Nycole Oliver was recently honored with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence at a national conference in Philadelphia. Oliver began her career as an emergency room technician at Sparks Regional Medical Center in 2001 and now sees patients as a nurse practitioner in the emergency room of Sparks Medical Center – Van Buren. She also serves as a hospitalist at Sparks in Fort Smith. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of South Alabama in Mobile in 2015.
Jeff Grass and Lt. Charlie Kelm, both of the Siloam Springs Fire Department, won first place in the Public Health Division of the National Health Occupations Students of America annual leadership conference in Orlando for their presentation, “Emergency Preparedness for the Zika Virus.” Both men are paramedic students at Kiamichi Technical Center in Poteau, Okla.
Jez Green, a 27-year employee of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., joined Optimus Training & Development in Fayetteville. Green led the graduate development program for ASDA, Wal-Mart’s supermarket chain in the United Kingdom.
Cindy Smith recently passed a national board exam to become a Registered Vascular Technologist with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography. She has worked for the Outpatient Radiology Department at Sparks in Fort Smith since 2003. Smith also performs breast ultrasounds and procedures for The Women’s Center at Sparks in Fort Smith.
Korbi Sweat, Bentonville, is a new junior member of the American Angus Association. The national organization is based in Saint Joseph, Mo. The American Angus Association is the largest beef breed association in the world, with more than 25,000 active adult and junior members.
Dr. Blayne Battisto joined Northwest Arkansas Pediatrics. She joined the Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas clinic Wednesday and will see patients in Fayetteville and Lowell. Battisto graduated from Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., summa cum laude with a bachelor’s of science, earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the University of Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville, Ky., and completed her pediatric residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science in Little Rock.
Brandon Bullard was named chief financial officer of Sparks Health System. Bullard is a certified public accountant and has more than 11 years of experience as chief financial officer for multiple for-profit and not-for-profit healthcare facilities in Oklahoma and Texas, most recently at AllianceHealth Midwest in Midwest City, Okla. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla.
Briefs are for people in Northwest Arkansas who are new hires, were promoted, received an award from outside their organization or received a certification. Email: cswanson@nwadg.com or send your item to: Christie Swanson, P.O. Box 7, Springdale, AR. 72765. Information must be received by noon Wednesday prior to the Sunday the item is to be published.