10/10/2025
A well-deserved honor for Lalita, whose expertise is a key part of our intrathecal baclofen pump program. We are fortunate to have her on the team.
Meet Lalita, a nurse at TIRR Memorial Hermann whose ongoing commitment to improve the lives of others in rehabilitation nursing has been honored with a silver medal by the Good Samaritan Foundation Excellence in Nursing Awards for 2025.
Growing up in a military family, the expectation was that Lalita would pursue a degree in engineering, but her heart was set on helping people and making a difference. So with encouragement from a school counselor, she pursued nursing school and landed a scholarship to Prairie View A&M University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
After a 40-year nursing career, Lalita says her fundamental desire to make a difference in the lives of others has evolved to include not only the patients under her care, but other rehabilitation nurses and the rehabilitation nursing specialty as a whole.
In addition to earning a master’s degree in nursing, she is actively involved with the Association of Rehabilitation Nursing (ARN), serving as president of the local southeast chapter, and has been elected to the national board of directors all while mentoring nurses through the TIRR Memorial Hermann Rising Star Leadership Development Program.
"Mentoring nurses and sharing professional knowledge became an avenue for me to support rehabilitation nursing and enhance patient outcomes, along with advocacy in health policy to encourage nurses to influence and advocate for our profession," she says.
“Starting out as a pediatric charge nurse at TIRR Memorial Hermann, I grew to love rehabilitation nursing because the specialty allows nurses more time to build trusting relationships with patients and observe the impact of nursing interventions and patient education on patient outcomes," she says. "Throughout my career with TIRR Memorial Hermann, I’ve been influenced by leaders, nurses and physicians and I am grateful for this collective influence. The work culture is a family atmosphere and it’s what has kept me coming back for over 30 years.”
Congratulations on a well-deserved award, Lalita, and thanks for your 30 years of service with TIRR Memorial Hermann!
