Alena B. Agatep was recently awarded the Sydney and Helen Shuman Nurse Recognition Award.

Agatep, of Upper Marlboro, a cardiac nurse at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, was one of two nurses nationwide to be awarded the honor, which is chosen by Mended Hearts, Inc., a non-profit association that offers services to heart patients. She began her nursing career in the Phllippines, before moving to the United States and eventually working at Washington Adventist, where she has been employed for more than 15 years.

“Everyone from the patients to their families to the surgeons recognize Alena’s great skills as an open-heart nurse,” said Neal Gregory, president of the National Capital Area chapter of Mended Hearts, in a statement.