2017 Gold Medalist – Non-Hospital Based Care

Ingrid Hansen, FNP, Thomas Street Health Center, Harris Health System

Originally from Chile, Ingrid Hansen studied nursing at the University of Chile in Valparaiso, graduating in 1983 with her BSN. She had wanted to be a nurse since she was five years old.

“I had a friend whose father was a nurse, and we used to play hospital with dolls,” Ingrid says. “We pretended to give shots, start IVs, and bandage the dolls. Growing up already knowing that I wanted to be a nurse removed all the wondering and made my career choice easy for me.”

Over the course of her 30-year career, Ingrid has been a patient educator, a research nurse for HIV drugs, an HIV case manager, and a public health nurse in Los Angeles County, where she worked for Child Protective Services, providing care for fragile children with asthma, tracheostomy, and other conditions. It was in Los Angeles County that she saw her first patients with HIV/AIDS. Later she married and moved to Chicago, where she worked in the Pediatric AIDS Unit at the University of Illinois.

“Nursing gives us the opportunity to explore many roles, so that you never tire of it,” says Ingrid, who was certified in public health nursing at California State University in Long Beach. “There’s always something new to learn and look forward to.”

In early 1999, she accepted a position at Harris Health System’s Thomas Street Health Center, a freestanding HIV/AIDS clinic that provides medical care and other services to those who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Today, as a family nurse practitioner, she runs an efficient walk-in clinic at the center.

“I was already invested in working with HIV patients, and I knew that Thomas Street Health Center was recognized nationally for HVI care, so I was very interested in working there,” she says.

Ingrid was nominated for the Good Samaritan Foundation Excellence in Nursing award by medical oncologist Adan Rios, M.D., who says he is gratified to have the opportunity to work with her. He describes her as “a compassionate and caring health professional with a great interest in the care of her fellow human beings. Nowhere can these qualities be tested more directly than in working with HIV patients, a marginalized population that includes the most humble segments of our society. For them, Ms. Hansen shows only love and concern. This, to me, is of great importance when we consider the fact that the highly technical, complex, and sophisticated components of HIV work can easily lead to a detachment from its human component. She has a wealth of understanding of basic and clinical sciences and an outstanding academic preparation. She is extremely proficient in the use of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and provides the Thomas Street Health Clinic with a very valuable clinical resource. The entire clinic depends on Ms. Hansen’s expert advice and clinical judgment in determining the status and management of its complex patients. This is no small responsibility, and Ms. Hansen discharges these duties in an efficient and humble manner, never placing herself above the needs of her patients and colleagues. Without pretense or any other aspiration, she serves those in most need, in the words of Jonas Salk, ‘not expecting any other reward than the opportunity to do more.’

Ingrid’s desire to serve is grounded in her religious beliefs. “I observe the presence of Christ in every patient I have. It’s truly an honor to be able to serve these patients. Many are homeless or have financial issues, and I feel that it’s a privilege to serve the community here. They’ve taught me unconditional love. They show me that they care about me, and they’ve taught me to leave my prejudices at the door and come to work every day with an open heart.”

Ingrid is a member of the Society of HIV Medicine, and has published research on “The Stigma of Depression” and “Guidelines for the Education of HIV and Pregnant Women.” She participated as a study coordinator in the development of Tenofovir in essential clinical trials that led to the approval of the drug. She was also involved with a National Institutes of Health-sponsored study of HIV in children at the University of Chicago.

Ingrid earned her MNS at the UTHealth School of Nursing in 2007 and hopes to begin work on her Doctor of Nursing Practice next year, with an eye toward a career in education. “It’s important to elevate our profession through education, and also I like the challenge. I’m always ready for a new challenge.”

She says the Good Samaritan Foundation award means the world to her. “To be nominated and get the award after 30 years of nursing is wonderful. When I came to this country, my first job was working in the Los Angeles County Health Department kitchen, washing pots and pans. I was a nurse who left her country at a time of political turmoil. I didn’t speak English. After so many years and so many efforts, I feel great.”

Her advice to new nurses is to have solid experience. “At least two years on a med/surg unit, one year in the emergency department, and if possible another year in intensive care gives you a rounded experience of nursing. And always look for new challenges. Knowledge is something you take with you always.”