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VAD coordinator lands in national spotlight

September 12, 2025

Congratulations to Kelly McNamara-Diorio, RN, ventricular assist device (VAD) coordinator with the Hartford Hospital Heart Failure Center, who was chosen to receive the 2025 Sherri Ann Wissman Memorial Excellence Award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The award — given for dedication, selflessness and significant contributions to the field of mechanical circulatory support — is part of the group’s monitoring of VAD programs nationwide.

HHC colleague Colleen Drake nominated McNamara-Diorio, saying, “If there was one word that describes Kelly, it is empathetic. She genuinely cares for people and always wants to help when sees there is a need. At Christmas, she recognized that some VAD patients have very little or no one to share the holidays with. She took up a collection and delivered anonymous gifts to make the holiday season a little easier.”

She also relayed how McNamara-Diorio visited a patient in a skilled nursing facility on her own time, drove two hours to pick up equipment for another patient, took call nightly for long stretches during unexpected staffing shortages and collaborated with other departments to create a safe curbside check for VAD equipment.