2025 America’s Top Nurse Practitioners Honored for Leadership, Innovation, and Patient Care Excellence

To celebrate National Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week, POCN’s annual award program recognizes the growing impact of NPs in delivering high-quality care, advancing health equity, and supporting peers nationwide.

In celebration of National Nurse Practitioner Week (November 9–15), POCN, the largest nurse practitioner (NP) and physician associate (PA) network in the U.S., proudly announces the winners of its 2025 America’s Top NP Awards. This annual program recognizes NPs who demonstrate exceptional leadership, clinical expertise, and commitment to advancing patient care and supporting peers nationwide.

The Growing Impact of NPs

  • Today, POCN’s proprietary data shows more than 730,000 NPs and PAs practicing across the U.S., making them one of the fastest-growing healthcare segments.
  • NPs and PAs now write 1 in 4 prescriptions nationwide, with prescribing rates exceeding 50% in some specialties.
  • These clinicians manage nearly half of all patient care in the U.S., often serving as the first point of contact in rural and underserved communities.
  • Their influence extends beyond prescribing—they lead treatment decisions, educate patients, and improve outcomes in critical disease areas such as endocrinology, neurology, gastroenterology, and pain management.

2025 America’s Top NP Award Winners

This year’s honorees were nominated by peers for their outstanding contributions to patient care, leadership, and advocacy:

  • Monica Barfield, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC, PNAP – Primary Care
  • Michelle Boone, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, AGACNP-BC, PMHNP-BC – Family Practice & Psych/Mental Health
  • Jennifer Broyles, DNP, AGACNP-BC – Hospital Medicine
  • Trent Carter, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CARN-AP – Addiction Medicine
  • Amy Chu, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, FNP-C – Urgent Care
  • Charrita Ernewein, PhD, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, SANE-A, FAANP – Family Practice
  • Megan Filoramo, MSN, APN-C, AP-PMN, PMGT-BC, APHN-BC, HWNC-BC – Pain Management
  • Kimberly Giberga, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC – Psychiatry
  • Theresa Mallick-Searle, MS, PMGT-BC, ANP-BC, FAANP – Pain Medicine
  • Kristina Martinez, DNP, ANP-C, PMHNP-BC – Primary Care
  • Lucia M. Novak, MSN, CRNP, ANP-BC, BC-ADM – Endocrinology, Diabetes & Obesity
  • Kelly Papesh, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CMRD – Neurology – Movement Disorders
  • Brian Pervis, DNP, APRN, AP-PMN, PGMT-BC, GERO-BC, WCC, FNP-C, DAPWCA – Pain Management & Nursing Education
  • Sandip Sall, DNP, NP-BC – Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Liver Transplant
  • Deborah Tedesco, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FAANP, FNAP – Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
  • LaDonna C. Thomas, DNP, ANP-C, VHA-CM, FFNMRCSI, FCN – Community Care Medicine
  • Whitney Whitaker, MSN, ARNP, FNP-C – Post-Acute & Long-Term Care
  • Pamela Rose Zeilman, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, CMRD – Neurology – Movement Disorders
  • Erin Daly Zinn, MSN, APRN-CNP, ANP-BC, CMRD – Neurology

“We deeply value the commitment and expertise NPs bring to their patients and the profession,” said Linda Garcia, Director of NP/PA Insights & Relations. “This year’s honorees have made an extraordinary impact on their communities, underserved populations, fellow clinicians, and—most importantly—on delivering exceptional patient care. They truly merit our ongoing support and recognition. From all of us at POCN, congratulations!”

To learn more about America’s Top PA and NP Awards, visit: www.pocn.com/pocn-americas-top-np-and-pa.

POCN’s mission is to bring PAs and NPs together to network, share ideas, and create a strong foundation of providers. To learn more about POCN and its programs, visit: www.pocn.com.

About POCN

Founded in 2014 to address the need for peer-led resources, POCN is an organization committed to supporting nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs) across specialties. Guided by input from the NP and PA community, POCN delivers trusted education, clinical resources, and career support that help NPs and PAs learn, earn, care, and connect — empowering clinicians to advance professionally and deliver exceptional patient care. Learn more at www.pocn.com.

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