Meet the 2025 Winner: Kelly Toth (Potter), PhD, RN
Dr. Kelly M. Toth (Potter), PhD, RN is an Assistant Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Toth’s research focuses on understanding heterogeneity in critical illness, particularly through data-driven subtyping and evaluating long-term cognitive and functional outcomes among ICU survivors. She employs advanced analytics and implementation science with aims to improve the delivery of evidence-based interventions and promote personalized approaches to post-ICU recovery.
Dr. Toth completed her PhD in Nursing Science at the Medical University of South Carolina, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical epidemiology and critical care outcomes research at the University of Pittsburgh. With over a decade of clinical experience as a critical care nurse, she integrates bedside knowledge with rigorous research to bridge the gap between clinical practice and scientific discovery.
Dr. Toth has received funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support her work on delirium subtypes and heterogeneity in treatment response, with the goal of refining clinical care strategies for critically ill older adults. Her research is published in journals such as eBioMedicine, Critical Care Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, and the American Journal of Critical Care. As an educator, she mentors University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing undergraduate students in clinical research to foster a passion for discovery and innovation in the next generation of nurse scientists.
She is an active member of the American Thoracic Society, where she chairs the Early Career Professionals Working Group in the Nursing Assembly and is the Nursing Assembly Representative for the PhD Basic & Translational Science Working Group, where she chairs the Equity & ATS Opportunities Subcommittee.
Description
The award will be given to a Nursing Assembly member who has made outstanding contributions relevant to nursing in the area(s) of research, clinical care, teaching, and/or service. Additionally, this person shows commitment and support of the Nursing Assembly and ATS. The award recognizes individuals who have made valuable contributions focused on patient and family responses related to pulmonary conditions, critical illness, or sleep disorders early in his or her career. The awardee will be presented with a framed certificate at the annual Nursing Assembly meeting during the ATS International Conference. We encourage applications from nominees with diverse backgrounds (e.g. by gender, race/ethnicity, country, area of focus and primary occupation).
Criteria
- Registered Nurse
- Must be no more than Assistant Professor level, and either less than 10 years after earning a doctoral degree, or less than 10 years since initially becoming a full member of ATS, whichever is earliest.
- Member of the Nursing Assembly (preference is given to a primary member)
- Shows commitment and support of the Nursing Assembly, and to the ATS, including description of participation in ATS Nursing assembly or ATS activities
- Letter of nomination from a member of the Nursing Assembly documenting how the applicant meets the scoring criteria, on a scale from 1 to 5
- Teaching/mentoring contributions – evaluated by feedback on teaching and mentoring from current or past mentees. Those with examples of successful mentoring and teaching (e.g., student-led abstracts, papers, or other products) will be scored higher (5/5) than those with without these described products (1/5).
- Participation in assembly or ATS activities – evaluated by described participation in past ATS or Nursing assembly activities. Those with leadership roles, multiple activities or substantial impact to ATS through service roles will be scored higher (5/5) than those with few service activities and no leadership roles (1/5).
- Scientific/scholarly and clinical contributions – evaluated by impact of scientific work, such as number of publications and/or grants, quality of research and/or uptake of findings and/or impact to clinical practice. Those with substantial number of publications, external funding, and/or robust evidence of the impact of their scholarship on patients and the health care community will be scored higher (5/5) than those with fewer publications, no external grant funding or limited clinical impact of their work. Notably, scholarship or clinical contributions with a specific scientific focus on creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable healthcare system is preferred.
- Additional letters of support from peers, mentors, and colleagues may be submitted with the nomination but are not required.
- A CV from the candidate, not to exceed 4 pages, that addresses research, clinical care, teaching, and/or service.
- A copy of at least one publication, consisting of either a published abstract, dissertation abstract, or short summary of the capstone project if no published manuscript is available.