RANDOLPH, Vt.—This week when the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) named recipients of the 2025 AANP State Award for Outstanding Contributions, Michelle Wade, APRN, of Gifford Medical Center took home the honor for Vermont—marking the third time a Gifford provider has received an AANP award.
The award, given annually and previously named the State Award for Excellence, honors individuals who have made significant strides in advancing health care through practice, education, advocacy, research and leadership, and have demonstrated efforts to advance the image, profile and visibility of nurse practitioners. Gifford providers were previously awarded by AANP in 2024 and 2020.
Wade, who provides specialized, day-to-day care for inpatients as part of the hospitalist team at Gifford, will be honored for her achievement in June during the AANP national conference in San Diego, Calif.
“Michelle is a valued member of our team, a strong advocate for her patients and colleagues,” said Gifford Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joshua White. “We congratulate her on this well-deserved award, which reflects the commitment and exceptional practice strength she brings to our hospitalist program each and every day.”
Wade joined Gifford in 2017. In addition to her role at the hospital, she serves as president of the Vermont Nurse Practitioners Association and on the board of the American Nurses Association-Vermont. She also is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Gerontological Advance Practice Nurses Association, and Society of Critical Care Medicine, as well as Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society. She earned an associate degree in nursing from Vermont Technical College, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Phoenix, and post-master’s graduate certifications from the University of Pennsylvania and Felician University.
For more information about Gifford and our providers, visit giffordhealthcare.org.
AANP is the largest professional membership organization for NPs of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 385,000 licensed NPs in the United States. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs’ patients and other health care consumers. AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care.
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CONTACT: Maryellen Apelquist, Communications Manager,
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Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, Vt., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Randolph, and Rochester, and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and inpatient unit; many surgical services; an adult day program; 49-unit independent living facility, and a nursing home. The hospital’s mission is to improve individual and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.
