Pandemic frontline nurse receives USI Distinguished Nursing Alumni Award

Anne Kiboi '18, a registered nurse who chose to work at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, is the 2020 recipient of the University of Southern Indiana Distinguished Nursing Alumni Award.

"All of us have been affected by COVID-19 in some way; however, Anne showed up to answer a call in which she didn't know what was on the other line," wrote one of her award nominators. "She didn't know the hospital, the area or what she would be walking into, but she packed a suitcase and took her skills with her … she walked in those hospital doors and changed patients' lives."

Kiboi was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and moved to the United States when she was 5 years old. After her graduation from USI with a degree in nursing, she moved back home to Indianapolis to work on the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at IU Health University Hospital.

This past March, she volunteered to work in IU Methodist's COVID ICU, which led to a desire to do more for those fighting coronavirus, especially the most vulnerable in New York City. When she arrived at New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in May 2020, she encountered personal protective equipment shortages, mental exhaustion and extreme patient conditions, but she responded with grit, compassion and selflessness-not only for her patients, but the entire nursing profession. "Every nurse has a role to play during this pandemic, and I felt mine was to work with COVID patients," she said.

Kiboi was at the Brooklyn hospital for five weeks, before heading to California for another stint as a traveling nurse in the fight against COVID-19.

She said that the number of clinical hours and education she received at USI prepared her to work as a nurse on the of the coronavirus pandemic. Kiboi is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the National Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Theta Tau International and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. As a student, she received the Sigma Theta Tau International Rising Star in Nursing Award and a USI Endeavor Award.

Each year, the USI Nursing Alumni Society recognizes a graduate who has made outstanding achievements in a career or public service. For more information about the USI Nursing Alumni Society, visit the society's webpage.