NEW YORK NURSE: June 2008
On Thursday, June 26, two NYSNA members will be honored by the American Nurses Association (ANA) as part of its 2008 Biennial House of Delegates meeting in Washington, D.C. Since the early 1900s, the ANA has presented awards to prominent nurses to recognize their outstanding contributions to the nursing profession and the field of health care.
Sister Theresa Graf will receive the Honorary Nursing Practice Award for outstanding direct patient care. Known by many as “Sister Terry,” she provides health services for poor and uninsured residents of Nassau County, Long Island. Graf was on the NYSNA Board of Directors from 1997 to 2000 and served as vice president from 2000 to 2002. She has sat on the NYSNA Nominating Committee, the Bylaws Committee, and the Leadership Institute Selection Committee. In addition, Graf has been a delegate to the ANA since 1982. “Sister Terry is a role model for all nurses,” said one supporter. “Her work demonstrates … [what] needs to be done by all citizens to assure that quality health care for all people is made available.”
Rona Levin will receive the Jessie M. Scott Award for her demonstration of the interdependent relationships among nursing education, practice, and research. Levin is a recognized expert in evidence-based practice. Her book, co-edited by Harriet Feldman, “Teaching Evidence-based Practice in Nursing: A Guide for Academic and Clinical Settings,” is used by hospitals and colleges across the country to teach nurses how to improve patient outcomes. Levin joined Pace University's Lienhard School of Nursing in 2001, where she developed much of her work on evidence-based practice. She has actively supported nursing research in clinical settings and through her work as chair of the Nursing Research Consortium of Long Island. Levin has been a member of the NYSNA Council on Nursing Research, on the editorial board for the Journal of NYSNA, and is currently chair of the Research and Planning Committee for the Foundation. According to a supporter, Levin “is an innovator, mentor, and role model. She deserves recognition for her enthusiastic efforts to integrate evidence into practice.