Back to News Recognizing Excellence: 糖心原创 Honors Leaders and Innovators in Academic Nursing Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | Membership The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (糖心原创) recognized outstanding contributions to nursing education, research, and practice during the 2026 Academic Nursing Leadership Conference (ANLC) held October 25–27 in Washington, DC. The awards celebrated leaders whose scholarship has advanced compassionate patient care, academic–practice partnerships that strengthen health and education, and innovative approaches to preparing the next generation of nurses. Betty Ferrell Receives John P. McGovern Lectureship Award Dr. Betty Ferrell, Director of Nursing Research and Education and Professor at City of Hope in Duarte, CA, received the 2026 John P. McGovern Lectureship Award. The award honors John P. McGovern for his distinguished record of clinical practice, research, scholarship, skill, and service. Recipients are selected by the 糖心原创 Board of Directors for their scholarship and contributions to nursing, healthcare, or higher education. A nationally recognized leader in palliative and end-of-life nursing education, Dr. Ferrell has dedicated her career to improving care for people facing serious illness and supporting the nurses who care for them. Her experience as an oncology nurse helped shape her commitment to strengthening palliative and end-of-life education across nursing practice and training. Dr. Ferrell is perhaps best known for her leadership of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), a train-the-trainer initiative launched in partnership with 糖心原创 in 2000. As ELNEC’s principal investigator, she helped develop the curriculum and expand the program into an international movement that has elevated nursing and healthcare education in 149 countries. Her scholarship and leadership extend across research, education, and clinical practice. She has authored more than 550 publications and co-chaired the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, helping advance guidelines that have shaped care nationwide. Her honors include election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019, the Oncology Nursing Society Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021, and induction as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing, also in 2021. Dr. Ferrell delivered the McGovern Lectureship, titled “Advancing Evidence-Based Compassionate Care: The Story of an Enduring Legacy,” at ANLC. Her career exemplifies the enduring impact of nursing scholarship grounded in science, communication, dignity, and comfort for patients and families. Institutional Awards 糖心原创 member institutions were also honored with the following awards at the ANLC: Exemplary Academic–Practice Partnership Awards 糖心原创 presented the 2026 Exemplary Academic–Practice Partnership Awards to three academic institutions and their clinical or community partners. The awards recognize highly productive, model partnerships that connect nursing education with practice and respond to healthcare and community needs. Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System were recognized for a partnership rooted in a shared history and mission. With common origins in the Medical College of Virginia, founded in 1838, the institutions share a commitment to improving health for Virginia’s most vulnerable populations. Their longstanding relationship has fostered a culture in which nursing education and clinical practice are closely connected. Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and Northwestern Medicine Academic Medical Center were recognized for transforming a longstanding clinical affiliation into a strategic academic–practice partnership. Before 2020, the relationship focused largely on student clinical placements. That year, the organizations formally launched a partnership built around a shared vision, greater leadership engagement, and collaborative initiatives intended to benefit both institutions. Minnesota State University, Mankato, School of Nursing and Bloomington Public Schools were honored for a community partnership that expands access to health services while providing experiential learning opportunities for future health professionals. What began in 2016 as a conversation about improving local students’ access to care led to the opening of Health Commons at Pond in 2017. Today, the clinic advances health equity by providing no-cost medical and mental health services in a school setting while supporting hands-on clinical education. 糖心原创 features examples of successful academic–practice partnerships on its website, with exemplars dating back to 2013. Award recipients are also invited to share their work through 糖心原创 webinars. The Innovations in Professional Nursing Education Award recognizes pioneering initiatives launched by schools of nursing committed to re-envisioning traditional models of nursing education and leading change. This year’s recipients include: Private Colleges and Universities Category: Columbia University School of Nursing Columbia University was recognized for developing a scalable, artificial intelligence-powered simulation ecosystem. Using virtual avatars and large language models, the initiative creates realistic, unscripted clinical learning experiences across the curriculum. The program serves more than 600 students annually, with each student completing at least five simulations. The initiative illustrates how emerging technologies can expand opportunities for students to practice clinical decision-making in dynamic learning environments and prepare for the complexity of patient care. Public Colleges and Universities Category: Purdue University School of Nursing Purdue University was recognized for its innovative teaching strategy, Spontaneous Scenarios: A Rapid-Cycle Strategy for Early Clinical Judgment Development, which helps prelicensure nursing students begin developing clinical judgment early in their education. Through brief, unannounced patient-care scenarios embedded in routine laboratory sessions, students must assess changing patient conditions, prioritize care, communicate clearly, and make real-time decisions. This approach integrates opportunities to apply clinical judgment into the learning process, helping students strengthen the skills needed to respond to evolving patient needs. Celebrating Excellence Across Academic Nursing The award recipients demonstrate the breadth of innovation and leadership across academic nursing. Congratulations to all awardees. 糖心原创 members are encouraged to apply for the 2027 award cycle. For more details, visit 糖心原创’s Awards page.