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American Nurses Association Bestows Honorary Awards During Convention And Centennial Celebration

Fourteen Nurses and One State Nurses Association Receive Highest Honors

WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) presented fourteen outstanding nurses and one state nurses association (SNA) with the organization's highest honors during ANA's Convention and Centennial Celebration, June 14-19, at the Washington Convention Center. Each biennium the ANA bestows national awards for outstanding contributions to the nursing profession and to the field of health care.

This year's winners were selected from 73 nominations sent to ANA's Committees on Awards, who then made their recommendations to the ANA Board of Directors. This year's award winners represent a notable group:

ANA Nursing Heritage Award -- The one-time Nursing Heritage Award was bestowed this centennial year to Ellen D. Baer, PhD, MA, RN, FAAN, of New York, and Joan E. Lynaugh, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, of Bryn Mawr, PA, for their efforts to preserve and document nursing's rich history of tradition and accomplishment. Together with their colleagues, in 1985, the two co-founded the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), which provides a valuable historical resource to researchers, practitioners and students.

Currently, Baer and Lynaugh serve as the center's associate director and director, respectively. Both have individually contributed significantly to the betterment of nursing history through extensive publication and educational endeavors. As visiting professor with the New York University's School of Education nursing division, Baer is spearheading efforts to establish an interdisciplinary project to integrate historical studies into the course work that would include education, nursing, health and the arts.

Other distinctions for Baer include having been the first nurse historian to receive funding from the (then named) National Center for Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health and having served as a consultant in nursing history to colleges and universities around the world.

As associate dean and director of Penn's School of Nursing, Lynaugh holds the school's first Term Chair in Nursing and Health Care History. She has also participated in developing undergraduate and graduate nursing history courses at Penn while directing the efforts of a global team of nurse historians for the International Council of Nurses' centennial history project, and edits Nursing History Review, the journal of the American Association for the History of Nursing.

Barbara Thoman Curtis Award -- As a New Jersey assemblywoman, the first professional nurse in 70 years elected as such, Cranbury's Barbara W. Wright, MA, RN (R - District 14), has petitioned tirelessly for the rightful place of nursing in health care legislation. In recognition of her efforts, Wright is this award's recipient presented for significant contribution to nursing practice and health policy through political and legislative activity.

Twenty years ago, she helped draft and forward legislation aimed at redefining and enhancing nursing practice in New Jersey. Today, Wright continually educates nursing colleagues and students on the potential within the political process for the profession's advancement.

During her tenure as executive director of the New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJSNA), Wright had a strong hand in advancing language certifying home health aides and legislating jurisdiction of the New Jersey Board of Nursing. Her other legislative victories include laws expanding third-party payment for nursing services and ensuring guardianship for children whose parents suffer from chronic illnesses.

Distinguished Membership Award -- Cathryne A. Welch, EdD, RN, of Benson, VT, executive director of the Foundation of the New York State Nurses Association, received this award in recognition of outstanding leadership and participation in and contributions to the purposes of ANA.

An outspoken proponent of collective bargaining, Welch has served on numerous ANA task forces and committees over the past 20 years, as well as the Board of Directors. As executive director of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) a position she held concurrently with her Foundation post from 1979 to 1985 she successfully transformed the organization into the country's largest collective bargaining representative of registered nurses. At the same time, Welch skillfully maneuvered NYSNA's efforts to legislate direct third-party reimbursement for non-institutional nursing services.

She also is widely known for her efforts to properly document nursing's rich history, having compiled one of the nation's largest repositories of historical nursing material through the Foundation's Center for Nursing History archives program.

Honorary Human Rights Award -- Faye Annette Gary, EdD, RN, FAAN, of Ocala, FL, received this award for her role in influencing health care around the globe. This award is presented to a state nurses association member in recognition of an outstanding commitment to human rights. For example, Gary uses her expertise in psychiatry and mental health to work with the under served, the underprivileged and the socio-economically disadvantaged.

Gary's work reaches nurses and policy-makers nationwide through her many presentations and contributions to publications, including two recent books: Psychiatric Nursing and Primary Health Care in the Kingdom of Lesotho. The first book received the Book of the Year Award from the American Journal of Nursing.

Internationally, Gary has served as a consultant to the Ministries of Health in the Republic of South Africa, the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the Republic of Botswana. She has made presentations in numerous countries including Japan, New Zealand, Northern Africa, Brazil and several Caribbean countries. And, locally in Florida, Gary serves on the Governor's Commission on People with Disabilities (Advocacy Center) and the Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council, which oversees programs for economic development in the region.

Honorary Nursing Practice Award -- Donna Pfeifer, PhD, MSN, RN, ARNP, of Miami, FL, assistant professor of nursing at the University of Miami School of Nursing, received this award for her selfless and humanitarian efforts to provide care in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The award recognizes the recipient's strength of character, commitment, competence, and contributions to the advancement of nursing practice.

Although her home was ravaged when Hurricane Andrew blew through southern Florida in 1992, Pfeifer, along with several colleagues, set up the University of Miami School of Nursing Nurse Managed Center at the at San Joachim to provide emergency care to hurricane survivors, where she staffed the clinic for several weeks following the disaster until the U.S. Army arrived to augment care. Run entirely by university faculty and student nurses, the clinic continues to provide care to under served residents in the area and provides valuable clinical experience for future nurses.

Honorary Recognition Award -- Robert V. Piemonte, EdD, RN, CAE, FAAN, of New York, was presented with this award, which recognizes contributions of national or international significance to nursing, for his tireless efforts to better nursing's status by strengthening the role and function of the field's professional and allied organizations.

Over his 30-year long career, Piemonte has been described as a mentor, educator and role model, but he is best known for his decade-long tenure as executive director of the National Student Nurses' Association (NSNA), where he more than doubled the organization's membership from 16,000 to 40,000. Recently relinquishing his post, he is remembered for his leadership at NSNA which gave student nurses a strong voice by linking NSNA to the greater nursing community, allowing them the immediate means to optimize their participation in the field.

Mary Mahoney Award -- Bernice F. Morton, PhD, MSN, RN, of Detroit, MI, and Barbara L. Nichols, MS, FAAN, RN, of Madison, WI, each received this award for their contributions toward advancing equal opportunities in nursing for individuals from minority groups.

Morton is best known for developing the first affirmative action plan for minority students at the Wayne State University College of Nursing. Heralded as a model blueprint for other nursing schools, the plan greatly improved the recruitment and retention of minority students as well as faculty at Wayne State. Much of Morton's 50-year career has been devoted to personally inviting minority nurses to attend professional meetings, join associations, or run for office.

Nichols has also proven to be a stellar model for minority nurses. As the first black nurse to serve as president of the ANA, to be appointed to a cabinet position in the Wisconsin State government, to serve as president of an SNA and to be awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin, Nichols has transcended the barriers of race and prejudice. Currently, as associate director of nursing at the Wisconsin Area Health Education Center System, Nichols is developing a national model for recruiting and retaining minority health care providers, focusing on nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives for medically under served areas. Colleagues also point out that Nichols is internationally recognized as a nursing leader, author, and consultant for her work as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Council of Nurses, as well as her assistance to nurses in Zimbabwe and Botswana as part of the W.K. Kellogg's international nursing program.

Pearl McIver Public Health Nurse Award -- Dorothy S. Oda, DNSc, RN, FAAN, of El Cerrito, CA, received this award, which recognizes outstanding professional contributions to public health nursing, for her development of the first master's-level school nurse practitioner program in the nation.

Oda served in many positions of leadership as an advocate for public health, and school health in particular. From 1979 to 1983, she served as the nursing director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National School Health program, which established prototype school-based and school-linked health services in four states during her tenure. Oda also worked with the Centers for Disease Control, and Prevention (CDC), which commends her efforts in encouraging disease prevention and health promotion as well as in furthering the goals of Healthy People 2000. Currently, Oda chairs the National Nurses' Advisory Committee on Enhancing Immunization Content in Nursing Education and Practice, a project in collaboration with ANA, Association for Teachers of Preventive Medicine, and CDC.

Her interest in providing care to children is evident by the committees on which she serves. She is a member of the Children's Environmental Health Network Nursing Task Force. This organization works to increase environmental health content in graduate nursing programs. Oda was the only nurse in the 36-member National Commission on the Role of the School and Community in the Improvement of Adolescent Health and a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee to Enhance Environmental Health in Nursing Education and Practice.

Mary Ellen Patton Staff Nurse Leadership Award -- Established in her honor last year, Mary Ellen Patton, RN, of Youngstown, OH, was the first recipient of this new award which commends an individual staff nurse for making significant contributions to the professional advancement of staff nurses, improving their general welfare, and demonstrating leadership in the nursing profession.

Recognized nationally for her efforts to better the station and practice of staff nurses through collective bargaining and involvement with national nursing organizations, Patton epitomizes the spirit and energy needed to effect a positive change for the larger nursing community. In 1972, Patton was the first staff nurse to obtain a slot on the ANA Board of Directors after successfully running from the floor of the ANA House of Delegates.

Patton also has been recognized at the state level as an Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) Diamond Jubilee Nurse for being a positive role model for nurses. She has held numerous positions within ONA in addition to helping to organize the first efforts by Youngstown nurses to implement collective bargaining through a 13-day resignation to achieve recognition by their employer. One of her goals is to enlighten staff nurses on the power and ability they possess to lay a solid foundation for their professional futures.

Hildegard Peplau Award -- For her lifetime's work in bettering the knowledge base of psychological rape trauma, Ann W. Burgess, DNSc, MS, RN, CS, FAAN, of West Newton, MA, chairperson and van Ameringen professor of psychiatric mental health nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, received this award presented to a nurse who has made significant contributions toward the psychosocial and psychiatric aspects of nursing care delivery.

Most notably, Burgess helped establish one of the first hospital-based rape crisis intervention programs at the Boston City Hospital in 1972. This program originated the identification of rape trauma syndrome, a condition in which the victim blames herself/himself for the attack and suffers from anxiety, guilt, low self-esteem or depression. Burgess' work also contributed to the development of the forensic nursing role of sexual assault nurse examiner.

The author of seven textbooks, Burgess has written, co-written or edited numerous monographs, articles and book chapters on rape victimology. Currently, she is editing a text on psychiatric nursing in the 21st century. At the same time, she lectures and maintains a private clinical practice in Massachusetts.

In addition, she has been a significant national advocate for victims of rape, abuse and violence, having served on the Advisory Council to the National Center for the Prevention and Control of Rape of the National Institute of Mental Health, the U.S. Attorney General's Task Force on Family Violence and the Surgeon General's Symposium on Violence, to name a few. She currently chairs a group to develop a research agenda on violence against women.

Jessie M. Scott Award -- Recognized as one of nursing's early theorists, Imogene M. King, EdD, RN, FAAN, of South Pasadena, FL, received this award presented to a registered nurse whose accomplishments in a field of practice, education or research demonstrate the interdependence of these elements and their significance in the improvement of nursing and health care.

King is one of the first theorists to make a link between academics and practice. Her theory of goal attainment exemplifies research providing the link between theory and knowledge development.

King's Conceptual Framework and Theory of Goal Attainment can be found in books of theory around the world. Toward a Theory for Nursing, and Curriculum, Instruction in Nursing, and A Theory for Nursing: Systems, Concepts and Processes are some of her books. The last one has been translated into Japanese and Spanish.

King assisted nurses with the development of nursing research committees with the goal toward improving patient care at Tampa General Hospital and James Haley Veterans Administration Medical Center in Tampa, Florida. Her conceptual framework theory has been documented in the United States and Canada as having a positive impact on clinical practice and quality of patient care. Although retired, King is still an active advocate for patients' rights, especially the elderly.

Nurses attending the ANA Convention and Centennial Celebration had the opportunity to meet and listen to King at ANA's 1996 Convention and Centennial Celebration. She led the Jessie M. Scott lecture titled " A Challenge and a Vision for Nurses for Tomorrow," which addressed nursing's role and function in the future health care system and presented strategies to promote quality and cost-effective care for patients.

STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION (SNA) Affirmative Action Award -- The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) located in Columbus, OH, received this award for its continued commitment to advancing not only the professional and organizational position of minority nurses, but also the health of minority populations. The ANA Board of Directors presents the award to an SNA that demonstrates outstanding development in implementing affirmative action policy programming to encourage the elimination of all barriers preventing the full participation of all ethnic and racial minorities.

Shortly after ANA's 1990 convention, ONA established a Minority Issues Assembly to address the increasing cultural and ethnic diversification of America in regard to nursing, and has worked to develop a statewide mentoring and networking system for minority nurses, students and faculty; a plan of action to increase community involvement related to minority issues; a program to promote culturally sensitive health care for minorities; and a database of ethnic minority nurses in Ohio.

Through these efforts, particularly the database, minority nurses have been placed in key decision-making positions both within ONA and external organizations.

Shirley Titus Award -- As a pioneer in her state and a nationwide advocate for collective bargaining, Mary Delaney Munger, MS, RN, of Helena, MT, received this award, which recognizes the contribution that an individual nurse has made to the ANA economic and general welfare (E&GW) program.

During Munger's tenure on the Committee (1962-1966) and the Commission (1970-1978) on E&GW, these programs were recognized for many accomplishments: advocating a national salary goal in 1965; convincing ANA to support the Equal Rights Amendment; publishing guidelines for the development of E&GW programs by state nurses associations; urging ANA's financial support for SNAs with E&GW programs; and advising ANA staff about issues affecting the economics of nursing.

Munger also served as the executive director of the Montana Nurses Association (MNA). In that role, she was instrumental in writing and lobbying for legislation that would protect the right of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses to bargain collectively. Proving to be diligent, Munger lobbied throughout several legislative sessions in 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967 and 1969. The bill was passed and vetoed in 1965, passed and signed in 1967 and made permanent in 1969. Legislators nicknamed the bill the "Blue-eyed Nurse Bill" in honor of Munger.

As MNA finds itself battling to ensure that nurses can engage in collective bargaining, they have called on the expertise of Munger. She has also been honored by the establishment of the Mary Munger Award, which recognizes a nurse for leadership in the interest of legislative, social, or economic needs of the nurses in Montana.

All fifteen awardees were nominated by their state nurses associations and met specific criteria for their respective awards. Award committees reviewed the nominations and made recommendations to the ANA Board of Directors, who selected the final winners.

Since the first award was presented in 1936, individuals have received national recognition for their contributions to nursing. The next Honorary Awards Ceremony will take place in San Diego at ANA's 1998 convention and at biennial conventions thereafter.

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