Top Nurses 2020: Nathan Bubenzer led throughout a crisis Nathan Bubenzer of UnityPoint Health - Meriter received the leadership award. December 17, 2020 8:06 AM Andrea Behling Updated: Photo by Timothy Hughes Ideally, the person you want in an emergency preparedness safety manager position in a hospital system during a deadly pandemic is someone with ICU experience, who is an expert in infection prevention, who understands disease prevention and control, who has a deep knowledge of public health and who knows how to communicate effectively. Nathan Bubenzer checks every single box. He has seven years of ICU nursing experience, spent two and a half years as an infection preventionist, has a master’s degree in public health and was in the publishing industry in his first career.