News Briefs

The Society of Pediatric Nurses has named an award in honor of UNC School of Nursing research professor emeritus Dr. Margaret S. Miles.

The Margaret Shandor Miles Leadership Award was created to recognize outstanding leadership in nursing care of children. The award honors Miles’ contributions in pediatric nursing education, leadership and research throughout her 50-year career. 

Miles was the first president of the Society of Pediatric Nurses when it was founded in 1990.

"She has consistently mentored, guided and encouraged nurses to achieve in the areas of scholarship, leadership and child-sensitive care," said Dr. Barbara C. Woodring, president of the Society of Pediatric Nurses. "Dr. Miles continues to provide direction to novice pediatric nurses and strengthen the ties between research and evidence-based practice."

Miles was one of the first clinical nurse specialists in pediatric nursing, a field in which she quickly focused on helping distressed parents of critically ill children and bereaved parents. Her pamphlet on parental grief is still distributed to bereaved parents nationwide. Eventually, she focused her program of research on parents of critically ill children. With colleagues, she pioneered research on the stress of parents when their infant or child was hospitalized in an intensive-care unit; instruments developed from these studies are used worldwide.

Miles will present the first award at the society’s 16^th annual conference in April.

###

UNC’s School of Nursing named Michelle Landin of Cary the first recipient of the Katherine Wilson Scholarship.

The Friends of Katherine Wilson created the scholarship in honor of school alumna Katherine Wilson, who received her bachelor of science degree in nursing in 2004 and died in 2005 after a five-year battle with lung cancer.

The scholarship recognizes an undergraduate nursing student who exemplifies meritorious academic achievement, has a desire to pursue a nursing career in end-of-life issues or oncology and has overcome significant obstacles in his or her life.

"I was very excited and humbled to learn I was selected as the first recipient of the Katherine Wilson Scholarship. This is really an honor for me," said Landin, who began to consider nursing as a career path after battling leukemia in high school.

Landin is no longer undergoing treatment and is considered cured. She attributes her good health to the excellent medical care she received. "My nurses were wonderful. They took care of me without making me feel like I was sick. They had the experience to understand what I was going through without even having to ask. I believe they saved my life," said Landin.

This past summer, the Friends of Katherine Wilson surpassed their $100,000 goal to endow the Katherine Wilson Scholarship Fund.

To learn more about the scholarship fund, visit http://nursing.unc.edu/development/kws/index.html or contact Norma Hawthorne at (919) 966-4619.

###

The Carolina Women’s Leadership Council has provided funding for annual faculty mentoring awards at UNC.

The Women’s Leadership Council Mentoring Awards recognize outstanding faculty members who are especially dedicated to guiding, mentoring and leading students and/or junior faculty as they make important career decisions, embark on innovative research challenges and enrich their lives through public service, teaching and meaningful educational opportunities.

These awards will honor faculty-to-student mentoring and faculty-to-faculty mentoring. Initially, one award will be given in each category. Each recipient will receive $5,000.

All tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible for this award, as are fixed-term faculty who have taught at UNC for at least three years. Visiting faculty are not eligible. Nominations may be submitted by anyone from the Carolina family, including current and former faculty, staff and students.

Nomination forms and additional information on the awards can be downloaded at www.unc.edu/provost/. Nominations must be submitted in writing by Jan. 23 to the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, CB# 3000. Each nomination must include a:

• Brief (one-paragraph) statement of rationale for nomination;
• Narrative description not to exceed two pages of the extent, type and character of the mentoring provided by the nominee; and
• Curriculum vitae.

Selections will be made in February, with awards presented March 2 at the annual meeting of the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council.

Part of the Carolina First campaign volunteer leadership structure, the 130-member Women’s Leadership Council is a network of women nationwide who are committed to supporting the university and students’ educational experiences.

- 30 -

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu