Texas Nurse Awarded National Association's Highest Honor

Dr. Sandra Cesario Receives the 2012 Distinguished Professional Service Award

NEWS RELEASE: June 25, 2012
CONTACT: Jessica Gillman, 202-296-2002

Washington, DC— The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) today presented its highest honor, the Distinguished Professional Service Award, to Sandra Cesario, PhD, MS, RNC, FAAN, for her contributions to the field of women’s health. The award was presented at the AWHONN national Convention in the Washington, DC area and is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.

Dr. Cesario, a long-time member of AWHONN, is the PhD Program Coordinator and a tenured Professor at the Texas Woman’s University’s College of Nursing in Houston, Texas. For the past year, she has also served as the Interim Director of International Programs for the College of Nursing. An expert in women’s health, she has conducted extensive research in ovarian cancer, second stage of labor management, newborn abandonment and design of health care systems. Prior to her current position, Dr. Cesario served as the Director of Research and in numerous other academic and clinical capacities.

"Dr. Cesario has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to improving the lives of women and newborns," said AWHONN’s Chief Executive Officer, Karen Peddicord, PhD, RN. "It is my pleasure to honor her leadership and dedication to the nursing profession by presenting her AWHONN’s 2012 Distinguished Professional Service Award."

Dr. Cesario is a founding member of the Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design; a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; and a member of the Oncology Nursing Society, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, and the Statewide Nursing Evidence-Based Practice and Research Consortium. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Fort Hays State University, Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Oklahoma, and Doctorate of Philosophy in Nursing from the Texas Woman’s University. She has authored numerous scholarly articles and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International.

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About AWHONN

The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is the foremost nursing authority that advances the health care of women and newborns through advocacy, research and the creation of high quality, evidence-based standards of care.

AWHONN's 24,000 members worldwide are clinicians, educators and executives who serve as patient care advocates focusing on the needs of women and infants. A leader in professional development, AWHONN holds the distinction of twice receiving the Premier Program award by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for innovation and excellence in Continuing Nursing Education (CNE).

Founded in 1969 as the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the association became a separate nonprofit organization called the Association of Women's Health and Neonatal Nurses in 1993.

Visit AWHONN on Facebook.

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