Elaine Larson Awarded New York Academy of Medicine's Clinical Practice Award

Columbia University School of Nursing congratulates Elaine Larson, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate dean for research, on her selection by the New York Academy of Medicine as the 2014 recipient of the John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice. Larson, a pioneer in promoting hand hygiene for infection prevention and control, is the first nurse to receive the honor.

Larson is a fellow in the Institute of Medicine and has advised the World Health Organization on best practices for hand washing. She has been editor of the American Journal of Infection Control since 1995 and has published more than 250 journal articles, four books and a number of book chapters in the areas of infection prevention, epidemiology and clinical research.

She served on the President's Committee for Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and was a chair of the CDC's Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Larson has also served as a consultant in infection control internationally, contributing to prevention and education efforts countries such as Kuwait, Jordan, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Ghana, Peru, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, France, and Egypt. She holds a joint appointment at the Mailman School of Public Health, where she is a professor of epidemiology.

The NYAM medal for lifetime achievement in clinical practice was established in 1992 and named for John Stearns, the first president of the Academy. It is awarded for extraordinary contributions to clinical practice in disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation; physician-patient communication; clinical medical education; or medical ethics. Past recipients include former U.S. Surgeons General David Satcher and Julius B. Richmond; neurophysiologist Torsten Wiesel and molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg, winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; and epidemiologist Donald Henderson, recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work in the 1960s to eradicate smallpox.

NYAM’s more than 2,000 elected fellows embody the highest levels of achievement and leadership in the fields of urban health, science, social work, nursing, education, law, medicine, and research. Established in 1847, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to policy leadership, innovative research, evaluation, education, and community engagement. Larson will be presented with the award during the New York Academy of Medicine’s 167th Anniversary Discourse and Awards on Nov. 6, 2014.

Source: Columbia University School of Nursing