SIUE’s Karen Kelly Among School of Nursing’s 50th Anniversary Awardees
Edwardsville, Ill. (PRWEB) September 23, 2013 -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing has selected five recipients to receive 2013 School of Nursing Excellence Awards. They will be honored at the Nursing Excellence Gala and 50th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 5. The event in the Morris University Center’s Meridian Ballroom begins at 5:30 p.m.
“Our gala award recipients are prime examples of individuals and organizations who continuously give of themselves for the good of others,” said Anne Perry, interim dean of the SIUE School of Nursing. “Their service to the School, the nursing profession and their communities is truly admirable.”
The awardees include:
Outstanding Friend to Nursing: Karen Kelly, Ph.D.
The award honors a person, business, foundation, legislator or other entity that has demonstrated a civic responsibility to the profession of nursing and to society by advancing the nursing profession through acts such as funding, supporting legislation or promoting nursing through media outlets.
Kelly graduated with a bachelor’s in nursing from SIUE in 1972. She has dedicated her life to the betterment of the health care industry and nursing education. A triple SIUE alumna, she earned a master’s in 1977 and a doctorate in education in 1983.
Currently serving as an associate professor and director of continuing education in the SIUE School of Nursing, Kelly has worked with many state and national organizations to promote the advancement and success of the profession. She is president of the Illinois American Nurses Association and continues to make strides towards nursing excellence in every aspect of her life.
Outstanding New SIUE School of Nursing Alumna: Carla J. Daniels, FNP-BC, AOCNP
The award was created to honor a baccalaureate or master’s graduate who has made a significant contribution to the nursing profession and earned a degree within the past 10 years.
Daniels earned a family nurse practitioner master’s degree from SIUE in 2004. An oncology nurse practitioner at Springfield (Ill.) Clinic, Daniels has achieved credentials as an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner, a certified Breast Health Specialist and a BRCA testing expert. She is a leading resource for genetics counseling in the Springfield area and is a tireless advocate for breast cancer prevention, detection and treatment. Next year, she will celebrate 25 years at Springfield Clinic.
Outstanding SIUE School of Nursing Alumna: Lenora M. Drees, APN-FNP
The award was created to honor a baccalaureate or master’s graduate who has made a significant contribution to the nursing profession and who earned a degree more than 10 years ago.
Drees began her nursing career in 1968 after graduating from St. John’s Mercy School of Nursing with a nursing diploma. In 1989, Lenora graduated from SIUE with a bachelor’s in nursing. Four years later, she earned a family nurse practitioner master’s from the University of Illinois – Chicago.
She is a member of the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing, a certified diabetic educator and a SIUE nursing preceptor. She currently practices at Family Care Associates in Effingham.
Outstanding Health Care Agency
50 year partner of SIUE School of Nursing: East Side Health District
The award honors a community health agency, home health care agency or long-term care facility that has advanced the nursing profession and can be considered a model for others.
East Side Health District opened in 1937, making it one of the oldest health departments in the metro-East area. It has worked to improve the health and environment of the people living in East St. Louis and surrounding communities through various health promotion and disease prevention programs.
Since the SIUE School of Nursing was established on the Edwardsville campus in 1963, East Side Health District has partnered with the School to offer students a clinical environment in which they are able to receive advanced training in nursing.
Outstanding Hospital
50 year partner of SIUE School of Nursing: Barnes-Jewish Hospital
The award honors a hospital/hospital system that has advanced the nursing profession and can be considered a model for others.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a Magnet®-designated hospital, is committed to providing an exceptional learning environment for nursing students, clinical instructors and staff alike. For the last 50 years, students from SIUE, under the supervision of their clinical instructors, have worked with Barnes-Jewish Hospital to care for patients on a variety of units, including cardiology, general medicine and oncology.
Students have depended upon these care experiences to create and foster the skills, knowledge and abilities necessary to provide quality care in professional nursing. This long lasting partnership has been pivotal to the successful history of SIUE nursing.
Nursing excellence nominees are considered on the basis of their commitment and inspirational influence, and having a profound impact on their communities and the health care profession. Alumni, health professionals, School of Nursing faculty and staff, and friends of nursing submitted nominations.
The Gala will include dinner along with silent and live auctions. More information is available at siue.edu/nursing.
The SIUE School of Nursing’s fully accredited programs are committed to creating excellence in nursing leadership through innovative teaching, evidence-based practice, quality research, patient advocacy and community service. Enrolling nearly 1,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders in pursuit of shaping the nursing profession and impacting the health care environment. Through expanded programs located on the SIU Carbondale campus and SIU School of Medicine campus, the SIUE School of Nursing is helping to solve the region’s shortage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and enhance the quality of nursing practice within hospitals and medical centers.
Doug McIlhagga, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, http://www.siue.edu, +1 (314) 402-8655, [email protected]
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