CU Anschutz Nursing alumna Ruby Martinez, PhD, RN, was recently awarded the 2020 Latino Legacy Award from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN). Each year at the national conference, NAHN recognizes one member who has contributed to the nursing profession with commitment to advancing the health in Hispanic communities and to lead, promote and advocate the educational, professional, and leadership opportunities for Hispanic nurses. Like many national conferences, this year’s NAHN conference was held virtually in July due to coronavirus.

Nominated for this prestigious award by the Denver Chapter of NAHN, Dr. Martinez’s career has included clinical, administrative, and faculty positions. Martinez started her career in psychiatric nursing at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan as a staff nurse, nurse manager, and nurse administrator. She later worked at Denver Health as the nurse manager of the Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry Units. A Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric Nursing with prescriptive authority, Dr. Martinez has practiced psychiatric nursing part-time for the past five years at AllHealth Network. In addition to her clinical roles, Martinez was a faculty member at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing, where she taught graduate and undergraduate psychiatric nursing and conducted research on runaway teens until 2005. Having earned her BSN, MS, post-master’s certificate, and PhD from the College of Nursing, Martinez is proud of her CU education and affiliation. “CU Anschutz Nursing is very special to me,” she said. “It helped shape who I am.”

Dr. Martinez remains active in nursing organizations including as board president of the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence, and as a member of the Nurse Physician Advisory Task Force for Colorado Health Care (NPATCH). Actively involved in the community, Martinez is a member of the Public Safety Commission of Castle Rock and a volunteer at the Dumb Friends League Buddy Center caring for dogs.