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22 July 2020 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Supplied
Dr Champion N Nyoni.

As yet another testament to the great work being done, as well as the dedication, passion, and hard work of staff members in the School of Nursing at the University of the Free State (UFS), a senior lecturer 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. 

“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,” says a proud Dr Champion N. Nyoni on his latest achievement. 

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 nomination from current members based on your contribution and the potential thereof for nursing at a national and global scale. 

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.

No easy process 
It is quite a rigorous process to become eligible for the award, explains Dr 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.” 

“In addition to the numerous reference reports from colleagues in the discipline of nursing, additional referrals are sought from colleagues in other professions (in the health sciences) who have worked and engaged with the research of the nominee. This application process is then evaluated for consideration, among others, by a global panel. I never thought that I would win this award, given the nature of the nomination process, and the heavy funding that other nurse researchers globally receive in comparison to Africa,” says Dr Nyoni.

According to a passionate Dr 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. 

Dr Nyoni is appreciative of the nurturing environment and brilliant colleagues in the School of Nursing, who are supporting his research career.

Quality nursing education

"We need quality nurses for quality nursing care, and this should be done through quality nursing education. I hope to use this award as part of a motivation strategy for young nurses to be engaged in scholarship and in academia, as there is a great need, especially in sub-Saharan Africa,” concludes Dr Nyoni.

When he was nominated, Dr Nyoni had close to 15 publications in nursing education and close to 40 presentations at local and international conferences. He also had several awards for his research work, including the Best Education Paper: Senior Category at the Faculty of Health Science’s Research Forum in 2019. 

Dr Nyoni is currently a postdoctoral fellow (the first) in the UFS School of Nursing and serves as chairperson on several boards of directors relating to health professions education in the African region, namely AfrIPEN and SAFRI. He is also supervising several master’s and PhD students.
 
• This award will be presented on Thursday at the International Nursing Research Congress that is now taking place online due to COVID-19.

News Archive

UFS academics nominated for NSTF Awards
2016-05-19

Description: Zakkie Pretorius Tags: Zakkie Pretorius

Prof Zakkie Pretorius

Prof Zakkie Pretorius and Prof Maryke Labuschagne, researchers in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), have been nominated for the 2016 awards of the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) in partnership with South32.

The NSTF awards recognise outstanding contributions to science, engineering, and technology (SET) and innovation for researchers and other SET-related professionals. The awards are referred to as the ‘Science Oscars’ of South Africa, as they are the largest, most comprehensive, and most sought-after national Awards of their kind. Among other things, the NSTF aims to celebrate, recognise, and reward excellence in science, engineering, technology and innovation within the SET sectors.

Prof Pretorius was short-listed as a finalist in the category: Lifetime Award for an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation by an individual over a period of 15 years or more.

Description: Maryke Labuschagne Tags: Maryke Labuschagne

Prof Maryke Labuschagne

He works on crop quality and disease resistance in the field crops research chair headed by Prof Labuschagne in the Department of Plant Sciences. Disease-resistance breeding is a continuation of the internationally-acclaimed wheat rust research that Prof Pretorius has been conducting during his career.

Prof Labuschagne is a finalist in the category: Special Award in Crop Science and Food Security. This is a special award by the NSTF this year, in honour of the 2016 International Year of Pulses, as declared by the United Nations.

Prof Labuschagne heads the research chair on quality and diseases in field crops at the UFS. Her research, and that of her students, focuses on the genetic improvement of food security crops in Africa, including such staples as maize and cassava.

At a Gala Dinner on 30 June 2016, the finalists will be honoured before the Minister of Science and Technology, the patron of the occasion, announces the winners of the 2015/2016 awards.   

 

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