Nurses Absent from TIME100 Health 2025 List
The recently released TIME100 Health 2025 list highlights influential figures shaping global health, featuring leaders such as Melinda French Gates, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Kate Middleton, and innovators like Shiv Rao, whose company Abridge developed technology that benefits clinicians-including nurses-at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. However, nurses themselves, who represent the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and play vital roles in patient care, leadership, and innovation, were not named as primary honorees.
Nurses! 🎉 100+ prizes—cash, scrubs, shoes & more! Enter below + watch your fave nurse creators for extra chances!
By entering this sweepstakes, you agree to receive emails from Nurse.org. No purchase necessary. Alternate entry method and official rules. You can unsubscribe from emails at any time using the “unsubscribe” link provided in every email, in accordance with Nurse.org privacy policy.
The Role of Nurses in Healthcare Today
Nurses serve as caregivers, educators, researchers, policy advocates, and innovators. Their work is central to healthcare delivery worldwide, especially as the profession faces ongoing concerns such as workforce challenges and increasing patient complexity. Recent observances like International Nurses Week have emphasized the essential and multifaceted contributions nurses make to health systems globally.
Why Representation Matters
Recognition on prominent lists like TIME100 can shape public perceptions of leadership and innovation in healthcare. Organizations such as the International Council of Nurses stress that acknowledging nurses’ contributions is important for strengthening health systems and ensuring diverse perspectives in health policy and innovation. The absence of nurses from the 2025 list has prompted conversations about how recognition is distributed among healthcare professions.
Nurses Previously Recognized on TIME100Â
Nurses have appeared on previous TIME100 lists, particularly in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, Amy O’Sullivan, an emergency room nurse in Brooklyn, and Bonnie Castillo, executive director of National Nurses United, were recognized for their roles on the front lines of the health crisis. O’Sullivan was noted for her care of New York City’s first COVID-19 patient and her return to work after recovering from the virus, while Castillo was acknowledged for her advocacy efforts supporting nurses’ safety and rights. Their inclusion reflected the significant contributions nurses made during a critical period in public health.
Image Source: Time Magazine introduced its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020, two nurses are named for their influence on society.Â
Game-Changing Innovations Led by Nurses That Deserve the Spotlight
Though not featured on the TIME100 Health 2025 list, nurses have driven significant innovations across multiple areas in 2024 and 2025:
-
Nurse Innovation Cohort at ViVE 2025: Nurse innovators showcased digital health tools, workflow solutions, and patient engagement platforms designed to address clinical challenges and improve care delivery.
-
American Nurses Enterprise Innovation Awards: Honoring nurse leaders like Dr. Sheridan Miyamoto and Dr. Amany Farag for developing system-level solutions that enhance patient safety and crisis care.
-
Advancements in Nursing Education: Nurses are pioneering the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality to create immersive, personalized training environments that improve clinical readiness and education efficiency.
-
Telehealth and Virtual Nursing: Nurses have expanded telehealth protocols, improving access to care in rural and underserved communities through virtual patient assessments and remote monitoring.
-
Nurse-Driven Research and Policy: New inductees into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame have contributed evidence-based interventions and influenced health policy at national and international levels.
-
Community and Home Health Innovations: Nurses are designing care coordination platforms and patient-centered pathways to reduce hospital readmissions and improve quality of life for aging and medically complex populations.
-
Clinical Excellence: Nurses have developed rapid response protocols and led pediatric ICU teams in advanced CPR coaching, resulting in improved patient outcomes.
Looking Ahead
TIME’s editorial process involves consultation with experts to select honorees based on their impact on advancing care, shaping policy, and driving innovation. As healthcare continues to evolve, many in the field encourage ongoing efforts to recognize the broad and vital contributions of nurses in future honors and awards.
By highlighting these nurse-led innovations and contributions, the healthcare community continues to emphasize the critical role nurses play-not only as caregivers but as leaders and innovators shaping the future of health.
🤔What do you think? Share your thoughts in the discussion forum below.Â
If you have a nursing news story that deserves to be heard, we want to amplify it to our massive community of millions of nurses! Get your story in front of Nurse.org Editors now - click here to fill out our quick submission form today!
Â
