Penn Nursing: Office of International Programs

International Awards

May 3, 2005

Dr. Aiken Named Distinguished Investigator

Dr. Linda Aiken has been selected as the recipient of the AcademyHealth Distinguised Investigator Award for her significant contributions to the field of health service research and nursing.

AcademyHealth is a professional organization for the multidisciplinary field of health services and policy research, both nationally and internationally. It is comprised of 4,000 members and 125 affiliated organizations in fields such as health services research, health policy, economics, sociology, political science and practice. The Distinguished Investigator Award is the highest and most prestigious award in health services.

April 30, 2005

AIHA/ANCC Accomplishments in Armenia Celebrated in NYC

The Archbishop of the American Armenian Church of New York will honor the accomplishments of the AIHA/ANCC Nursing Quality Improvement Initiative (the Magnet Initiative) in Armenia at a reception on May 26, 2005 from 6-7:30pm at Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York City.
The celebration is for the two-fold purpose of recognizing the volunteer contributions by Americans to Armenia and also to communicate to Armenian Americans that their country is making progress and is worth investing in. There will be a few short speeches by the Archbishop, Dr. Vartan Gregorian who will present an award to Dr. Linda Aiken.

September15, 2004

Nursing Quality Improvement Program Results in Improved Patient Care, Culminates in Four Eurasian Hospitals Receiving
"Journey to Nursing Excellence" Award

Dr. Linda Aiken, coordinator of AIHA's Nursing Quality Improvement Program and director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research and Judith Oulton, Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses, Geneva , Switzerland, are displaying the new "Journey to Nursing Excellence" Award.

The Awards were presented by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to four Eurasian hospitals during a series of ceremonies in the region.

>>> read the AIHA Press Release

Judith Oulton (ICN) with
Linda Aiken (right) holding the
"Journey to Nursing Excellence Award"

>>> read more related news

The American International Health Alliance (AIHA) is pleased to announce that four Eurasian hospitals participating in its Nursing Quality Improvement Program will receive "Journey to Excellence" Award from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) during a series of
ceremonies held in the region later this month. This is the first time ANCC has bestowed such an award on institutions in resource-limited countries where English is not the primary language....

By introducing key evidence-based nursing care protocols, this three-year pilot program - which represents the first study of the applicability of ANCC's Magnet Recognition Program standards to hospitals in Eurasia. - has resulted in improvements in both quality of care and patient satisfaction at four demonstration sites in the former Soviet Union: Central Clinical Hospital (Moscow, Russia); Erebouni Medical Center (Yerevan, Armenia); St. Grigor Lusavorish Medical Center (Yerevan, Armenia); and Sokolov Medical Center (St. Petersburg, Russia).

Dr. Linda Aiken, coordinator of AIHA's Nursing Quality Improvement Program and director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research says, "This project has successfully demonstrated that the introduction of evidence-based
nursing practice standards based on ANCC's Magnet Recognition Program can substantially improve both the quality of care and level of patient satisfaction in countries where the development of professional nursing lags behind international norms."

>>> read the complete AIHA Press Release

November 7, 2004

A Tribute to Joyce Thompson

Dr. Joyce Thompson, from our affiliate Collaborating Center at Western Michigan University, received the Phyllis N. Stern Distinguished Lectureship Award at the 15th International Council on Women's Health Issues (ICOWHI) in Sao Pedro, Brazil.

Prior to leaving Penn to move closer to her family, Professor Joyce Thompson, DrPH, FAAN, CNM, FACNM, RN, was Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Professional Development and Director of the WHO Collaborating Center in Nursing and Midwifery Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Thompson established and directed the first basic nurse-midwifery program in Pennsylvania, the master’s program in health leadership, the Teacher Education Program which prepared advanced practice nurses and midwives to teach in both classroom and clinical settings.

In her international work, she headed the Penn-Malawi “Women for Women’s Health” project from 1990-2002. Far from retiring, Dr. Thompson is now Bernadine M. Lacey Professor of Community Health Nursing at Western Michigan University. Continuing her ties to Penn, Dr. Thompson directs “Safe Motherhood” efforts for WHO’s global network through an affiliate site at Western Michigan. But perhaps more important was the respect and recognition of many colleagues who feted Dr.Thompson. “As I look around the room, I see many of us who owe our careers to ‘Dr. Joyce’ who believed in us and supported us,” said William F. McCool, PhD, CNM, RN, associate professor of Nurse Midwifery. (adapted from Penn Nursing, 2003, Vol 6, No. 1)