Dr Lesley Degner, University of Manitoba senior scholar and former Director, Psychosocial Oncology and Cancer Nursing Research, St.Boniface Hospital Research, has been inducted into the St.Boniface Hospital Research Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place February 28th in the atrium of the Research Centre, and was attended by about 100 friends and colleagues.
Dr Lesley F. Degner is an internationally recognized scholar and researcher in patient involvement in medical decision-making. In 1987, she published “Life-Death Decisions in Health Care”, a groundbreaking book illustrating how treatment decisions are made for patients with life-threatening illnesses. Her theory forms the basis of the Control Preferences and Information Needs Scales – measurement tools which are employed internationally. Dr Degner’s research into informational needs, decision-making preferences and the meaning of illness in women with breast cancer included comparative studies in England and Sweden. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, and in 2010 was identified as the most frequently cited nurse scientist in Canada.
“Two years ago we inducted Dr Naranjan Dhalla as the first member of the St Boniface Hospital Research Hall of Fame,” said Dr Grant Pierce, Executive Director of Research for the Hospital. “Dr Degner is our second inductee and we are so excited that she continues the incredibly high standards of research accomplishment first set by Dr Dhalla.”
“We congratulate Distinguished Professor of Nursing Lesley Degner on her many trailblazing accomplishments in the field of nursing research,” said Dr Digvir Jayas, Vice-President (Research and International) and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba. “Her career has spanned decades and her areas of research have evolved over that time from cancer nursing and psychosocial oncology to her current focus on clinical practice and nursing knowledge translation.”
A graduate of the Universities of Manitoba, Washington, and Michigan, Degner joined the University of Manitoba in 1972. From the year 2000, she held a 10-year National Research Chair from the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, to support her program “Development of Evidence-Based Nursing Practice in Cancer Care, Palliative Care and Cancer Prevention.” Dr Degner has created training opportunities for the next generation of advanced practice nurses and nurse scientists all over the world. Dr Degner retired from her position as Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba in 2012.
The St. Boniface Hospital Research Hall of Fame was established in 2011 to honour the achievement of St. Boniface Hospital scientists who have produced important contributions to medical research, specifically those who have made direct advancements to the knowledge of disease processes and health care. Inductees are recognized with plaques permanently installed within the large pillars prominent within the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre Atrium.
Dr. Lesley Degner with Mr. Peri Venkatesh, Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, who gave a presentation on behalf of colleagues at the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Judy Scanlan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, and member, St. Boniface Hospital Board of Directors, presents the Hall of Fame Award to Dr. Lesley Degner on behalf of St. Boniface Hospital President Dr. Michel Tetreault.
Dr. Judy Scanlan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, and member, St. Boniface Hospital Board of Directors, presents the Hall of Fame Award to Dr. Lesley Degner on behalf of St. Boniface Hospital President Dr. Michel Tetreault.