MACHESNEY PARK, IL, August 26, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Kathleen Kobylas, a Registered Nurse retired from Kalaupapa Health Services, has been named Cambridge Who's Who Professional of the Year in Critical Care Nursing. While inclusion in the Cambridge Who's Who Registry is an honor, only a small selection of members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, years of service, and the credentials they have provided in association with their Cambridge Who's Who membership.

A 27-year veteran of the healthcare field, Kathleen Kobylas enjoyed a multi-faceted career that included work in intensive care, cardiac intensive care, burn treatment, nuclear medicine and infection control. She recently retired from Kalaupapa Health Services where she specialized in treating patients with Hansen's disease (leprosy). As an RN in the renowned leprosy settlement, she helped care for the 109 patients with only 19 remaining by the time she retired. Ms. Kobylas has since relocated to Illinois in order to spend more time with her brother Dr. Joseph Kobylas, a professor at Rockford College. She lives with her Bengal cat, Layla, on the banks of the Rock River.

She first honed her skills as a critical care nurse in Los Angeles, working in the ICU/CCU and burn unit. As a critical care nurse, Ms. Kobylas always placed emphasis on paying attention to every detail and being able to think on her feet. She avers that it was this ability to handle multiple tasks at once - combined with a genuine compassion for patients - that was the key to her success.

Born and raised in the Detroit area, Ms. Kobylas started out as an art major but eventually decided to heed a calling in nursing. She obtained an associate degree in nursing in 1982 from Los Angeles Harbor College after completing coursework in art at Wayne State University. Though officially retired, she looks forward to more years of volunteering, especially with persons with HIV/AIDS. When she is not working, Ms. Kobylas pursues her early passion for art through sketching.

Kalaupapa, a community on the island of Molokai in Hawaii, is the last leprosy settlement in the United States. It received its first leprosy victims in 1866. Father Damien deVeuster, the most prominent of the Catholic missionaries to have served and died there, was canonized as a saint by the Church in October 2009.

About Cambridge Who's Who
With over 400,000 members representing every major industry, Cambridge Who's Who is a powerful networking resource that enables professionals to outshine their competition, in part through effective branding and marketing. Cambridge Who's Who employs similar public relations techniques to those utilized by Fortune 500 companies and makes them cost-effective for members who seek to take advantage of its career enhancement and business advancement services. Cambridge is pleased to welcome its new Executive Director of Global Branding and Networking, Donald Trump Jr., who is eager to share his extensive experience in this arena with members.

Cambridge Who's Who membership provides individuals with a valuable third party endorsement of their accomplishments and gives them the tools needed to brand themselves and their businesses effectively. In addition to publishing biographies in print and electronic form, it offers an online networking platform where members can establish new professional relationships.

Headquartered in Long Island's premier office building, RXR Plaza, the Cambridge Who's Who staff spans more than 10 departments and comprises a team of nearly 200 highly skilled and dedicated employees. Together they work to provide members with the recognition and exposure needed to further their careers, expand their businesses and network effectively in an economy where referrals are more important than ever.

For more information, please visit http://www.cambridgeregistry.com.

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