Nursing Alumni Society: News and Events
Arlene Butz selected as recipient of 2004 Shirley Novosel Award
Arlene Butz has received the 2004 Shirley Novosel Award from the Penn State Nursing Alumni Society. The Novosel Award – established in 1996 in memory of Shirley Novosel, a past president of the Nursing Alumni Society – recognizes a Penn State nursing alumnus or alumna who has made a significant contribution to the field of nursing.
Butz received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Penn State in 1973. Immediately after graduation, she began working as a staff nurse in the Adolescent Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She then worked as a public health nurse and school nurse for the Fairfax County Health Department in Fairfax, VA, and as an emergency room staff nurse at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, DC. After earning her MSN in 1978, she worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner in the pediatric outpatient clinics for Baltimore (Maryland) City Hospitals.
In 1987, Butz earned her Sc.D. in maternal and child health from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Hygiene and Public Health and joined the faculty there as an assistant professor in 1989. Since that time, she has continued to work as a pediatric nurse practitioner in addition to fulfilling her academic duties as an instructor and researcher. Currently an associate professor, Butz has authored numerous articles, book chapters and abstracts, given many guest lectures and is a member of a number of professional organizations and advisory committees. She also finds time for community service, having worked in Baltimore city clinics, taught childcare classes to pregnant high school teens and volunteered for Pets on Wheels, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and Asthma Care Training programs.
The Nursing Alumni Society is proud of Arlene Butz’s numerous contributions to the field of nursing and congratulates her on receiving this honor