Neeli Cox Kirkendall, formerly of Kosciusko, has recently received two honors. She is currently an instructor in the Accelerated BSN Program of the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing at the University of MS Campus in Oxford.
This spring, she was inducted into the Nelson Order, which was established in 2004 by the Office of Academic Affairs in honor of Dr. Norman Crooks Nelson, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine from 1973-1994. She was selected by her students and peers and recommended by her dean. Neeli was recognized at the annual UMMC Commencement and wore the Nelson Order purple sash to signify her place as a member of the Order.
Neeli was also presented the 2016 Daisy Faculty Award during the school’s annual Strategic Evaluation Day held June 20. This award is given in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died from an autoimmune disease in 1999. The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation was created by Barnes’ parents to honor nurses who “go above and beyond.” She was nominated for this award by three of her students and was then selected from a field of 14 nominees from the UMC School of Nursing.
As recipient of this award, Neeli will now be eligible for the Nightingale Award given by the Mississippi Nursing Association.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she has been accepted into the doctoral program and will begin her studies this fall. She is the daughter of Terry and Kathy Cox of Kosciusko and formerly worked as a nurse practitioner at Kosciusko Medical Clinic.
