Nursing assistant professor honored for compassionate care

School of Nursing Assistant Professor Diane Riff was honored at a luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, for her dedication to providing compassionate care.

Riff and six others were recognized at “A Commitment to Compassion” at the Muhammad Ali Center, sponsored by Passport Health Plan, Compassionate Louisville and Insider Louisville.

Other honorees included Jonathan Sayat, M.D., pediatrician at UofL Physicians; Mary Haynes, president and CEO of Nazareth Home; Sarah Daniel, nurse practitioner with MD2U; Betty J. Adkins, grants and contract manager at Louisville Metro Department of Health and Public Wellness; Lisa Benner, transformation coach at ChooseWell Communities; and Cedar Lake, a private nonprofit organization that celebrates compassion in service to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The recipients “exemplify true compassion in the workplace, people who go above and beyond their job duties to extend needed consideration, kindness and compassion to patients, their colleagues and the broader community,” according to the organizers.

Riff, M.S.N., F.N.P.-C., R.N., teaches community health nursing to more than 200 undergraduate students every year and is a family nurse practitioner at the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center and the Hope Clinic. She incorporates interprofessional community-engagement strategies that seek to improve the health of local and global communities and contribute to the reduction of health disparities in greater Louisville.