Philips/RDH Heart to Hands: Nominations now open

Heart to Hands has a special place in my story because it celebrates what I love most about our profession: the quiet, relentless ways hygienists show up for people. I’ve watched nominees turn ordinary days into tiny miracles for patients, teams, and communities.

The Heart to Hands Award honors hygienists’ work that rarely makes headlines but changes lives: the voice that calms an anxious patient, the school screenings, the local and national agencies created, and the late-night planning for underserved clinics.

Experiencing Heart to Hands from both sides

When I learned about the award, I was a clinical hygienist, reading the articles in RDH magazine and feeling so proud to be part of a profession that gives so much. Now, as Senior Manager of Education and Industry Relations at Philips, I experience the award from the other side, and I get the privilege of honoring all the very deserving hygienists. 

Meeting them and learning the stories and work of the recipients over the past nine years inspires me to dream bigger and keeps me rooted in my why—to make a positive impact on the lives of those I serve.

 A decade of Heart to Hands

This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate the 10th year of the Heart to Hands Award, which means a decade of honoring the hearts behind the hands that practice and serve daily. 

Philips sponsors this award because it puts the hygienists’ stories on a big stage, at RDH UOR and beyond, so that their good ideas can travel and more patients and this industry can benefit. Innovation only matters when it’s carried out by human hands and generous hearts, and that’s the kind of work I’ll always champion.

I encourage every hygienist to apply for the Heart to Hands award, not for a trophy, but because telling your story reminds us all why we chose this path: for prevention, access, dignity, impact, and caring for others.

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