2022 Betty Lee Evans Nursing Excellence Award Recipient
This award, established in 2004 by the late Dr. E. Burke Evans, a beloved faculty member in the School of Medicine, serves as a lasting tribute to his grandmother and his sister – both nurses named Betty Lee Evans. The award recognizes nursing practice and the delivery of excellence in patient care at UTMB by graduates of the School of Nursing.
About Julian E. Quiceno Lopez
Julian E. Quiceno Lopez was born in Colombia. He migrated to the United States in 2010 to pursue a career in nursing. He has since earned an Associate Degree in Science from Houston Community College (2015), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (2016), and a Master of Science in Family Nurse Practice (2020) from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) School of Nursing.
During his undergraduate studies at UTMB School of Nursing, Mr. Quiceno was a member of numerous interdisciplinary organizations, served as a member of the Student Government Association, appointed as a director for the UTMB STAT (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow) Advisory Board, Student Nurses Association and Tiny Toes. In 2016, he was recognized with multiple awards including the UTMB Title IX Distinguished Service Award and the UTMB Community Service Award.
Following graduation, he worked as a Burn Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse at Shriners Hospital for Children for four years. During his time at this nonprofit hospital, he received the Daisy Award for Nursing Excellence in 2018 and 2020. He maintained his commitment to the community by volunteering at various local organizations, including Camp Blessing and St. Vincent’s de Paul, and remains a current member of the Camp Janus’ Board of Directors.
Encouraged by the possibility of expanding access to medical care to impoverished underserved communities, Mr. Quiceno decided to pursue advanced practice and earned his degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. He graduated as an AHEC (Area Health Education Center) Scholar and joined the amazing team at the St. Vincent’s Clinic, a non-profit organization for the uninsured and underserved population of Galveston County.
In his role as an Internal Medicine Clinical Specialist and Adjunct Assistant Professor for the UTMB School of Nursing, Mr. Quiceno participates as a leader in outreach clinic efforts, daily clinic operations, and as a facilitator of interprofessional education and practice opportunities for students.
During the past year, Mr. Quiceno has been providing care to some of the most complex, uninsured patients seen at the UTMB hospital system. He has been one of the leaders of the new transition clinic at St. Vincent’s, a program through the UTMB President’s Cabinet Award that aims to create a smooth transition for uninsured patients after being hospitalized.
Mr. Quiceno excels in the planning and delivery of patient care to underserved communities. He has managed to lead the creation of a mobile clinic to serve the parents of hospitalized children at Shiners Texas, implemented a wound care clinic at St. Vincent’s, and became a vital member of the care team at the Interprofessional and Transition Clinic. Additionally, he has developed an online program to help expedite the application process for patient prescription assistance programs. This arduous task took weeks for patients and health providers to finish, and now the process can be completed in minutes online.
Mr. Quiceno’s current efforts are focused on developing a program to expand colorectal cancer screening services for underserved/uninsured residents to reduce the mortality and morbidity burden of the disease.
His professional awards have included being a recipient of the Good Samaritan Foundation for Nursing Excellence in 2022 and the Texas Nurse Practitioner Association 2022 Rising Star Award.
Mr. Quiceno feels great gratitude to his wife who supports him daily during the long days of work, his parents and family for never giving up on his dreams, his friends for always cheering him on, and all the St. Vincent’s team for the hard work and daily motivation to make healthcare accessible to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.