American Nurses Enterprise Announces 2025 Innovation Award Winners

Pioneering Breakthrough Technologies to Tackle Critical Health Inequities

MEDIA CONTACT: Newsroom@ana.org

SILVER SPRING, MD - Today, the American Nurses Enterprise announced the winners of the 2025 Innovation Awards, that highlight, recognize, and celebrate exemplary nurse innovators who improve patient safety and health outcomes within their communities. Sponsored by Stryker, a global leader in medical technologies, these awards honor two innovators – Sheridan Miyamoto, PhD, RN, FAAN and team, recipients of the Nurse-led Team Award and Amany Farag, PhD, RN, recipient of the Individual Nurse Award.

The 2025 Innovation Award recipients are receiving monetary prizes of $25,000 and $50,000, respectively. These funds support translational research, development, prototyping, production, testing, and the implementation of these innovations.

“Dr. Miyamoto and Dr. Farag are making substantial impacts for the communities they serve,” said ANE Vice President of Innovation, Oriana Beaudet, DNP, RN, FAAN. “Their innovations address system needs that exist in every community across our country by bringing high quality care to those in moments of crisis and need. We look forward to seeing how their respective programs scale nationally and globally.”

Sheridan Miyamoto, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Founder and Director of the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) System. Dr. Miyamoto leads an interdisciplinary team of experts in nursing, forensic science, and healthcare policy. The SAFE-T System was designed to address health inequities by providing quality forensic sexual assault care in rural and underserved communities, which often lack access to expertly trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) and proper resources for survivors. The SAFE-T System addresses this problem by securely connecting rural healthcare providers with competent and skilled SANEs through a telehealth-enabled forensic system which has been created to adhere to best practices of examination and accurate evidence gathering. The SAFE-T System is an iOS-based forensic device which instantly uploads high-quality photos and documentation to AWS cloud storage, guaranteeing secure and precise evidence storage essential for survivor recovery. The SAFE-T System has already been successfully implemented across hospitals within six health systems and was recognized as Pennsylvania's Rural Health Program of the Year in 2024. The aim is to nationalize the SAFE-T model and revolutionize access to care for survivors of sexual assault.

Amany Farag PhD, RN, is the creative mind behind the electronic school medication administration record (eSMAR) and winner of the Individual Nurse Innovation Award. Dr. Farag’s eSMAR innovation fills a health equity gap within the educational system by addressing the critical issue of both medication access and errors within K-12 schools. The eSMAR system utilizes fingerprint scanning technology and barcoding to verify both the identity of students and their respective medications in order to safely receive them. This system alerts the school nurse or unlicensed assistive personnel if there is a discrepancy between a student and their medication. This innovation ensures equitable access to medication administration technology in schools, regardless of budgeting. Dr. Farag is planning to commercialize eSMAR with national representatives from a major vendor for the possible integration of eSMAR across educational platforms.

The partnership between ANA and Stryker continues to support nurse-led advancements in technology that drive change within a dynamic healthcare landscape.

“This award highlights inspiring innovation and the importance of our ANA partnership. At Stryker, innovation is in our DNA, as is making a positive impact in our communities. We’re grateful to this year’s winners for their work to advance healthcare with their new technologies,” said Scott Sagehorn, Vice President and General Manager of Stryker’s Acute Care business.

The award winners will have one year to further develop their innovation and will share their outcomes and findings in 2026. Watch the full Innovation Awards ceremony here. Learn more about the SAFE-T System and eSMAR, please visit the ANA Innovation website. You can also find out about past winners, upcoming events, and resources to advance nurse-led innovation. 

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About American Nurses Enterprise
American Nurses Enterprise unites the expertise and dedication of the American Nurses Association, American Nurses Credentialing Center, and American Nurses Foundation to champion nurses, advance standards of excellence and inspire transformative change. With a powerful legacy and forward-thinking vision, our influence spans federal and local levels working through state affiliates and partners to amplify the voice of nurses across all practices and specialties. Every day, we harness The Power of Nurses™ to increase the value of the nursing profession and transform the healthcare experience for all.

About Stryker
Stryker is a global leader in medical technologies and, together with its customers, is driven to make healthcare better. The company offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology and Orthopedics that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. More information is available at www.stryker.com.