The Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing is delighted to share that Professor Sioban Nelson has been named the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Ethel Johns Award by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. The Ethel Johns Award – named after the founding Director of the first university nursing program in Canada – is given annually in recognition of distinguished service to nursing education in Canada.
Dr. Nelson is an internationally known leading nurse scholar who has made a tremendous impact on the landscape of nursing education in Canada. She served as Dean of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing from 2005-2013. Prior to that, she was Head of the School of Nursing and Professor of Nursing Policy and Professional Issues at the University of Melbourne.
Dr. Nelson is known for her ground-breaking historical scholarship in the history of religious nursing and hospital foundation in the nineteenth century. Her current historical interests include the history of nursing and material culture and the transnational history of nursing; her policy interests include professional regulation, competency, mobility and the global health workforce. She has authored seven edited or coauthored collections and two monographs.
Dr. Nelson’s accomplishments are many, as are her contributions to Canadian nursing education. She was a commissioner on the Canadian Nurses Association National Expert Commission for the Future of the Health Care System that launched the “A Nursing Call to Action” report in June 2012. She was co-chair of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ Assessment Committee on Scope of Practice in the Health Professions and lead author on the 2014 assessment report. She served as Vice Provost Faculty and Academic Life (2014-2018) and Vice Provost Academic Programs (2013-2018) at the University of Toronto. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nurses and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She is currently a member of the Quality Council of Ontario and serves as a board member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
Congratulations, Dr. Nelson on receiving this well-earned recognition.