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Palliative care nurse receives excellence award
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Tonya Edwards, a clinical nurse in palliative care at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, received the 2016 Brown Foundation Award for Excellence in Oncology Nursing.
The award is the highest honor the institution can bestow on its approximately 3,000 nurses.
Edwards received a $15,000 cash prize, a plaque and a pin.
“I am completely overjoyed at this honor, which is totally unexpected,” Edwards said in a press release. “Nursing at MD Anderson allows me the opportunity to continue to seek higher knowledge. It enables me to broaden my scope of practice, striving for excellence with institutional support behind me.”
Edwards, a nurse for more than 21 years, became interested in supporting patients with cancer after losing both of her grandmothers to the disease.
At MD Anderson, she implemented a core-team approach toward opioid safety and educated the staff about patient safety while preventing opioid misuse and abuse.
“I know you will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of your patients and their loved ones, as well as our colleagues at MD Anderson,” Ronald DePinho, MD, president of MD Anderson, told Edwards during an awards ceremony. “Your exceptional nursing skills help us strive to accomplish our goal of ending pain and suffering caused by this devastating disease.”