AZ Blue Honors Three Arizona Nurses

 To honor the extraordinary work that our Arizona nurses do every day, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue) congratulates the three winners of its 2025 Nurses Who Inspire contest. Winners were selected based on nominations showcasing their passion and commitment for nursing and the impact they have made on their patients and our community.

“We’re honored to celebrate Arizona’s nurses once again,” said Dr. Cara Christ, Chief Medical Officer at AZ Blue. “Now in its second year, we received hundreds of nominations this year and are deeply inspired by the heartfelt stories shared. Our nurses are the heart of patient care, and we can’t thank each one of them enough for their unwavering passion and commitment to serving others.”

Each nurse will receive $3,000 cash and tickets to an Arizona Diamondbacks Game. The winners also will be recognized on the field at the game and will be given the opportunity to be part of the first pitch.

AZ Blue congratulates the following nurses for receiving this year’s honor:

• Gillian Aitken – Gillian works as a nurse practitioner specializing in complex genetic, endocrine, and HIV care. Upon receiving the award, Gillian commented:
  • “My love for nursing comes from decades of being on the patient and family side of healthcare. For many years, I spent significant time in hospitals, and the nurses who cared for me were a constant source of compassion, advocacy, and comfort.”
• Jean Gribbon – Jean is the Founder and Chief Mission Officer of Beads of Courage, a global non-profit delivering arts-in-medicine programs to children facing cancer and other serious illnesses. Upon receiving the award, Jean commented:
  • “Nurses transform the healing of people throughout the world! It is the most important discipline in the world!”
• Tajma Palma – Tajma is a dual-certified Family and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Upon receiving the award, Tajma commented:
  • “I am grateful beyond words for the opportunity to serve, to uplift, and to be part of a profession that truly changes lives.”

For more information about the Nurses Who Inspire contest, and the 2025 winners, visit: https://www.azblue.com/inspire-health/blog/az-blue-nurses-who-inspire-contest-winners-2025

ABOUT BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF ARIZONA

Blue Cross ® Blue Shield ® of Arizona (AZ Blue) is committed to helping Arizonans get healthier faster and stay healthier longer. With a mission to inspire health and make it easy, AZ Blue offers health insurance and related services to more than 2 million customers. AZ Blue, a non-profit company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The company and its subsidiaries employ more than 3,200 people in its Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson offices. To learn more, visit azblue.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.