Preceptor of the Year Awards 23-24

The University of Michigan School of Nursing Office of Professional Graduate Studies is excited to share the winners of the 2023-2024 Preceptor of the Year Awards! These awards are given annually to honor preceptors who have gone above and beyond in supporting our students' learning and professional development.

This year we are awarding six preceptors, each in their own category for their remarkable performance. The winners were selected after considering student nominations and faculty reviews, which are provided below.

Aubree Blumer, CNP

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program

About Aubree:

Aubree is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner at Trinity Health IHA Medical Group. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing – Pediatric Primary Care from the University of Michigan School of Nursing in 2017. Aubree has clinical interests in adolescent care and mental health. She lives with her husband and two children in Ann Arbor and enjoys gardening, solving word puzzles, and adventuring around town with her family. Aubree has precepted several students in recent years totaling over 700 hours.

Nomination from one of Aubree’s students:

“Aubree is an amazing preceptor. She is the embodiment of a kind, competent and empowering educator. All her patients and families love her, and from the first day of starting my clinical with her, I could see why. She is incredibly knowledgeable in clinical diagnoses, reasoning, and pharmacological therapeutics. More than that though, she has been such a good example of how to care for the emotional well-being of her patients. I feel that this is a skill that is difficult to teach, but time and time again she has demonstrated how to provide compassionate care to all her patients, going above and beyond with her time and providing extra resources to those who need it (beyond just referrals.) I know the lessons I have learned from her will help me immeasurably in my future career.”

Renee Bremer, MSN, RN, ACM, CENP

Leadership, Analytics, and Innovation MSN Program

About Renee:

Renee is the associate director for care management at the University of Michigan Health, and adjunct clinical faculty at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Renee obtained her Master of Nursing from Eastern Michigan University and Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership from American Sentinel University. She was previously an adjunct faculty in the nursing lab at Henry Ford Community College and has presented at multiple national conferences across the United States. She is passionate about education and has been a preceptor/mentor at the University of Michigan for the past nine years.

Nomination from one of Renee’s students:

“Renee has been an amazing preceptor and nurse role model. Early on she took the time to connect with me and welcomed me to her department. She guided and equipped me with the knowledge to develop my immersion project. I consider myself to be very lucky to have worked with her.”

Elizabeth Haberkorn, DNP, FNP-BC

Family Nurse Practitioner/Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program

About Dr. Haberkorn:

Dr. Haberkorn serves as the director of Judson Family Health, an integrated primary care clinic in Warren, MI, and as associate medical director at Medical Network One. In this role, she advises on primary care best practices. Haberkorn and team initiated the Substance Use Disorder Program at Judson Health Clinic, addressing the complex needs of this population. Previously, she practiced in internal medicine and occupational health as an NP and served as an emergency nurse in Metro Detroit. She has a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Madonna University, and a BA in Kinesiology from Albion College. She precepts FNP students and contributes to lectures and mentoring opportunities. She is driven by a passion for service, leadership, and advocacy. Recently, Liz has precepted 10 students for nearly 1700 hours.

Nominations from Dr. Haberkorn’s students:

• “Elizabeth always went above and beyond in ensuring I was working at my full potential. She was knowledgeable and caring in the way she instructed me. She always answered all my questions and took the time to instruct me while being patient when things were difficult. She is an asset to our program and should be celebrated with this award.”
• “Elizabeth is professional and easy to learn from. She has a vast amount of knowledge in her field of work. She is always willing to teach and is a great preceptor to learn from.”
• “Liz is a truly exceptional NP and preceptor. She is genuinely one of the most influential preceptors/instructors I have had throughout the program. She is a wealth of knowledge, has an incredibly positive attitude, is a highly respected part of her team and is truly passionate about her patients. She is a leader in her specialty, and I predict seeing her at an even higher level advocating for her patients. I am lucky to have been placed with her.”
• “I feel lucky to have had Liz as my first clinical preceptor. She is extremely knowledgeable about various treatment plans and diagnoses. She helped me utilize the resources available to me to formulate a safe treatment plan for each of our patients. She utilizes respectful, appropriate, culturally competent care for every patient. She actively worked with our patient's various providers to optimize their care from every aspect. She provided specific feedback about patient encounters that helped to strengthen my interview and assessment skills. She is a great Nurse Practitioner role model, and any future student would be lucky to learn from her.”

Renee Havey, DNP, RN, CCRN, ACNS-BC, CEN

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

About Dr. Havey:

Dr. Havey graduated from the University of Michigan School of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a master’s in Medical-Surgical Nursing – CNS program. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Educational Leadership from Case Western Reserve University. Renee has been a nurse for 17 years and a clinical nurse specialist for 12 years specializing in emergency and critical care nursing at the University of Michigan in adult emergency services and emergency critical care center.

Nomination from one of Dr. Havey’s students:

“Renee has been a wonderful mentor through my DNP quality improvement project. Not only has she provided me with many opportunities for my project, but she made me feel important within the adult emergency department. Renee answered all my questions and supported my thoughts on my project. She has also given me career advice outside of our DNP project work and I know she will continue being my lifelong mentor.”

Leah Ijere, NP

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program

About Leah:

Leah is an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner at the University of Michigan Health – Sparrow campus in the Medical and Cardiovascular ICU units and Rapid Response Team. Leah graduated with her Licensed Practical Nurse in 2006 and earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from Lansing Community College in 2007. She worked as an RN for 10 years before graduating with her Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University in 2017. Since then, she has continued to work in the critical care setting. Leah is certified through AACN and has Fundamentals of Critical Care (FCCS) and Emergency Neurological Life Support (ENLS). She recently accepted a volunteer position for AACN’s practice exam and Question Development Committee. Leah has precepted eight students totaling over 1900 hours.

Nominations from Leah’s students:

• “From the very beginning of the clinical semester, Leah voiced her goals to help me grow and to succeed. She said she would work with me to get me where I needed to be, as I was not quite where I should be entering into my final clinical rotation. Leah continued to push me to improve and has helped to guide me along the way. She is very knowledgeable and very skilled in her work as a critical care nurse practitioner. I feel blessed to have had such a caring, compassionate, kind, and yet challenging preceptor. I have no doubt that I have grown a lot this semester and this was made possible by both Leah and me. Thank you for being an incredible preceptor to me and other students—you make a huge difference!”
• “Leah was a pleasure to work with. She is a wealth of knowledge and can recite guidelines and rationales as to why we implement the interventions that we do. She is always very patient and never seems put off by taking longer to accomplish a task with a student. When we have downtime, she would allow me to practice with the Doppler and we would discuss anatomy, finding and potential interventions.”
• “Leah She was extremely patient and a fabulous preceptor. She was very respectful and kept things organized and focused in a very busy time of health care. She was also very respectful to me, the staff and her colleagues.”
• “Leah played a vital role in my transition from an instructor-dependent provider to an independent practitioner. She is a strong student advocate, very approachable and readily available to help with procedures or to answer questions. She always wants to teach, has a lot of experience in this field and has become a role model for me. Thank you very much for allowing me to be your student this semester.”

Jodi Spiegelberg, NP-C

Nurse-Midwifery Program

About Jodi:

Jodi is a dedicated women’s health nurse practitioner with almost 20 years of experience in health care. She began her career as a labor and delivery nurse for seven years, before transitioning to a nurse practitioner role in 2012. With her Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, Jodi brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her current position at the University of Michigan Brighton Health Center in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys music, crocheting, and spending time with her active family. Jodi has precepted 12 students in recent years totaling over 1500 hours.

Nominations from Jodi’s students:

• “I had the pleasure of having Jodi as my preceptor for my gynecology/antepartum semester of midwifery school. She always prioritized my learning, providing excellent opportunities, and feedback that motivated me to keep improving. She made clinical an enjoyable experience every day. The tidbits of knowledge she left me with every day will stick with me throughout my career. Any student who gets to have her as their preceptor is lucky.”
• “Jodi was such an amazing preceptor. She has taught me so much over this past semester and encouraged my learning with every single patient. She taught me numerous valuable skills within the women's health world.”
• “Jodi was an excellent preceptor and was personable with me and the patients to help make a plan of care. Overall, patients were frequently happy to see her so that they could update her on their lives. She provided good teaching/patient education resources that I can use in future practice.”