At the Baltimore Graduation ceremony on Dec. 17, 2018, UMSON presented its first DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty posthumously to Debra L. Wiegand, PhD, RN, CCRN, CHPN, FAHA, FPCN, FAAN, former associate professor in the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, who died in November.
With a clinical background in cardiac critical care nursing, Wiegand taught palliative care, end-of-life, and bioethics courses. Her research focused on improving care provided to families of patients with acute and chronic life-limiting illnesses, studying family-focused interventions to facilitate the physical and psychosocial adaptation of families both during the dying process and after their loved one’s death. Having led or participated in nearly 20 projects, Wiegand generated research that also illuminated ICU nurses’ experiences of providing care to individuals near death and their families and the toll such care takes on nurses. In addition to her positions in academia and clinical practice, she contributed to the field through her leadership in national and international organizations related to family nursing, hospice and palliative care, critical care, and heart disease.
An acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem, 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. The nursing care Patrick received when hospitalized profoundly touched his family.
The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty honors those who inspire their students to remember that nursing is much more than tasks and technology. These faculty help ensure that the art as well as the science of nursing are brought to every patient experience.
Learn more about the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty.