Honoree profiles

There is no gesture more comforting than the gentle touch of a nurse's hand. Whether she is taking our blood pressure, monitoring our pulse, or simply offering comforting words, we feel safer for her presence. She listens to our complaints, hears the fear that sometimes clouds our voices, and gentles us through the often confusing maze that is the downside of high-technology medicine.

We are fortunate, here in Massachusetts, to have the nation's best-trained and most experienced nurses working among us. They are the backbone of the hundreds of hospitals, nursing homes, doctors' offices, and rehabilitation centers that make this state a bellwether for medical care.

For the past five years, the Boston Globe has annually polled our readers - asking them through posters in many of the region's hospitals, as well as in announcements in the newspaper and on our website - to participate in our Salute to Nurses by writing nomination letters about their favorite nurses.

This year our panel of judges has recognized seven nurses from the many nominations. Four work together in the burn unit as Massachusetts General Hospital. Another, our first male winner, works at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Our sixth nurse has carried her skills from a Caritas Christi hospital to the four corners of the world, volunteering to help the sick. And finally, we salute a teacher of nurses who is passing her wisdom on to a new generation.

These seven nurses will be honored at a special Salute to Nurses breakfast on Wednesday, May 9, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., at the Westin Copley Hotel in Boston. Our guest speaker will be Rachel Spector, RN, PhD, who will talk on "Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness." Each winner will also receive a gift of a night on the town, including dinner and the theater.

For those who are inspired by the profiles and nomination letters in this section, we encourage you to think about joining an extremely rewarding profession.