Philip D. Raso Scholarship
Scholarship
For Graduate Nursing Students with Proven Excellence in Nursing Leadership and Management
This permanent NEF scholarship was established in 2016 by the Ann G. & James B. Ritchie Foundation in memory of Philip D. Raso. His sister, Rosanne Raso, DNP, RN, CENP, FAAN, is an NEF Board Member, retired Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell, and currently Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Management.
The scholarship is awarded to nurses pursuing a master's or doctoral nursing degree, with proven excellence in nursing leadership and management.
Featured Philip D. Raso Scholarship Recipients
Through their service as clinicians, educators, and advocates, these NEF Scholars have stepped into nurse leadership roles to improve the health of individuals, healthcare systems, and the nursing profession:
Eve Chibor, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, CCRN, CNE
2026-2027 Winner | Doctoral Degree
- Practices as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and a family nurse practitioner on the inpatient behavioral health service within INOVA Healthcare Systems, providing care for patients with serious mental illness and medical comorbidities, and also serves as Interim Lead Advanced Practice Provider, supporting workflow coordination, team communication, and initiatives that strengthen continuity of care and operational efficiency
- Is a Certified Nurse Educator and has served as adjunct faculty, mentoring current and future nurses and bridging classroom learning with clinical practice
- Serves as Leadership Succession Committee Chair at the Phi Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and previously as President of the Nurse Practitioner Association of the District of Columbia (NPADC), advocating for the advancement of nurse practitioners and the profession
Precious “Gem” Inay
2025-2026 Winner | Doctoral Degree
- Serves as a Nursing Professional Development Practitioner at Englewood Hospital, where she mentors and empowers nurses through evidence-based education and translational practice
- Holds national certifications in emergency and orthopedic nursing (CEN and ONC)
- Presents at local and national conferences, including podium and poster presentations of her abstract, "Identification of Abuse and Human Trafficking in the ED: An Interdisciplinary Approach"
- Is an Honoree of the New Jersey State Nurses Association, Institute for Nursing in Education, and received the “Most Outstanding Asian American of 2025 Award”
- Serves as president of the Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey, Bergen Passaic, and led her team in winning both the Daisy Team Award from PNANJ and the PNA America
Courtney Conlan, RN, BSN, RNC-NIC
2024-2025 Winner | Master’s Degree
- Began her nursing career in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Connecticut Children’s, trained as a resource nurse, co-chaired a unit-based committee, and served a two-year term as the NICU representative on the hospital’s Nursing Practice Council, before becoming Assistant Nurse Manager
- Completed a Nurse Residency Project on Sibling Support in the NICU, which was electronically published by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses and presented the work at NANN’s national Conference
- Completed the Emerging Leader Fellowship through NANN and Synova Associates
- Was elected onto the Executive Board of the New England Chapter of NANN and served as both Member-At-Large and Chapter Secretary
Annmarie Muñana, DNP, MSN, MJ, RN
2021-2022 Winner | Doctoral Degree
- Has remained committed to the NEF mission by donating, participating in the scholarship review process, and ultimately joining the NEF Board in 2024
- Worked with national universities providing regulatory and accreditation leadership, oversight, and guidance for the undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing, public health, physician assistant, and social work
- Served as a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Center for Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board, supporting the process to translate the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses (Code) into Spanish, and as part of the Expert Panel for the 2025 revisions to the Code, contributed to shaping national ethical standards and led the revisions of Provision 8 – Collaborative Relationships
- Was appointed as a member of the Chicago Department of Public Health COVID-19 Vaccine Work Group, comprised of nationally recognized experts in vaccines, infectious diseases, clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and public health, to independently evaluate and advise on the scientific and regulatory review of the FDA’s process for Emergency Use Authorization of COVID-19 vaccines