ATA HONORS EXCEPTIONAL LEADERS IN TELEHEALTH AND 2026 CLASS OF FELLOWS
Awards Presented During 30th Annual Nexus 2026 Annual Conference
WASHINGTON, DC, ORLANDO, FL, JUNE 2, 2026 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) presented its annual Leadership Awards and introduced the newest class of ATA Fellows during the 30th Annual Nexus 2026 annual conference. The awards were presented by Nathaniel Lacktman, Partner, Foley & Lardner, and Board Chair of the ATA, along with ATA CEO, Kyle Zebley.
“The ATA Leadership Awards recognize those rare individuals and organizations who don’t just follow the future of healthcare, they build it. Integrating and scaling virtual care and digital health doesn’t happen by accident, it’s driven by leaders with vision, integrity, and the determination to push the field forward,” said Lacktman. “This year’s ATA Leadership Award recipients embody all of that. Their contributions have shaped not just our industry, but the future of how healthcare is delivered and experienced, always putting patients at the center of care.”
The annual ATA Leadership Awards recognize exceptional achievements in virtual care, honoring individuals and organizations that have significantly advanced the adoption of virtual care:
Leadership in Care Transformation Award
Heather Meyers, Senior Director, Virtual Care and Policy Lead, Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator, Boston Children’s Hospital – leadership in transforming telehealth from an emerging capability into a trusted, systemwide care model, scaling adoption across a complex organization, redesigning clinical workflows, and advancing new modalities of care delivery
Krisda H. Chaiyachati, MD, MPH, MSHP, FACP, Associate Vice President, Clinical Transformation, Ascension – leadership in enterprise strategy and execution for virtual care and digitally enabled care delivery, focusing on scaling access, improving clinical outcomes, and building the operating model for next-generation care
Virtual Care Champion: Rural Health Innovation Award
Tearsanee Carlisle Davis, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, FAANP, Director, Clinical Programs and Strategy, UMMC Center for Telehealth; Associate Professor, UMMC School of Nursing, University of Mississippi Medical Center – leadership in maternal health and remote patient monitoring with remarkable impact on policy and statewide infrastructure, building systems and structures to help ensure the most vulnerable patients receive the care they need, when and where they need it.
Virtual Care Champions: Virtual Nursing Leadership Award
Honoring exceptional leadership in implementing, scaling, and advancing virtual nursing programs that improve patient outcomes, enhance nurse satisfaction, and help transform care delivery. The collective impact this group has made on virtual nursing and on the ATA’s programming and content embody their extraordinary commitment to lifting the entire field.
Murielle Beene, DNP MBA MPH MS PMP RN NI-BC FAMIA FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Informatics Officer, Trinity Health; member of the ATA Board of Directors
Barbara Edson, RN, MBA/MHA, Executive Director, Virtual Care Center, UNC Health
Kristi Henderson, DNP, FAAN, CEO, Confluent Health; past Chair, ATA Board of Directors
Julie Miller, BSN, RN, CCRN, Clinical Practice Specialist, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
Denise Pimintel, RN, MN, MS, CCRN, Clinical System Manager, Telehealth Network, CommonSpirit
Teresa Rincon, PhD, RN, FCCM, Assistant Professor, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, UMass Chan Medical School; Telehealth Senior Consultant, Blue Cirrus
Cynthia Salisbury, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, CPPS, Executive Director, Nursing Operations, Providence
Melinda Stretzinger, RN, CCRN, Manager, Critical Care Telemedicine & Virtual Nursing, Ochsner Health
Beth Waters, BSN, RN, CCRN, PHN, VA TeleCritical Care System – West
Lisa-Mae Williams, PhD, RN, CPAHA, Chief Nursing Officer, Intercept Telehealth
Special Interest Group (SIG) Leadership Award: Remote Monitoring SIG
Carrie Nixon, Esq., Founder and Managing Partner of Nixon Law Group
William (Bill) Paschall, Vice President of Business Development, Vironix Health
2026 College of Fellows Inductees
Election into the ATA College of Fellows recognizes individuals and organizations for their significant achievements in telehealth, service to the general telehealth community, and service to the ATA.
Rebecca Canino, MBA, Executive Director, Telemedicine, Johns Hopkins Health System
Jana Cason, DHSc, OTR/L, FNAP, FAOTA, Professor, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Graduate College of Health Sciences; Director of Scholarship, Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program-Honolulu
Mary DeVany, Associate Director, Great Plains Telehealth Resource & Assistance Center (gpTRAC), University of Minnesota
Gerard Frunzi, MBA, Regional Director, Telehealth and Virtual Care, CommonSpirit Health, Mountain Region
Ann Mond Johnson, former CEO, the ATA
Debbie Voyles, MBA, HOM, Director of Virtual Health, OU Health
Elliott Wilson, MBA, PMP, Principal, Flying Pig Consulting
About the ATA
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is the catalyst for advancing innovation and the transformation of healthcare through virtual care, digital health, hybrid delivery, and AI-enabled care models. Representing the most diverse ecosystem in healthcare – including leading health systems, academic medical centers, payers, technology innovators, life sciences companies, and clinician leaders – the ATA advances clinical standards, policy leadership, education, and evidence frameworks that accelerate high-quality, technology-enabled care. Through its policy and legislative advocacy arm, ATA Action, the organization drives federal and state policy change to support sustainable, modernized, digitally enabled healthcare for all.
