ISABEL HAMPTON ROBB LEADERSHIP AWARD
Sponsored by National Student Nurses Association (NSNA)
For state presidents. State Constituent Board of Directors may nominate a current or immediate-past State President.
The 2026 Isabel Hampton Robb Leadership Award commemorates Saunders' first nursing author, Isabel Adams Hampton. In 1893, Saunders published, Nursing: Its Principles and Practice, by Isabel Adams Hampton (later Isabel Hampton Robb) which may have been the first medical/surgical nursing textbook in the United States. Miss Hampton was superintendent of nurses and principal of the Training School for Nurses at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland when she wrote this important text.
The $1000 cash award is presented to the current or immediate past student nurses' association state president whose leadership characteristics most resemble those of Isabel Hampton Robb. An organizer and visionary leader, Mrs. Robb was well known for her pioneering work in establishing nursing organizations which became the American Nurses’ Association (ANA), the National League for Nursing (NLN), and the International Council of Nursing (ICN).
Entry Process
The nomination requires:
Nominees must be enrolled in a nursing program at the time of the award. In addition, the candidate must include a brief essay describing how his or her accomplishments, professional goals, or vision for the nursing profession recall the life and career of Isabel Hampton Robb.
Applications are judged by former NSNA Presidents, and the award winner will be announced during the Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at the 74th Annual Convention, Houston, TX.
For state presidents. State Constituent Board of Directors may nominate a current or immediate-past State President.
The 2026 Isabel Hampton Robb Leadership Award commemorates Saunders' first nursing author, Isabel Adams Hampton. In 1893, Saunders published, Nursing: Its Principles and Practice, by Isabel Adams Hampton (later Isabel Hampton Robb) which may have been the first medical/surgical nursing textbook in the United States. Miss Hampton was superintendent of nurses and principal of the Training School for Nurses at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland when she wrote this important text.
The $1000 cash award is presented to the current or immediate past student nurses' association state president whose leadership characteristics most resemble those of Isabel Hampton Robb. An organizer and visionary leader, Mrs. Robb was well known for her pioneering work in establishing nursing organizations which became the American Nurses’ Association (ANA), the National League for Nursing (NLN), and the International Council of Nursing (ICN).
Entry Process
The nomination requires:
- approval by the candidate's state board of directors (this must be reflected in the minutes of the meeting when approval was voted on).
- an official transcript (To expedite the process, NSNA will accept an unofficial transcript. However, if you win, an official transcript at the end of the Fall semester will be required before the award can be issued).
- a list of the candidate's accomplishments during his or her tenure as state president
- dean/director
- clinical instructor
- current state board
Nominees must be enrolled in a nursing program at the time of the award. In addition, the candidate must include a brief essay describing how his or her accomplishments, professional goals, or vision for the nursing profession recall the life and career of Isabel Hampton Robb.
Applications are judged by former NSNA Presidents, and the award winner will be announced during the Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at the 74th Annual Convention, Houston, TX.
