ASSOCIATION OF CHILD NEUROLOGY NURSES
2007 CLAIRE CHEE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Elizabeth D. Tate FNP-C, MN

Liz began her nursing career at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington, DC, after obtaining her BSN from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA in 1976. She held various roles as a nurse on in-patient surgical units and as a certified emergency department nurse prior to completing her Master of Nursing Degree in Primary Care and Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1985. Liz practiced in primary care in New York City both at Bellevue Hospital and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center after completing her graduate programs. Her career in pediatric neurology began in 1990 as a nurse practitioner at Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC. In 1996 she became the clinical manager of the National Pediatric Myoclonus Center.

Upon joining the Division of Child and Adolescent Neurology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Liz helped to establish the opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) program within the Movement Disorders Clinic and is now the clinical manager of the program. Michael Pranzatelli, MD describes her as a nurse with deep compassion and commitment to her patient population. She continually advocates for her patients and has a strong sense of ethics. He notes that "...more than 250 families in the US and abroad know her almost like a family member... she is their lifeline, getting them through the several years of complex immunotherapy... she is the one they e-mail or call with questions about the disease, treatments, behaviors, and the toll OMS takes on the family.... the parents will always remember her and what she did for them..." Liz helped to establish the OMS program's website which has been of great benefit to parents. She conducts clinical research on this rare syndrome which requires patience and excellent clinical skills secondary to the complex nature of the syndrome. She has earned a reputation both nationally and internationally for her expertise in OMS.

Liz has been dedicated to the field of Childhood Neurology for the past 17 years and a member of the ACNN since 1996. She has published extensively as first author on 4 of 26 articles in peer-reviewed journals, written a textbook chapter on childhood tic disorders, and presented 19 abstracts/posters both nationally and internationally. She has served as a co-investigator or collaborator on nine research grants. Liz has shared her knowledge base through many lecture presentations on topics ranging from movement disorders to the role of the nurse practitioner. She has spoken twice at the ACNN meetings and has served on the Program Committee for ACNN. She regularly attends lectures and academic conferences to further her own education.

Liz's clinical expertise, combined with her dedication and professional attributes, renders her truly deserving of this award. We, the Association of Child Neurology Nurses, are honored to present the 2007 Claire Chee Award for Excellence to Elizabeth Tate for her exemplary leadership, commitment, and inspiration in the profession of Child Neurology Nursing.