Award Program
International Awards for Nursing Excellence Awards
Sigma's International Awards for Nursing Excellence recognize superior achievement in developing nurse leaders anywhere to improve healthcare everywhere by connected and empowered nurse leaders. These awards are conferred each biennium.
Leadership and Professionalism
2023
Mary Dolansky, PhD, RN, FAAN
Sarah C. Hirsh Endowed Professor
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Associate Professor, School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, Ohio, USADr. Mary Dolansky is the Sarah C. Hirsh Endowed Professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and Associate Professor at the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. She is national advisor for the VA Quality Scholars Fellowship and chair of the Cleveland Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Care advisory committee. Her passion is improving the health of older adults. Dr. Dolansky was a John A. Hartford Foundation Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Fellow. That ignited her research in older adults’ recovery and self-management following a cardiac event. In collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, she is currently leading implementation of the Age-Friendly Health Systems into 1,100 MinuteClinics. Her research and leadership has resulted in over 149 publications, including three American Heart Association Scientific Statements.
2021
Jennifer L. Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director of Strategic Alliances
Gerontological Society of America
Washington, DC, USAJennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE is the Director of Strategic Alliances at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). At GSA, Ms. Pettis directs the development and production of strategic alliance programs to further the Society’s mission and strategic goals. Her responsibilities include providing thought leadership to drive growth and new opportunities involving existing or potential new partners for the Strategic Alliances Division of the Society; developing and managing key relationships and alliances; and representing the Society at strategic partner meetings, professional conferences, and meetings with stakeholders.
Previously the Acting Director of Programs at Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, Ms. Pettis oversaw the NICHE curriculum and programming. Her responsibilities at NICHE also included expanding academic offerings, engaging current member organizations, seeking new relationships to expand the overall program, and serving as the NICHE Conference Chair. Prior to joining NICHE, Ms. Pettis was a nurse researcher at Abt Associates where she participated in data collection, analysis, and reporting of healthcare payment, quality improvement, and quality reporting initiatives and provided technical assistance and training through a variety of post-acute care projects. She has extensive clinical, managerial, consulting, and training experience, including as a consultant to the Division of Nursing Homes (DNH) at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). While with the CMS, she provided the DNH with subject matter expertise regarding the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) and a variety of clinical and quality issues.
Ms. Pettis provides subject matter expertise to CMS and the Rainmakers Strategic Solutions team supporting their work with CMS under the Minimum Data Set (MDS)/RAI User’s Manual Support and Maintenance and Post-Acute Care Training contracts. She is member of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York Board of Directors and an active community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association as well as a volunteer lead trainer for AARP’s Disrupt Aging Classroom program. In 2020, Ms. Pettis was recognized by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence as a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing, and, in 2021, she received Sigma’s Amy J. Berman Geriatric Nursing Leadership Award, an international award bestowed upon an individual who has demonstrated contributions to collaborative practice through involvement in interprofessional teams and defined commitment to gerontological nursing.
2023
Anna Dermenchyan, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, CPHQ
Interim Chief Quality Officer Department of Medicine, UCLA Health North Hollywood, California, USA
Dr. Anna Dermenchyan is the interim chief quality officer of the UCLA Department of Medicine. She leads, facilitates, and implements improvement initiatives across UCLA Health. Her expertise includes bioethics, critical care, quality and patient safety, organizational leadership, performance and process improvement, and health data analytics. She has published manuscripts and book chapters and presented at multiple local, national, and international conferences. Since her induction as a nurse leader in 2008, Dr. Dermenchyan has served in numerous leadership roles within Sigma. She has also served as a Jonas Policy Scholar with the American Academy of Nursing and a Health Policy and Media Fellow with the George Washington University Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement.
2021
Susan Speraw, PhD, RN
Retired Research Professor
Tennessee, USASusan Speraw earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1969, a master's degree in 1982, and a doctorate in clinical psychology in 1991. Her career path has taken her to Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center, caring for an immigrant and refugee population of women and teens; a women's clinic in South Central Los Angeles; and to nursing schools at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she taught predominantly in the graduate nursing programs, and the University of Southern California. She combined her knowledge of healthcare and psychology as Director of Pediatric Psychology at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Pediatric Residency Program in Chattanooga. Her greatest professional achievements were development of the Global Disaster Nursing Programs at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and implementation of the Appalachia Project, an interprofessional collaboration which brought clean water and disaster readiness to remote Clay County, Kentucky.
2023
Alexandra Hughes, BSN, RN
Emergency Department Clinical Nurse
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois, USA Psi Lambda ChapterMs. Hughes joined Sigma through Psi Lambda Chapter at Oak Point University, and quickly held a leadership position as Program Chair partnering with Meals on Wheels Chicago and Red Cross Illinois. She conducted several research projects on COVID-19 Bilateral Lung Transplant Nursing Management and Complications, Children’s Autonomy in Medical Decision Making, and Improving Communication Through Family-Centered Care. She is also affiliated with ANA, ENA, and Student Nurses Association of Illinois as an RN Special Executive Consultant.
2021
Sheryl Garriques-Lloyd, MSc, BSc, RN
Omega Kappa Chapter
Lecturer
The University of the West Indies School of Nursing, Mona Campus
Kingston, JamaicaSheryl joined Sigma as a graduate student before the chapter was officially chartered. She embraced the Sigma experience immediately and worked with the its executive to develop and execute activities reflecting Sigma. She stepped into leadership and served initially as vice president. She then served as president-elect when the chapter was chartered in 2019. She currently serves as chapter president. She is very invested in nurses and nursing and works assiduously with the chapter’s executive and members to fulfill Sigma's vision and mission. She is humbled to lead this dynamic historical chapter. Sheryl is an avid mental health advocate and recently commenced her PhD studies focusing on Positive Mental Health.
2023
Nu Nu Chapter
Weber State University
Ogden, Utah, USANu Nu Chapter is committed to providing leadership, education, community, service, recruitment, and retention to all members. The chapter boasts high acceptance rates, great strategies for engagement and retention, and extensive volunteerism that increased public visibility and awareness. The chapter offers mentorship and social activities to student interns, who are given opportunities to suggest and execute service project ideas. Nu Nu Chapter provides multiple volunteer opportunities to engage its members, including an annual Christmas community event where the members donate unwrapped gifts to underprivileged families. Members also recorded a children’s book via video and audio for children who fell behind in school during the pandemic.
2021
Gamma Rho Chapter
University of Utah, College of Nursing
Utah, USAThis chapter does outstanding work and has a systematic process that enables the chapter to contribute to the mission of Sigma. This hard-working chapter has a noteworthy leadership internship program, chapter committees that provide for increased member engagement, and member recognition initiatives. The chapter's many community service projects are also commendable. This is a collaborative chapter as evidenced by its partnerships with local groups. The chapter's partnerships with on campus and off campus community organizations ultimately benefits various at-risk populations within the chapter's community. Strong efforts by the chapter are noted as they work to engage and re-engage retired and inactive members by including them in programming events. Their use of the philanthropy committee gets their chapter out in the community and engages members within.
2023
Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean Emeritus
University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USADr. Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob transformed the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing into a premier educational institution and pioneered the introduction of the DNP degree there. An esteemed researcher who has been involved in the study of patient adherence to treatment, she is actively involved in NIH safety and data monitoring, multicenter clinical trials, and multiple working groups. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, American Heart Association, Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, American Psychological Association, and Society for Behavioral Medicine.
2021
Elizabeth Anne Rosser, DPhil, MN, RN, RM, DipN Ed, Dip RM, RNT, PFHEA
Professor Emeritus
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth, England, United KingdomElizabeth is one of the UK's and Europe's excellent and impactful nurse leaders who has made an exceptional, transformational, and sustained contribution to Sigma's visions and goals through her extensive range of leadership roles both nationally and globally. Elizabeth is an impressive, credible leader in scholarship, education and research all linked to nursing practice, education, and policy. Elizabeth has been a prominent advocate of nursing within the Higher Education Sector and has with considerable energy argued for the vision that in nursing will only advance with the close integration of practice, education, research, and high academic and practice standards. She has been a tenacious and strong advocate of staff development opportunities and, through innovative approaches, is committed to supporting the next generation nurse leaders. Through formally establishing Sigma in England, she has transformed the landscape in which nurses can network, collaborate, and engage globally.
2023
Richard A. Henker, PhD, CRNA, FAANA, FAAN
Professor
University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USADr. Richard Henker has been a professor for over 30 years and is a visiting faculty member at Universities in Thailand, China, and Japan. His research focuses on genomics related to postoperative pain, malignant hyperthermia, and thermoregulation. Through Health Volunteers Overseas he coordinated the development of nurse anesthesia programs in Belize, Cambodia, Laos, and Bhutan and collaborated with their Ministries of Health on workforce, standards of practice, infection prevention control, and education projects. He was a member of the ANA Practice Standards committee for eight years and was the AANA representative for the Global Surgery, Obstetric, Trauma and Anesthesia—or G4 Alliance.
2021
Olayide Ogunsiji, PhD, RN, BN(Hons), B.Sc (Sociology), M.Sc (Sociology)
Doctor
Western Sydney University
Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaDr. Olayide Ogunsiji is a registered nurse and senior lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Australia. She has made a sustained, positive impact on global health disparity of migrant and refugee women. She founded the African Women's Health and Support Organisation (AWHASO), a not-for-profit organization for women's health issues. Using this platform, she promotes health literacy among African women and has mentored more than 500 young women and first-time mothers in transition to motherhood. Her research is making a social impact by raising awareness about Female Genital Mutilation in Australia and internationally. She was awarded the Blacktown Woman of the Year at the New South Wales Women of the Year ceremony in 2020; won the Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor's Excellence award for service and engagement in 2020; finalist award as well as highly commended award at the 2019 Blacktown City Council International Women's Day award.
2023
Beverly S. Reigle, PhD, RN, FARN
Associate Professor Emerita
University of Cincinnati College of Nursing
West Chester, Ohio, USADr. Reigle served as Sigma International Secretary as well as Regional Coordinator for Regions 4 and 9. She currently serves as the President-Elect of the Beta Iota Chapter, for the third time. As Regional Coordinator, she was instrumental in the development of the Southern Ohio/Northern Kentucky consortium. Dr. Reigle has mentored new members and those transitioning to new roles. She is devoted to international, regional, and local involvement and increasing nurses’ scholarship, leadership, and learning activities.
2021
Janet Scammell, DNSci, PFHEA, MSc, BA, PGDip, NEd, RN, SCM
Phi Mu Chapter
Associate Professor
Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bournemouth University
Bournemouth, England, United KingdomDr. Scammell is a highly experienced nurse researcher, educator, manager, and practitioner. As a practitioner she worked in medical oncology nursing settings for 10 years. Her career in nurse academia spans 30 years in roles including Director of Studies for undergraduate nursing, Faculty Head of Learning and Teaching, Professional Lead for adult and child nursing, and currently Director of the Nursing Long-Term Health. Nursing and nursing scholarship are her passion as is evidenced by her career achievements in education, research, and professional practice. She has a sustained and effective record of impact at a strategic level in relation to teaching and learning as is evidenced by her recognition in 2016 as a Principal Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. Her work as a nurse academic has included research for the last 20 years, and she has an established track record in humanizing care, leadership, and nursing workforce development. Currently, she is engaged in research funded by Health Education England, investigating how Advanced Clinical Practitioners working with older people have adapted their role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her engagement with clinical practice is diverse; for example, working with clinical service strategic leads as part of research teams; past governor for Yeovil Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust; former Trustee of the Poole Hospital-South Sudan Link Charity; Independent member of the national Mary Seacole Award Steering Group; part-time registered nurse supporting the COVID-19 vaccination programme; voluntary work as Chair of Verwood Dementia Friends Community Association. Dr Scammell’s career to date attests to her commitment to nursing excellence through scholarship, leadership and research and dovetails well with Sigma membership. She has authored almost 50 publications, including international conference presentations. She was a member of the Board of the England Honours Society for Nurses (2009-2011), and actively contributed to Bournemouth University’s application to become a Sigma chapter. Phi Mu Chapter was chartered in July 2011. She has served on the Chapter Board since then in various officer positions, including President (2016-2019). Phi Mu is the only Sigma Chapter in England. Hosted by BU, it has however an unusual membership profile with members from all over the country, based in numerous academic and health service organizations. In addition, in England, Sigma is not a well-known nursing organization; its mission transfers quite easily to the UK context but it has required innovation and outstanding commitment to translate its vision, processes, and goals for UK nurses.
2023
Young Ji Lee, PhD, MSN, RN
Associate Professor of Nursing and Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USADr. Young Ji Lee is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Administration in the Department of Health and Community Systems at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Nursing. She also serves as a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at the University’s School of Medicine. She specializes in structuring and delivering health information via the internet to diverse groups, with an emphasis on minority populations. She is the Principal Investigator for an NIH-funded study aimed at developing and implementing a personalized information access system for ovarian cancer patients called HELPeR, which stands for Health E-Librarian with Personalized Recommendations. She is a member of the Alliance for Nursing Informatics and a member-at-large of the American Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics Working Group.
2021
Suzanne Bakken, PhD, RN, FAAN
Alumni Professor of the School of Nursing
Columbia University
New York, USASuzanne Bakken is the Alumni Professor of Nursing and Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University. Following doctoral study in nursing at the University of California, San Francisco, she completed a National Library of Medicine postdoctoral fellowship in Medical Informatics at Stanford University. The goal of Dr. Bakken’s program of research is to promote health and reduce health disparities in underserved populations through application of innovative informatics methods. A major focus of her current grant portfolio is visualization of healthcare data for community members, patients, clinicians, and community-based organizations including the creation of a visualization toolbox to address COVID-19 testing and vaccine uptake. Dr. Bakken currently directs the Precision in Symptom Self-Management Center and the Reducing Health Disparities Through Informatics (RHeaDI) predoctoral and postdoctoral training program; both funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). She also served as Principal Investigator of the AHRQ-funded Washington Heights Inwood Informatics Infrastructure for Comparative Effectiveness Research (WICER) and its follow-up study, WICER 4 U, which is focused on promoting the use of WICER infrastructure through stakeholder engagement. She has also received funding from the National Cancer Institute, National Library of Medicine, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Dr. Bakken has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers. In 2010, she received the Pathfinder Award from the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research. In 2019, she received the Francois Gremy Award from the International Medical Informatics Association. She is an elected fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Nursing, American College of Medical Informatics, and a member of the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine).
Nursing Practice
2023
Leslie Parker, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN
Professor
University of Florida College of Nursing
Gainesville, Florida, USADr. Leslie Parker directs one of the few research programs dedicated to developing strategies to improve the nutritional health of premature infants. Her research focuses on optimal nutrition delivery and increasing infant consumption of breast milk. She has developed strategies that health care providers integrate into daily practice improving health outcomes of the most vulnerable patients. Hospitals around the world have adapted protocols based on her team’s research, which directly improves care and decreases clinician workload, cost of care, and risk of complications. She is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of multidisciplinary scholars, which will have a long-lasting impact on global health for infants and families.
2021
Rhonda Goodman, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC< AHN-BC, FAANP, FAAN
Retired Associate Professor of Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner
Florida, USA
Dr. Goodman recently retired as a tenured Associate Professor and Family Nurse Practitioner. She is a fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Goodman established a study abroad program in Guatemalan 2012. During 36 trips with hundreds of undergraduate and graduate nursing students, Dr. Goodman documented 13,000 patient visits with indigenous Maya populations living in extreme poverty in Guatemala. Thousands of these visits were physical and screening exams, dental hygiene, and health promotion programs, for school aged children. She raised $50,000 to build a middle school, plus monies to build kitchens and playgrounds and provide school supplies, toothbrushes, toothpaste, gifts, and necessities for thousands of children. She installed over 300 wood stoves in homes, providing a safer and healthier way to cook for families. She continues her work post-retirement.
2023
Daniel B. Oerther, PhD, PE, BCEE, FAAN, ANEF
Professor of Environmental Engineering
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rolla, Missouri, USAProfessor Daniel B. Oerther is Executive Director of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. He served as Senior Science Advisor in Secretary Kerry’s Office of Global Food Security at the US State Department. Dr. Oerther is an honorary Sigma member. He has worked on regional health clinics in Ghana and Tanzania, clean water and latrines for villagers in Brazil, India, and Kenya, and improving maternal-child nutrition in Guatemala. Dr. Oerther served as Treasurer of the Sigma Building Corporation Board. He is an honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the NLN Academy of Nursing Education, a recipient of the NLN Lillian Wald Humanitarian Award, and a pioneer of the nurse+engineer as a V-shaped professional.
2021
Laurie Kennedy-Malone, PhD GNP-BC FAANP, FGSA
Professor of Nursing
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina, USADr. Laurie Kennedy-Malone is a professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has been a nurse educator for 31 years and has taught nurse practitioner students and RN and BSN students. Dr. Kennedy-Malone was the project director of the HRSA Advanced Nursing Education Workforce grant in which technology was used to develop the clinical video simulations that are highlighted in the award application. She has held leadership board positions with the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. She is the author of Advanced Practice Nursing in the Care of Older Adults. Laurie is a member of the Gamma Zeta Chapter, having served as its president in the past. She has served as a mentor for both the Chiron program and the Faculty Leadership Mentoring Program. Laurie is currently serving as a member of the Sigma Foundation Renewable Gifts Committee.
2023
Mildred O. Kowalski, PhD, RN, NE-BC, CCRP
Nurse Manager-Center for Innovation and Research
Morristown Medical Center/Atlantic Health System
Morristown, New Jersey, USAWith a steadfast focus on exceptional patient outcomes, Dr. Mildred Kowalski launched the Center for Nursing Innovation and Research that includes conducting and disseminating research, as well as evidence-based activities and highly innovative practices. She initiated a Design Thinking and Innovation Workshop to engage clinical nurses in the process of solving complex challenges. Dr. Kowalski’s proven results have helped to improve workflow, facilitate adapting new technologies, and creating devices to meet the needs of both patients and nurses. The acute care facility in New Jersey where she works is known for its strong inquisitive and high-quality culture, where every nursing practice is reviewed for a strong evidence-based foundation.
2021
Reynaldo R. Rivera, DNP, MA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Director of Nursing Research and Innovation
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, USADr. Reynaldo R. Rivera, an innovative nurse leader, has implemented and led many practice changes with creativity and commitment to advancing patient care. He established a Professional Practice Model, engaging nurses throughout the NYP to develop a shared vision for nursing practice at all levels and settings. Dr. Rivera launched joint faculty appointments and an Academic Research Fellowship Program with Columbia Nursing, thus increasing the research capabilities of NYP. He implemented the PEACE Model, an EBP framework developed by clinical nurses. He led the book's preparation, The PEACE Model Evidence-Based Practice Guide for Clinical Nurses, so clinicians globally have access to detailed practice knowledge. The model has been translated into a deep dive intensive workshop, increasing nurses' knowledge of translating evidence into practice and improving family-centered care. These initiatives have resulted in significant nurse-led studies, publications, and practice changes.
2023
Pulmonary Integrated Care Committee
Atlantic Health System
Morristown, New Jersey, USAThe Pulmonary Integrated Care Committee at Atlantic Health System implemented a nurse-driven pulmonary initiative developed by Moira Kendra that focuses on optimizing care in five areas: consults, inpatient interventions, education, transitions of care, and post discharge care in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD. This interdisciplinary committee oversees interventions that include a pulmonary and dietary consult, early mobility, screening for depression, anxiety, and lung cancer, COPD education, smoking cessation, discharge medications, follow-up appointments and a COPD Action Plan with discharge referrals. These have yielded significant reductions in COPD readmission rates.
2021
Tracheostomy Thursday Team
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, New York, USAAt the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center experienced a surge in critically ill tracheostomy patients and subsequently, tracheostomy-related pressure injuries (TRPIs). In response, an interdisciplinary team of nurses, wound care specialists, respiratory therapy technicians and thoracic surgeons sprang to action to address these patient care needs. This “Trach Team” initiated structured tracheostomy rounds, addressing knowledge gaps of tracheostomy safety precautions and pressure injury prevention. Prior to rounding there were 19 TRPIs and after initiation there was an 84% decrease over three months. Each interdisciplinary team member contributed their perspective to improve tracheostomy safety and prevent TRPIs. These focused efforts impacted organizational policy to ensure safety precautions and pressure injury prevention through development of a Tracheostomy Safety Checklist now utilized throughout our health system’s 10 hospitals. Our goal for zero patient harm is a continuous process and this high-performing team was a successful part of that journey.
For Lucie S. Kelly Mentor Award recipients prior to 2021, click here.
2023
John O’Donnell, DrPh, CRNA, CHSE, FSSH, FAANA, FAAN
Professor & Chair
Department of Nurse Anesthesia
Director of the Nurse Anesthesia DNP Program
University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USADr. John O’Donnell from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, is professor and chair of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia. He is the associate director at the Winter Institute for Simulation Education and served on the National Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Board of Directors.
2021
Ruth Kleinpell, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP, FNAP
Associate Dean for Clinical Scholarship
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Tennessee, USARuth Kleinpell is Associate Dean for Clinical Scholarship, Independence Foundation Chair in Nursing Education, and Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville Tennessee. She is an established researcher, educator, and clinician. A certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, she has more than 25 years of experience in ICU settings. She serves on the board of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the Tennessee Nurses Association Political Action Campaign, and the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care. She is a past president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (the third nurse to serve in this role in the 50-year history of the organization); and the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses, an international organization representing over 500,000 nurses in 40 countries. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the American College of Critical Care Medicine, the National Academies of Practice, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Research and Education
2023
Lisa M. Thompson, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, MS, FAAN
Professor
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia, USADr. Lisa M. Thompson is a tenured Professor in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. The focus of her research is to evaluate effective behavioral change interventions to reduce maternal and infant exposures to household air pollution from solid cooking fuels using implementation research. For the past 20 years, Dr. Thompson has worked on intervention trials related to household air pollution, starting as a graduate student on a landmark study, the first randomized stove intervention study on infant pneumonia in Guatemala. Dr. Thompson is a co-Investigator on the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network, or HAPIN, stove intervention trial. She is also the principal investigator of a cluster randomized trial in rural Guatemala, an implementation science study to develop and evaluate community-level interventions that aim to reduce household burning of plastic waste. In 2021, she was inducted into the Sigma International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.
2021
Zohra Lassi, PhD, MSc, BScN (left)
Research Fellow
University of Adelaide
Adelaide, AustraliaRehana Abdus Salam, PhD, MSc, BScN (right)
CRE-Project Manager
Melanoma Institute Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaDrs. Lassi and Salam are internationally recognized leaders in evidence synthesis to improve newborn, child, and adolescent nutrition and health in low-and middle-income country settings. They have intentionally crafted a program of research grounded in systematic reviews of the evidence in their research field that has a meaningful impact on policies that shape healthcare around the globe. Their article on effective interventions to address maternal and child malnutrition was published in the May 2021 issue of The Lancet.
The Episteme Award is supported by the Baxter International Foundation
2023
Martine Puts, PhD, RN
Associate Professor
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDr. Martine Puts is an Associate professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on improving care for older adults with cancer and older adults living with frailty.
2021
Lynn Kemp, PhD, MBus, BHSc, RN
Distinguished Professor
Western Sydney University
Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaDistinguished Professor Lynn Kemp is Director of the Translational Research and Social Innovation group in the School of Nursing and Midwifery Western Sydney University and Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. Driven by the mission that no child should have their potential limited by the circumstances into which they are born and live, Lynn has developed a significant program of community-based child health research that includes world-first intervention studies such as the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) study, the first randomized trial of sustained nurse home visiting that is embedded in universal health services, the subsequent right@home trial, and primary health care innovations to improve outcomes for children and young people living with adversity. She now leads an international program of translational research, studying the implementation of these effective interventions at population scale in Australia, England, South Korea, and the USA.
2023
Dion Candelaria, PhD, RN, MN (ClinTeach), GradCertN (Cardovasc)
Patient-Focused Outcomes from Cardiac Rehabilitation: Influence of Service Delivery CharacteristicsPostdoctoral Research Fellow
Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery
The University of Sydney
Wolli Creek, New South Wales, AustraliaDr. Dion Candelaria specializes in cardiovascular nursing. His research focuses on supporting patients with heart disease to reduce their risk of further cardiovascular events through promoting secondary prevention behaviors and cardiac rehabilitation. His doctoral work evaluated the influence of service delivery on patient-focused outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation. His goal is to improve the quality of cardiac rehabilitation delivery in Australia and globally so that more patients with heart disease complete cardiac rehabilitation and maximize its benefits. Dr. Candelaria is a passionate educator committed to supporting undergraduate nursing students and is a strong advocate for fellow early-career nurse researchers
2021
William E. Rosa, PhD, MBE, NP-BC, FAANP, FAAN
The Association of Patients’ Analgesic Treatment Beliefs and Trade-Offs with Analgesic Adherence Behaviors Among Outpatients with Cancer PainChief Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, USADr. Rosa completed his PhD and Master of Bioethics as an RWJF Future of Nursing Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on palliative care disparities in the oncology context, specifically in the fields of cancer pain and serious illness communication needs. He is the editor of four books and has disseminated more than 150 academic publications. Dr. Rosa has been recognized with numerous distinctions, including Sigma's 2017 Daniel J. Pesut Spirit of Renewal International Award for Nursing Excellence. Dr. Rosa is an American Psychosocial Oncology Society Health Equity Scholar and the International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care U.S.A. Advocacy Focal Point. He serves on multiple editorial boards and in several organizational service roles. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American College of Critical Care Medicine, and the New York Academy of Medicine.
2023
Laura N. Kirk, PhD, MS, BSN
Clinical Associate Professor
University of Minnesota, School of Nursing
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USADr. Laura Kirk is guided by her passion for professional nursing, a philosophy of nursing as human caring, and her ongoing and passionate commitment to the development of nurses and scholars who embrace the healing power and potential of authentic nurturing relationships. She is committed to facilitating the development of nurses who recognize and embrace the unique privilege and responsibility of being in relationship with others and appreciate the power of therapeutic communication in the context of expert nursing care.
2021
Jennifer R. Timm, DNP, RN, PHN
Associate Professor
Winona State University
Minnesota, USADr. Jennifer Timm is an Associate Professor of Nursing in the Department of Graduate Nursing at Winona State University, located in the beautiful region of Winona and Rochester in southeastern Minnesota. Dr. Timm has served as a board member in a variety of roles within the Kappa Mu Chapter since 2014 and is the incoming President. The Kappa Mu chapter is dedicated to supporting and enriching the practice and wellness of members and regional nurses. Dr. Timm has rich experience in academic, public and community health, and administration, management, and leadership in nursing. Having been involved in leading numerous interprofessional models, Dr. Timm is passionate about interprofessional education, practice, community models of health, and care for underserved groups. She pioneered the design and implementation of a novel interprofessional triage model in an outpatient mental health and substance use clinic and a national award-winning interprofessional clinical education model.
Communications
2023
Nurses Making Policy From Bedside to Boardroom, Third Edition
Rebecca M. Patton, Margarete L. Zalon, and Ruth Ludwick
Published by Springer Publishing (USA)The real-world expertise showcased in this book prepares nurses to act in multiple policy arenas. The book introduces the policy action framework that can be used by individuals or organizations as an assessment strategy by strengthening engagement, partnerships, and the reach of one’s activities in local, state, national and/or international levels. Chapter contributors outline the steps of policy process with vivid descriptions of nurses’ challenges and successes in implementing policy. The lessons learned are inspiring exemplars that can be a template for leveraging action to achieve policy goals.
2021
Veteran-Centered Care in Education and Practice: An Essential Guide for Nursing Faculty
Brenda Elliott, Katie Chargualaf, and Barbara Patterson
Springer Publishing (USA)The healthcare needs of military service members, veterans, and their families is a global issue. Military service contributes to a wide range of visible and invisible wounds, temporary and permanent, resulting in unique vulnerabilities for veterans not observed in their civilian counterparts. Nurses have a duty to provide care to veterans in a culturally sensitive manner. This book emanated from the mandate to improve veteran healthcare by focusing on the vulnerabilities of this population across generations, using a holistic and inclusive approach. The main objective was to create a resource for nursing faculty to integrate veteran-centered health content into nursing curricula, ultimately improving veteran-centered care at the bedside and in the community. It can also assist nurse educators in healthcare facilities to develop continuing education focused on veteran health issues. Sharing best practices and conducting research promoting the health and well-being of veteran patients.
2023
James Q. Simmons
Acute Nurse Practitioner
St. Francis Medical Center & One Health Medical Clinic
Los Angeles, California, USADr. James Q. Simmons continues to emerge as one of the most sought-after voices at the intersection of the LGBTQ+ and Black communities because of his uncanny ability to distill the complex and complicated into consumable content. He is the brains and heart behind the vibrant online community Ask The NP! and has been seen and heard on network television, Sirius XM, Loveline, countless podcasts, and much more. His combination of extensive multimedia experience and 13 years of hospital-based critical care practice make him one of the most innovative voices changing the way we talk about healthcare today. Dr. Simmons holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications from Drake University, a Master of Science in Nursing from University of Illinois-Chicago, and a DNP from UCLA, where he is a frequent guest lecturer and research consultant.
Board Award Honorees
The Archon Awards are granted to individuals or groups, regardless of their profession, who have made health a major aspect of their lives, and their efforts have created significant change that is national or transnational in scope. In all of their endeavors, they embody the Sigma values of love, honor, and courage.
2023
Medical Bridges
United Network for Organ Sharing
Luci Baines Johnson and Ian J. Turpin2021
Diana J. Mason
Nursing Now2019
The DAISY Foundation
World Bicycle Relief2017
David Suzuki, PhD
C3 Collaborating for Health2015
Izzeldin Abuelaish, MD, MPH
Jhpiego2013
Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein2011
Food for the Poor
Transnet-Phelophepa Healthcare Train2009
Free the Children
Greg Mortenson, RN
Linda Spoonster Schwartz, RN, MSN, DrPh, FAAN2007
Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein2005
Leslie Mancuso, PhD, RN, FAAN (JHPIEGO)
James T. Morris (The World Food Program)2003
Larry Dossey, MD
Barbara Dossey, RN, PhD, FAAN
Lois Capps
David Satcher
James T. Lenehan2001
His Highness the Aga Khan
Bill Moyers
Judith Davidson Moyers1999
Sir George A. O. Alleyne
Dr. Daniel Callahan
Aziza Hussein
Dame Cicely Saunders1996
Camp RAD
Center for Ethics in Health Care at Oregon Health Sciences University
Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation Training Institute
Clyde Street Nursing Center
Collaborative Partners for Healthy Living
Father Resource Program, Wishard Memorial Hospital
Center for Ethics in Health Care at Oregon Health Sciences University
Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation Training Institute
Clyde Street Nursing Center
Collaborative Partners for Healthy Living
Father Resource Program, Wishard Memorial Hospital
Pitt County Public Health Center
Project CAPABLE (Community Advocacy Promoting and Building Lifelines for Elders)
Project for Pride in Living
Project Hope
Rainbow House/Arco Iris
Rural Nursing Centers Project
Sickle Cell Disease Association of the Piedmont
S.O.S. (Save Our Selves) Campaign of BBF Family Services
Southern Illinois Women’s Health Conference
Spirit Clinic
Steps to End Family Violence
Tacachale Project
Women Venture1994
Dr. David A. Hamburg
Elizabeth Dole
Dr. Leighton E. Cluff
Dr. Jonas Salk
Marian Wright Edelman
Dr. C. Everett Koop1992
Barbara Biben
Dr. T. Franklin Williams
Xerox CorporationThe Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who is not a nurse whose good works have enhanced the human condition globally.
2021
Nigel Crisp
Anthony Fauci
Chetna Gala Sinha2017
Dame Yvonne Moores2015
Sheila Tlou2007
Stephen H. Lewis2003
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal2001
Rosalyn Carter1992
Audrey HepburnThe Nell J. Watts Lifetime Achievement Award in Nursing recognizes a Sigma member for lifetime dedication to the nursing profession and to Sigma.
2023
Dana Bjarnason, PhD, RN, NE-BC
John Patrick Daly, PhD, RN, FACN, FAAN, FFNMRCSI
Patricia Davidson
Beth Ulrich, EdD, RN, FACHE, FAONL, FAAN
Bethany Ann Hall-Long, PhD, RN, FAAN
Jean Watson, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN, LL (AAN)2021
Peter Buerhaus
Doris Grinspun
Mary Naylor
Sr. Callista Roy
Joyce Verran2019
Patricia E. Thompson2017
Linda H. Aiken
Judith Shamian2015
Afaf I. Meleis
Nelly Garzón Alarcón2013
Mary Norton2011
Lillian G. Douglass
Leana R. Uys2009
Nancy Dickenson-Hazard2007
Billye J. Brown2005
Faye G. Abdellah2003
Martha N. Hill2001
Sheila Weatherill1999
Mo-Im Kim1997
Sr. Rosemary Donley1995
Rozella Schlotfeldt1993
Nell J. Watts1991
Luther ChristmanThe Presidential Award was bestowed by the international president of Sigma to recognize exceptional contributions to nursing. In 1997, in celebration of Sigma Theta Tau’s 75th Anniversary, the award was named to recognize the pioneering leadership of the honor society’s first president, Dorothy Ford Buschmann (Alpha), Indiana University. This award was retired after the 2019 presentation.
2019
Hester Klopper2017
Patricia E. Thompson2015
Nelouise Geyer
Elizabeth Mokoka2013
Beta Chi Chapter
Xi Alpha Chapter
Delta Psi Chapter2011
Sally P. Lundeen2009
Thomas L. Huston2007
Tau Pi Chapter
Tau Lambda-at-Large Chapter2005
In Honor of All Families and Significant Others Who Support the Active Involvement of Members in Honor Society Activities2003
Alpha Mu Chapter
Diana L. Morris
Kimberly A. Tufts2001
Beta Chi Chapter
Gamma Xi Chapter1999
Roger Bulger
Elizabeth Carnegie1997
Micheline M. Asselin1995
Bob Bower1993
Beta Beta (Dallas and Houston) Chapter
Gamma Xi Chapter1991
Luci Baines Johnson1989
Virginia Henderson1987
Faye Abdellah1985
Dean Elizabeth Grossman
Rebecca T. MarkelThe Lucie S. Kelly Mentor Award was bestowed by the international president of Sigma to recognize the influence counselors or guides in the nursing profession have on the lives and careers of others. The award is named in honor of past president Dr. Lucie S. Kelly (1983-1985) for her devotion to the spirit of mentoring. Following the 2019 presentation, this award was opened to nominations from Sigma members and moved to the International Awards for Nursing Excellence.
2019
Deborah Helitzer2017
Shelia Anne Burke
Elizabeth Carlson2015
Judith Bruce
Martha Hill2013
Jane M. Kirschling
Patricia E. Thompson2011
Rachel F. Schiffman
Susan L. Dean-Baar2009
Bessie L. Marquis
Patricia E. Thompson2007
Rev. Emily Chandler2005
Frank and Judy McIlmail
D. Jean Wood2003
Joyce J. Fitzpatrick
Gloria R. Smith2001
Clara Gates
Beth Vaughn-Wrobel1999
D. Kay Clawson
Shirley Martin1997
Fay L. Bower1995
Shirley Chater1993
Carol Lindeman
Lucie S. Kelly
Vernice D. Ferguson
Angela Barron McBride
Billye J. Brown1991
Jessie M. Scott1989
Rhetaugh Graves Dumas1987
Harriet H. Werley1985
Dr. Ruth Perkins Kuehn