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St. Luke’s, Women’s and Children’s Alliance Pair to Celebrate TWIN Winners
For 25 years, the Women’s and Children’s Alliance in Boise has honored women who shine in their fields and make outstanding contributions in executive, professional and managerial roles.
The annual Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) awards have become an institution honoring female leaders in southern Idaho.
Three St. Luke’s employees are among this year’s 49 TWIN honorees: Marni Allen, Tonia Ferguson and Tanya Furlong.
Allen, a nurse practitioner with St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute, supports pediatric patients with hematology and oncology diagnoses. She has played an integral role in the development of patient-centered initiatives, including the introduction of a nurse navigator to help hospitalized youth.
Before joining MSTI, Allen was an assistant professor of nursing at Boise State. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Linfield College and a master’s degree from the University of Portland, and has served as the president of the Idaho Nurses Association.
Ferguson serves as a senior director of patient access services at St. Luke’s. She leads efforts to streamline appointment scheduling, referral management and language services, among many responsibilities, with an acute focus on patients and their needs.
Ferguson studied communication at Seattle Central College and worked in St. Luke’s marketing department for a decade before transitioning into patient access.
Leading operations at St. Luke’s Wood River, Furlong manages 11 departments. She joined St. Luke’s in 2003, parlaying a career in marketing and community relations into operational leadership. She earned a bachelor’s degree from George Fox University and a master’s in business administration from Western Governor’s University.
“We are fortunate to have these outstanding women at St. Luke’s,” said Jodi Vanderpool, St. Luke’s vice president of quality operations and a 2015 TWIN honoree. “Each has made extraordinary contributions to our mission of improving the health of people in our communities, whether it’s through increasing patient access, leading operations or advancing the quality of care for our patients.”
More than 60 women at St. Luke’s have received the TWIN award at some point in their careers. St. Luke’s has created an affinity group of honorees, helping facilitate networking and community-building across the health system.
The organization has been a longtime supporter of the WCA, and St. Luke’s Health System President and CEO Dr. David Pate served as the TWIN Luncheon Honorary Chair in 2010.
“St. Luke’s is blessed to have such a committed and caring partner as the Women’s and Children’s Alliance, and our community is made better and stronger every day because of their tireless efforts and great work,” he said.About The Author
Daniel Mediate works in the St. Luke’s Communications department.
