Lissa Shirley was recently awarded The Nathan Deal Governor’s Award for Trauma Excellence at the Region 2 Trauma Advisory Committee’s Northeast Georgia Trauma Symposium for the lasting impact she has had on trauma care in the region.
“Receiving this award is such an honor I never expected,” said Shirley, blood bank supervisor at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville. “I don’t do what I do for the awards, though. I do it because I care about my community and want to help in whatever way I can.”
Shirley has worked in the blood bank at NGMC for 34 years — impacting not only those nearby, but those throughout Region 2 and the entire state — by ensuring NGMC Gainesville has enough blood on hand for trauma patients who arrive at the Emergency Department. Her expertise in blood bank management has shown through her passion for maintaining the most progressive, best practices for blood product use in patients at NGMC.
“Although most in the region don’t know Lissa, everyone in the region has been impacted, either directly or indirectly, by her contributions and expertise,” said Jesse Gibson, Trauma Program manager at NGMC. “She has never asked for recognition. She just brings her best every day. She is certainly deserving of this prestigious award.”
Almost 600 people from more than 30 states joined the 5th Annual Trauma Symposium on Oct. 30. Local and national speakers were there in person to present from the podium in the Ramsey Conference Center at Lanier Technical College while attendees joined virtually. To learn more about the Trauma Program at NGMC, visit www.nghs.com/trauma.