By Tucker Carden
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Clinical Educator Samantha Rose Berrien, DNP, MSN, BS, RN, received the 2026 Nursing Workforce Impact Award from the WE CARE Team at UAB Medicine, recognizing individuals whose leadership, innovation and commitment have made a meaningful impact on the nursing workforce. Berrien was honored at the WE CARE Nursing Wellness Conference in September.
"Receiving the WE CARE Nursing Workforce Impact Award is truly humbling and meaningful because it recognizes the work that has come from my heart—a genuine passion for investing in the whole student, helping them recognize their potential, overcome barriers and thrive personally and professionally,” Berrien said.
Berrien has served at the School since 2021, initially as a Skills Lab Educator before transitioning to her current role in 2025. As a Clinical Educator, she coordinates educational outreach and develops innovative learning opportunities and initiatives that foster student, faculty and staff engagement, promote academic success and support personal and professional growth. Berrien has been recognized for her teaching by outside sources numerous times in the past several years, receiving the National Black Nurses Association’s Under 40 Award in 2025 and the Alabama League for Nursing’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2024.
“I am grateful to be part of the UAB School of Nursing, where we have the opportunity to plant seeds in our students that will continue to grow, creating a lasting ripple effect that extends far beyond the classroom as we prepare not only knowledgeable and skilled nurses, but also resilient, compassionate and confident individuals who will make a meaningful difference in the future of the nursing workforce, the lives of others and in the communities they serve,” she said.