Associate Dean Gwen Sherwood Receives Prestigious International Health Award

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Gwen Sherwood, PhD, RN, FAAN, was selected to receive a Special Award for Outstanding Health Professional Educators by a committee representing the Prince Mahidol Award Conference. She was one of seven international educators chosen for the award and the only nurse. Selection criteria for the award called for visionary leaders who have successfully implemented innovative teaching techniques that are “part of an evidence-base for producing quality health personnel.”

Dr. Sherwood was chosen for the award because of her internationally acclaimed effort to transform education in patient safety and quality. As co-investigator and facilitator of the first four phases of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative, Dr. Sherwood participated in developing approaches to incorporate recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine into nursing education. One of the results of her work on QSEN was the award-winning book Quality and Safety in Nursing: A Competency Approach to Improving Outcomes, which was edited by Dr. Sherwood and her colleague Dr. Jane Barsteiner, PhD, FAAN. Not bound by borders, Dr. Sherwood has reached out to nursing faculty in China, Thailand, Macau, Mexico, England, and Kenya to share her expertise on patient safety education. She has also disseminated her scholarship through workshops on patient safety, inter-professional education, and reflective practice.

“The chance to participate in the Prince Mahidol Award Conference was a well-timed opportunity,” said Dr. Sherwood. “The innovations in transformative education shared by global leaders at this conference reflect similar efforts that are underway at the School of Nursing.”

This is the first year organizers of the Prince Mahidol Award Conference chose to recognize leaders in health education. Dr. Sherwood traveled to Thailand to receive the award in person during the closing ceremony of the conference.