Faculty members Sharon Olsen and Elizabeth (Ibby) Tanner were named the 2008 recipients of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Excel-lence in Teaching Awards at the School of Nursing commencement ceremony in May. The awards, which have been given annually since 1992, honor faculty members who-according to their students-stand out in their role as both a teacher and a mentor.
Ibby Tanner, PhD, MS, RN, received the Baccalaureate Excellence in Teaching Award. According to students who nominated her, Tanner is a “great inspiration” and a “wonderful teacher, mentor, and advocate.” As the faculty mentor for the School’s Geriatric Interest Group, she shares her skill and passion with her students and “tak[es] time to advocate for patients as a skilled geriatrician and RN.” Says one nominator: “Dr. Ibby Tanner is the kind of professor that I hoped to find” at Johns Hopkins.
Sharon Olsen, MS, RN, AOCN, received the Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award. Described as “the ultimate mentor,” Olsen is known throughout the School for encouraging professional develop-ment among the graduate students. Nominating students say that Olsen encour-ages students to “be advocates for themselves, their specialty area, and their patients.” An “exceptional role model for all clinical nurse specialists,” Olsen is said to “exemplify what it means to be a nurse leader.”
Dean Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN presented the awards, noting that the award winners demonstrate “extraordinary qualities-excellent teaching, mentoring, respectfulness, and encouragement. The School of Nursing is proud to have them as part of our faculty.”
A photo collage honoring Professor Victoria Mock, PhD, RN, FAAN, is now on display in the Center for Nursing Research and Sponsored Projects at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Prior to her death late last year, Mock served the School as professor, Chair of the Department of Health Systems and Outcomes, and Director of the Center for Collaborative Intervention Research. She also directed nursing research at the Kimmel Cancer Center. The collage serves as a memorial to the dedication and inspiration she provided to the School and to the field of nursing.