Women's Association For Morristown Medical Center Honors Three Emergency Department Ambassador Volunteers with Irene Fortunato Award

MORRISTOWN, NJ - Three Emergency Department Ambassador Volunteers at Morristown Medical Center have received the  Irene Fortunato Award.

The Irene Fortunato Award was established by the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center (WAMMC) in 2022 to recognize active college-level volunteers who have contributed a minimum of 50 hours of service, demonstrated reliability and a commitment to the hospital volunteer program in which they are participating.

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The three award winners are Hannah Lesser, Andrew Bambridge and Uzma Hasan.

Lesser, a student at Tufts University majoring in Biology and Spanish Literature and in a pre-med track, is the recipient of the $1,000 award. Lesser is also an EMT in Jersey City, NJ

“Serving as a volunteer in the ED proved to be simultaneously the most rewarding and challenging role I had ever known; a delicate balance of providing care without the privilege of touch or treatment", said Lesser.  "Not allowed to use her EMT training in the ED as a volunteer, she learned that, “The blankets and conversation I offered that evening provided reassurance to the woman and her children and that all of us in the ED cared, not only about her loved one, who was our patient, but his family as well.”

Bambridge, a recipient of a $500 award is working toward an associate degree in Science and Math Pre-Med/Pre-Pharmacy at Raritan Valley Community College. He has volunteered for more than 180 hours in the ED Volunteer Program, after having first worked as a Patient Access Representative.

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Bambridge said, “Through my experience at the hospital, I’ve learned that people not only want to feel better, but they also want to feel understood. After having conversations with patients and their families, they had smiles on their faces, which lifted their spirits.” He further stated that he will miss spending his Saturday evenings in the ED when he goes to medical school.

Hasan, the recipient of a $500 award is majoring in Molecular Biology (pre-med track) at Montclair State University. Uzma spoke of learning to overcome shyness to reach out to patients in the ED,

“I learned I can brighten up someone’s day with just a simple smile and small conversation,” she said. She also cited a trauma case that left her with a long-lasting impression of what effective leadership and initiative looks like in the medical field when she witnessed leadership that was demonstrated by each team member. Uzma looks forward to continuing to learn the art of giving back in medical school.

College students may choose to complete an application, along with an essay for consideration and winners are selected by WAMMC’s Hospital Liaison Committee. This year, the committee was pleased to present the Irene Fortunato Award to the following three well-deserving Emergency Department Ambassador Program volunteers, one for $1,000 and two for $500, at an awards ceremony on June 18, 2024.

Irene Fortunato (1924-2019) joined Morristown Medical Center as a volunteer in 1998 and for over 20 years generously gave more than 29,000 hours of service, a record that has never been surpassed. Irene received the President’s Volunteer Service Award and Lifetime Award in 2018.

"Irene Fortunato’s commitment exemplified the spirit of giving, and WAMMC is pleased to honor her legacy with an award in her name", said the WAMMC.

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