UFS lecturer only third African to win international nursing award
A senior lecturer of the University of the Free State (UFS), Dr Champion N. Nyoni became the first UFS staff member to win the prestigious Sigma Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar award – making him only the third African to win this award.
According to the university, Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma) is a global honour society for nurses that recognises and advances nursing through research and scholarship.
Membership for this society includes a minimum of a master’s qualification and a nomination from current members based on your contribution and the potential thereof for nursing at a national and global scale.
“I was overwhelmed to be honoured with this award as the third African to have won it in the history of the awards. To me, this is an indication that the quality of our work in the School of Nursing is top-notch and meets international standards, and that our contribution to nursing science and nursing education is outstanding,” said Nyoni.
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The Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award, with the purpose of recognising nurses whose research and scholarship has impacted the profession and the people it serves, was introduced in 2015.
It is a rigorous process to become eligible for the award, according to Nyoni.
“One is nominated by peers who are also part of Sigma; these peers must motivate their nomination by providing evidence related to the research and scholarship of the nominee.”
According to Nyoni, the award will also give him the energy to continue an academic track, especially in nursing and nursing education, with a focus on improving the quality of nursing education, the quality of nursing graduates, impacting the nursing workforce and thereby influencing the quality of health indicators, especially in Africa, where health systems are nurse-driven.