Nursing
Teaching Awards
Dr.
Karen L. Schumacher, assistant
professor of nursing, was wholeheartedly
endorsed by nine students who signed
the letter nominating her for the
School of Nursing Teaching Award
concluding, "Dr. Schumacher
is a superb scholar and an excellent
teacher."
"Dr.
Schumacher engaged the class in discussion
on the intricate health relationships
between a community and its members,
and revealed to us the complexities of
delivering care outside of an acute care
setting. She incorporated her research
on family caregiving into the course,
helping us to grasp firsthand some of
the paths of inquiry currently being
pursued in the field," the students
wrote.
Dr.
Nancy C. Tkacs, assistant professor
of nursing, was nominated for the
Undergraduate Advisor Award by her
advisee of four years, Aileen Lin. "Her
willingness to make herself available
for advising me was invaluable.
We knew exactly where we could find
Dr. Tkacs in her office or down
the hall in her lab. Through e-mail
and personal contact, she was always
available, even for a little chat.
More recently, I have found Dr.
Tkacs to be very helpful in guiding
me professionally. Without her encouragement
and support, I would have never
sought out an incredible opportunity
which led me to an interest in pediatric
oncology."
Deborah
Cross received the Academic
Support Staff Teaching Award. She
works with almost all the graduate
students in the School of Nursing.
She not only provides extremely
high quality instruction to students,
but also mentors the many faculty
who teach in the Clinical Decision-Making
in Advanced Nursing Practice course. "It
is directly due to her leadership
that this course is one of the highest
quality courses in the School of
Nursing," wrote Christine Bradway.
Anna S. Beeber, a Hartford Foundation
Pre-Doctoral Scholar said, "As
her student, I felt that Ms. Cross
was always available for assistance
with difficult material especially
for my classmates who were having
difficulty with the course. Ms.
Cross always grounded the course
content in the "big picture" of
patient care, and helped us understand
why physical assessment and history-taking
is so important to practice."
The
Doctoral Student Organization renamed
their award to the Barbara Lowery DSO
Faculty Award, honoring the late Dr.
Lowery who was instrumental in the lives
of so many doctoral students at Penn.
The award will be given, as is tradition,
at the nursing commencement exercises.
The
award this year goes to Dr. Julie
A. Fairman, associate professor of
nursing. The students wrote that she
is recognized "for her
outstanding contributions to the development
of future nursing scholars, through cultivation
of intellectual discourse by challenging
the student's initial thoughts and
paradigms and assistance with developing
roads of future inquiry by creating a
sound and secure educational environment
for exploration. Dr. Fairman was noted
as being an invaluable mentor who demonstrated
warmth, generosity, and respect for her
students; and for her particular ability
to ease the transition of first year
doctoral students."
Dr.
Sarah H. Kagan, associate professor
of gerontological nursing, and Doris
R. Schwartz Term Professor in Gerontological
Nursing, is the first recipient
of the Minorities in Nursing Organization
Distinguished Faculty Award for
Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity.
The award was established this
year to show appreciation to the
faculty member who demonstrates
within their course, true incorporation
of cultural issues in an open and
sensitive manner. It is within the
mission of the Minorities in Nursing
Organization to promote and recognize
cultural diversity within the nursing
profession.
Dr.
Kagan has taught Nursing Care
of the Older Adult "with
ease as she wholeheartedly allows the
student to become a clinician in treating
the patient, regardless of cultural background,
with respect. It is with sincere
admiration and respect that the executive
board of MNO awards such a dedicated
teacher this honor," wrote the students.
Ms.
Salimah Meghani, the recipient
of this year's Teaching Assistant
Award, is "a scholar who is
consistent in her thorough and excellent
undertaking of all aspects of the
teaching experience. She is unfailingly
kind and considerate to students
and to other teaching team members.
She is fair, an excellent listener
and a skilled teacher, dedicated
to helping all of her students reach
their optimal capabilities," according
to Dr. Susan Gennaro, professor
of nursing, director of Doctoral
and Postdoctoral Studies, and Director
of the International Center of Research
for Women, Children, and Families.
"I'm
sure our students had great difficulty
choosing these wonderful teachers from
among so many at the School. Great teaching
is central to the core mission of any
school, but most particularly to a great
school of nursing which must develop
culturally competent and academically
stellar leaders for our future," said
Dr. Afaf I. Meleis, Margaret Bond Simon
Dean of Nursing. |