November 16, 2001

From left, Ives Erickson and Munn at the portrait unveiling ceremony.

The MGH Department of Nursing celebrated advancement and achievement in nursing research at the eighth annual Yvonne L. Munn, RN, Lecture Nov. 7. The lecture, entitled "Nurses Improving Care of the Health Services Elderly," was presented by Terry Fulmer, RN, PhD, FAAN, of the division of nursing at New York University.

The program also included the dedication of a portrait honoring Munn, the former associate general director of nursing at the MGH who retired in 1993, and the presentation of the Munn Nursing Research Awards. This year’s award recipients – members of the MGH clinical nursing staff whose research proposals were recognized for excellence by the MGH Center for Clinical and Professional Development – are Susan Gavaghan, RN, MSN, for her study "Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation and Weaning: A Patient Profile," and Patricia Mian, RN, MS, CS; Debbianne Shahidi, RN, BSN; Susan Warchall, RN; and Susan Whitney, RN, BS, for their study "Family Presence During Resuscitation in the Emergency Department."

At the portrait unveiling ceremony, Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, MS, senior vice president for MGH Patient Care Services and chief nurse, paid tribute to Munn, who also was in attendance. "While a leader at the MGH, Yvonne created a framework to guide clinical nursing practice into the 21st century," she said. "Thank you, Yvonne, for everything you did to make the MGH Department of Nursing the great department it is today."