Spartanburg, S.C. – The Mary Black School of Nursing at the University of South Carolina Upstate recently recognized faculty members for outstanding contributions.

Dr. Lynette Gibson (left) and Dr. Julie Moss (right) were recognized by their peers and presented with the DAISY Faculty Award.

The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation, in collaboration with The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), established the faculty award to provide a national recognition program that colleges/schools of nursing may use to demonstrate appreciation to faculty for their commitment and inspirational influence on their students. Criteria for selection includes: inspiring compassionate care as well as great clinical skill, keeping with each school’s culture and language, excellence in teaching in both classroom and clinical, demonstrates care and compassion with students, provides an environment where students can freely express opinions and ideas in a respectful manner, is fair and unbiased in his/her treatment of individual students, displays a personal interest in student learning, and collaborates effectively with the healthcare team to facilitate student learning in the patient care environment.

Gibson, an associate professor of nursing, received the award for achievements in research and teaching.

“Nurses are often unsung heroes,” said Gibson. “Working with students in research and seeing the lights go off in their eyes in priceless.”

Moss, an assistant professor of nursing, received the award for creative teaching.

“Coming from my peers, this award means the world to me,” said Moss, who thanked her fellow faculty members for thinking globally with her. “Taking students to areas where they cry when they leave is a true blessing.”

Gibson and Moss were both presented with the DAISY Faculty Award Certificate, a DAISY Faculty Award pin, and a unique, hand-carved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled “A Healer’s Touch.”

The DAISY Foundation was formed in November 1999, by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP).

As of May 2011, 44 schools/colleges of nursing are participating in the awards program.

Three faculty members were awarded grants from the Mary Black Endowment, an endowment fund established by the Black Family and mostly recently overseen by Paula Black Baker and Marianna Black Habisreutinger. This is awarded annually for research projects, scholarly publications, travel, faculty development opportunities, and presentation opportunities.

Dr. Darlene Amendolair (second from left), an assistant professor of nursing, received the grant for research on multi-user virtual environments. Dr. Julie Moss, an assistant professor of nursing, has led research into what students in Ecuador who wish to pursue a career in nursing have to overcome in order to achieve their dream as a nursing career is discouraged in that country. Her research also included looking at the local population and studying why students enrolled at USC Upstate are becoming nurses. Suzanne Sutton (center), an instructor of nursing, received the grant for her doctoral work at the Medical University of South Carolina.                     

The Jo Ann Sinclair McMillan Endowed Professorship for Advanced Nursing Study was presented to Dr. Margaret Hindman (second from right), assistant professor, which she will use to return to the University of West Georgia to pursue her Post Master’s CNL (Clinical Nurse Leader) Certificate. The McMillan Endowed Professorship for Advanced Nursing Study provides for advanced study in a specialized discipline required for the advancement of the nursing curriculum or for the development of the Mary Black School of Nursing’s capacity to prepare more nursing graduates.

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