April 22, 2014, Toronto, ON – Each year, the Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing (COUPN) awards exemplary nursing education and research that helps advance the profession of nursing in the work of educators, scholars and agencies from Ontario’s 14 schools of nursing. This year, Bloomberg Nursing has both faculty and students receiving awards for their work.
“Patients benefit tremendously from research into the practice of nursing being conducted at Ontario universities, and our institutions’ innovative approaches to nursing education,” says Jennifer Medves, Chair of COUPN and Vice-Dean (Health Sciences) and Director, School of Nursing at Queen’s University. “The COUPN awards recognize these remarkable nurse educators and scholars.”
- Bloomberg Nursing Assistant Professor Monica Parry has been selected for the Excellence in Teaching Award. Professor Parry joined Bloomberg Nursing in 2009, and serves as the Director of the Nurse Practitioner Field of Study in the Master of Nursing program. She has consistently demonstrated excellence in teaching, in facilitating excellent teaching by others, and in promoting student learning. In her commitment to life-long learning, Parry takes part in numerous professional development opportunities she has subsequently leveraged into improving the nurse practitioner educational experience at Bloomberg Nursing. She has overseen the development of numerous initiatives in this regard, from the VITAL (Virtual Interactive Teaching and Learning Project), which facilitates students experience remote patient history and assessment in the Simulation Lab, to an online system where NP students articulate their clinical learning experiences and develop learning plans.
- PhD student Alexandra Harris will be receiving the Masters Student Award of Excellence. Harris has an impressive history of academic excellence, from being selected as valedictorian for her undergraduate class at Queen’s University, to receiving the Agnes Benedickson Tricolour Award from Queen’s University – the highest tribute paid to a student for valuable and distinguished service to the university. While completing her BScN and combined MN/MHSc programs at Bloomberg Nursing, Harris contributed significantly to research projects, including being the lead author of a recent substantive national nursing report. She is currently completing her PhD at Bloomberg Nursing, and is a Junior Fellow at U of T’s Massey College.
- The Scholarship into Practice Award will be given to Associate Professor (Status) Jennifer Stinson for her work with children and pain management. As one of only a few pediatric Nurse Clinician Scientists in Canada, Stinson’s work builds upon her doctoral and post-doctoral research, in which she developed and tested one of the first pediatric electronic pain diaries, concurrently with an internet-based disease self-management program using juvenile idiopathic arthritis as a prototypical model of childhood chronic illness. Her work is recognized locally and globally for her excellence in nursing practice, education, research, and leadership in pediatric pain management.
- The Doctoral Dissertation Award will be given to Post-Doctoral Candidate Craig Dale for his dissertation on the social organization of oral hygiene for intubated and mechanically ventilated critically ill adults. His study uncovered critical important facets of patients’ oral care needs, and identified a dearth of research in this area. The results of his study will lead to enhanced quality of care for critically ill patients all across Ontario.
“The work of our educators and students requires a high level of dedication to excellence in nursing education and scholarship,” says Linda McGillis Hall, Interim Dean of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. “To be receiving these four awards from COUPN recognizing their work will inspire these individuals and others from the Bloomberg faculty to continue their ground-breaking work.”
COUPN is an affiliate of the College of Ontario Universities, comprised of 21 publicly-assisted universities in Ontario. It works closely with the provincial and federal government to shape public policies that help universities deliver high-quality programs for students and advance the research and innovation that improves the social, cultural and economic well-being of Ontarians.