Nurses, students and educators to be awarded for their extraordinary contributions to caring for Ontario patients and their communities

TORONTO, April 22, 2014 /CNW/ - A nurse who researched ways to ease oral hygiene distress amongst dying patients and a community agency that teaches nursing students how to care compassionately for street people burdened by poverty, mental illness and addictions are two of the winners of the Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing (COUPN) annual awards.

In total, 11 awards will be handed out April 23 in Toronto, recognizing 14 Ontario nurse educators, scholars and agencies in provincial and clinical settings who provide exemplary nursing education and research that help to advance the profession of nursing.

"Anyone who has ever been cared for by a nurse, or had a loved one cared for by a nurse, understands the extraordinary value of these women and men to the health care system," says Jennifer Medves, Chair of COUPN and Vice-Dean (Health Sciences) and Director, School of Nursing at Queen's University.

"Patients benefit tremendously from research into the practice of nursing being conducted at Ontario universities, and our institutions' innovative approaches to nursing education. The COUPN awards recognize these remarkable nurse educators and scholars."

Also recognized this year by COUPN is the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), which made a substantial financial contribution to provide mannequins and other high-fidelity simulation equipment to allow nurses to practice and become job ready faster, while improving patient safety.

Winners of this year's awards are:

• Strategic Contribution to Nursing Education – MTCU
• Excellence in Teaching – Dr. Monica Parry, University of Toronto
• Preceptor Recognition – Cindy Pawlikowski, Windsor Regional Hospital Family Birthing Centre
• New Tenure Stream Faculty Contribution – Dr. Richard Booth, Western University
• Excellence in Professional Nursing Practice (Undergraduate) – Mia Biondi, Western University
• Masters Student Award of Excellence – Alexandra Harris, University of Toronto
• Scholarship into Practice – Dr. Jennifer Stinson, University of Toronto
• Excellence in Collaborative Education – Prof. Leslie Graham, UOIT/Durham College
• Doctoral Dissertation – Dr. Craig Dale, University of Toronto
• Agency Recognition – St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and Sanctuary London
• Teaching Innovation – Prof. Karen Poole, Dr. Patricia Sevean, Dr. Michelle Spadoni, Lakehead University

More details about the contributions of each recipient are available on the Council of Ontario Universities' (COU) website. The seventh annual award ceremony takes place on April 23, 2014, at the Chestnut Residence and Conference Centre in Toronto.

COUPN, an affiliate of COU, comprises the Deans and Directors of Ontario's 14 university Schools of Nursing.

COU is a membership organization of 21 publicly assisted universities in Ontario. It works closely with the provincial and federal governments 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.

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SOURCE: Council of Ontario Universities

Wendy McCann, Director, Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Telephone: [phone] x233, Cell phone: [phone], [email protected]