Tiffany Boyd, 36

Tiffany Boyd has worked in the health care field for more than a decade, holding a variety of roles, seizing new opportunities to learn and earning numerous accolades along the way — all while enduring personal tragedy, too. But the Walpole native's illustrious career, which has led to her current position as senior director of acute care and care management at Cheshire Medical Center, began simply with the guidance of her family and a single act of self-discovery nearly 200 miles away at Saint Joseph's College of Maine. "The start of my profession was really when I went to college," said Boyd, 36. "My parents really encouraged me to pick a path and at least start with something. I didn't have a lot of exposure to health care at that time, but one of my mom's friends had been a nurse at Cheshire for years and so I spent a lot of time talking to her and decided to go for it. From my first semester in college, I realized that I connected a great deal. And it just kind of continued that passion all the way through." It sure has. During her studies in Standish, Maine, Boyd would take per-diem shifts as a licensed nursing assistant at the Keene hospital while back on weekends or during breaks. After graduating from nursing school in 2009, Boyd spent a couple more years in Maine before starting at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon and eventually returning to Cheshire in 2012 to take on a care coordinator role. "One of the things that really drew me back is the sense of belonging at Cheshire," she said. "You know everybody, and everybody greets you with a smile. Everybody celebrates your positives, your wins, your life events. And if something unfortunate happens, they circle around you and really help support you through that." Just a year after returning to Cheshire, Boyd found herself needing that sort of support. In 2013, she gave birth to a child with a terminal illness. Between then and the baby's death in April 2014, Boyd gained fresh perspectives as she navigated the health care system in completely new ways: as a patient, parent and advocate. During this time Boyd realized just how overwhelming certain health care experiences can be, even for someone as adept and knowledgeable as her. This ultimately led her down a new path to her current position. In this care management role, Boyd works to ensure the hospital emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to patient care, prioritizes their emotional and social well-being and partners with external community partners to address broader social determinants of health. "If we're not taking the time to get to know a patient, we're setting up a plan that doesn't necessarily mean anything to them," Boyd said. "And some of it comes down to basic life needs. If we're not addressing or asking the question, it's not going to resonate with them. So we have to really take care of patients holistically. You have to make sure that you're hearing what's really meaningful to them outside of a medical provider." This holistic approach to health care is one of many reasons Heather Atwell, Cheshire's communications manager, nominated Boyd for The Sentinel's Trendsetter award. "In every way, Tiffany has dedicated herself to the nursing profession and our community and makes New Hampshire a better place," Atwell wrote in her nomination letter. "At the heart of this work and the mission of the role is patient satisfaction. In this role she is engaged in creating a health care environment where patients receive the highest quality care but also compassionate and holistic support. Her dedicated commitment to leadership, nursing, and the continued improvement of the quality of care is exemplified in everything she does." In 2022, Boyd graduated from Saint Joseph's College of Maine for the second time, this go-around with a master's in health care administration. She is currently on track to complete her doctorate degree from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. this year with a focus on congestive heart failure and ways for hospitals to reduce 30-day remissions. One significant accomplishment of Boyd's is the recent implementation of hourly nurse rounds at Cheshire, which improved patient satisfaction scores in the domains of care, communication, courtesy and respect. With the ability to navigate the intricate tapestry of medical crises that each day brings, Boyd embodies the essence of unshakable support, offering solace to patients and providing a steady hand. Though her day-to-day responsibilities have shifted from the exam room to the board room, she is still focused on fostering a culture of excellence, providing high quality care and offering growth and professional development within nursing and the entire health care system. For Boyd, she wouldn't want it any other way. "At the end of the day, I feel like I leave each day having made an impact," she said. "So I wouldn't leave that for something else."