University Nurse Earns Prestigious 'DAISY' Award

Joselino “Joe” Ulanday, a registered psychiatric nurse at University Hospital in Newark, recently received the DAISY award, a national recognition honoring members of the nursing profession.

“There have been situations where patients have become aggressive towards other patients or staff,” said Prince Kena, RN-BC, MSN, MPA, NE-BC, assistant director of nursing for Psychiatry, and Renal Dialysis Services, at University Hospital, and Ulanday’s manager.  “Joe does not think of himself first, but rather the victim or the aggressor.  He instantly uses the techniques of ‘Handle with Care’ to manage aggressive situations in a manner that ensures the safety of patients and staff.”

A native of the Philippines and a registered nurse for 21 years, Ulanday immigrated to the United States in 1979.  He has resided in Englewood for nearly three decades and worked at University Hospital since 2005.  Born into a family of healthcare professionals, Ulanday earned an associate’s degree in nursing from Bergen Community College in 1992 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Peter’s College in 2010.  

His father was a psychiatrist in the Philippines and that background, he said, made him sensitive to the stigmas often associated with psychiatric patients and the mentally ill in general.

“It always comes down to serving others,” he said. “I have enjoyed serving others since I was very young.”