Olean General Hospital and the family of the late Dr. Dinesh K. Lahoti have awarded a scholarship in his memory to registered nurse Julie Hepker, a nurse manager and clinical educator at OGH.
The $1,000 Dr. Dinesh Lahoti Nurse Education Scholarship is awarded annually to a nurse for continuing education. In its second year, the award honors Lahoti, who practiced internal medicine in Olean for more than 30 years and who passed away unexpectedly in August 2022.
Lahoti’s widow, Manju Lahoti, and his son, Dr. Mayank Lahoti, presented the award.
“My family and I would like to congratulate Julie on being the recipient of this year’s scholarship,” Dr. Mayank Lahoti said. “She exemplifies the commitment to service, community and education that were so important to my father. It was touching to find out how my father had impacted her and her desire to be a nursing educator.”
Hepker, a Portville native, dreamed of being a nurse when she was a child. Her personal experience with nurses throughout her own medical journey at a young age only fortified her aspiring to a nursing career. In high school, she volunteered at OGH and continued to see the positive impact nurses had on patients’ lives.
Hepker earned her Associate of Science in Nursing as well as her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Pa. Throughout a nursing career that spans more than two decades at OGH, she has filled multiple roles. She was a nurse on the medical-surgical/pediatric unit while also serving as a patient/diabetes educator. She later was an RN on the progressive care unit before moving to clinical education, where she has served since July 2019.
Hepker is working on her master’s degree in nursing education from Post University of Waterbury, Conn. After graduating, she plans on obtaining a certification in nurse professional development (NPD), a board certification that enhances the knowledge and skills of members of the profession. She hopes to serve as an adjunct professor at a area college or university to help educate and prepare new nurses while still working at OGH.
The scholarship will be used to offset tuition costs while pursuing her master’s degree.
“It was a pleasure to meet Dr. Lahoti’s family and celebrate his life and career,” Hepker said. “Working alongside Dr. Lahoti at OGH for 15 years, I knew he cared about all the nurses he worked with and took the time to educate us daily.
“Dr. Lahoti always encouraged us to pursue education and advance our professional practice,” she added. “He influenced me to go back for my master’s degree in nursing education after 20 years of bedside nursing.”
Jennifer Ruggles, chief nursing officer at OGH and Bradford Regional Medical Center, which are part of the Kaleida Health network of hospitals, called Hepker an “unparalleled nurse leader” and very deserving of the scholarship.
“I’ve seen first-hand the impact she has on new generations of OGH nurses,” Ruggles said. “Her aspiration of educating others outside the four walls of our hospital and cultivating aspiring nurses shows her passion for nursing.”