By: Sabrina Miller, Content Strategy Director
BALTIMORE, Md. – Two School of Nursing faculty members at Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) have received the 2026 Dr. Peg E. Daw Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition Awards (NFAR) from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), recognizing their outstanding contributions to nursing education.
Dr. Bernice Horton-Gee and Jeanie Anastasi are among a select group of nursing faculty statewide to receive the distinction through Maryland’s Nurse Support Program II, an initiative designed to strengthen nursing education and expand the state’s nursing workforce.
Dr. Horton-Gee was honored in the category of Engagement in the Nursing Program and Employing Institution. Since joining the School of Nursing, her leadership has strengthened the University’s culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
As chair of the School of Nursing Outcomes Circle, she led the development and implementation of a comprehensive Systematic Plan for Evaluation, establishing the foundation for program assessment, continuous quality improvement, and accreditation readiness. Under her leadership, faculty identified and measurable outcomes aligned with student learning, program effectiveness, professional standards, and the University’s mission.
Her leadership elevated evaluation from a routine compliance exercise to a strategic, evidence-driven process that informs curricular innovation, faculty development, and long-term program planning. She produces sophisticated analytic reports for the School of Nursing faculty, communicates findings transparently to faculty and students, and ensures that accreditors and licensing bodies receive clear, compelling evidence demonstrating the rigor, effectiveness, and impact of the School of Nursing’s programs.
Anastasi received the award in the category of Innovation in Education and Technology. She serves as clinical simulation lead educator for all academic programs in the School of Nursing and leads the University’s Center for Caring with Technology, a hospital-like simulation environment featuring virtual reality and high-fidelity human patient simulators.
Since joining NDMU in 2020, Anastasi has expanded simulation-based learning across all Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) entry-level pathways and the primary care nurse practitioner programs. She designs immersive, evidence-based simulations that build clinical judgment, teamwork, and professional confidence.
Anastasi also champions interprofessional education, collaborating with other healthcare programs in pharmacy, physician assistant studies, and occupational therapy. She has established simulation partnerships with regional organizations, including the Baltimore-based Caroline Center, to prepare students to function effectively on real-world healthcare teams.
Each NFAR award provides $10,000 to the recipients’ institution to support continued professional development and contributions to nursing education. Funding may be accessed over five years while recipients remain full-time faculty members in good standing.
These honors reflect NDMU’s continued commitment to preparing skilled, compassionate nurses and advancing excellence in nursing education throughout Maryland and beyond. The impact is measurable. In calendar years 2024 and 2025, graduating students achieved NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates of 100 percent and 98.3%, respectively.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
