Title: Nurse, Midwife, Anesthetist (Retired)

Company: Serving in Mission

Location: Charlotte, NC

CHARLOTTE, NC, December 15, 2011, Lily ‘Penny’ L. Pinneo, Retired Nurse, Midwife and Anesthetist Serving in Mission, has been recognized by Elite American Nurses for dedication, achievements, and leadership in anesthesiology nursing.

Ms. Pinneo helped establish several hospitals in Nigeria. A resident of that country for 38 years, she worked as a nurse anesthetist, trained midwives and taught Sunday school to 300 children at the police barracks. She finds the deepest personal fulfillment in serving the Lord by helping others. She was featured in many publications, including the American Journal of Nursing, The New York Times, The Johns Hopkins Nurses Alumnae Magazine, The Journal of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

With a wealth of experience and a genuine desire to advance health care in developing nations, Ms. Pinneo was the first known survivor of the deadly Lassa fever. Because of a high antibody titer, she was able to put her antibodies in a serum, so that she could save others. Her antibodies ended up saving the life of Dr. Jordi Casals-Ariet, the Yale virologist who discovered Lassa fever and became fatally ill after contracting the virus. He lived to be 92 years old.

Now retired from her nursing duties, Ms. Pinneo donates a lot of time to the church and her local community. Her father was a physician, and from a very young age, she knew she wanted to become a nurse. As a nurse, she managed patient care, administered anesthesia, taught, and organized health care programs. She was also responsible for assisting virologists from the CDC in conducting epidemiology research in the Evangel Hospital and Zorzor Hospital in Nigeria for more than 38 years.

Contact Lily Pinneo