Posted: 6/25/2008
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing faculty members Sharon Olsen and Elizabeth (Ibby) Tanner were named the 2008 recipients of the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Awards at the School’s commencement ceremony on May 22, 2008. The awards, which have been given annually since 1992, honor faculty members whoaccording to their studentsstand out in their role as both a teacher and a mentor.
Ibby Tanner, PhD, MS, RN, Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Public Health, 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.” With a “learner-focused” teaching style, dedication to education, and enthusiasm for the material she teaches, Tanner is well respected by students in the classroom. 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, Assistant Professor in the Department of Acute and Chronic Care, received the Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award. Described as “the ultimate mentor,” Olsen is known throughout the School for encouraging professional development among the graduate students. Nominating students say that Olsen encourages students to “discover problemsand think about how they can change things for the better” and “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.”