette Conyers, DNP, RN, FNP-C, CFCN, CNE, CWCN-AP, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN
2017-2018 Winner | Doctoral Degree
- Worked as an Instructor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Rochester, teaching didactic and clinical courses for the Accelerated program for non-nurses and the RN to BS programs
- Became a Certified Transcultural Nurse while Nursing Director of Home Care of Rochester’s African American Initiative, which was designed to reduce disparities among African American patients in home care
- Recognized as a Greater Rochester 40 under 40 African American Leader, because of her work to prevent hospitalizations among older adult African Americans
- Served in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, the New York Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Beta Chi Chi Chapter, and the Transcultural Nursing Society