Nelly Garzón Alarcón facts for kids
Nelly Garzón Alarcón (born March 8, 1932 – died April 17, 2019) was a very important nurse and teacher from Colombia. She made history as the first nurse from Latin America to become the president of the International Council of Nurses (ICN). During her time, she was one of the most well-known Colombian women in science around the world.
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Early Life and Education
Nelly Garzón Alarcón was born on March 8, 1932, in a town called La Mesa, Cundinamarca in Colombia.
She went to the National University of Colombia and earned her nursing degree in 1958. Later, she traveled to the United States to study for her master's degree in nursing at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C..
Her Amazing Career
Nelly Garzón Alarcón was chosen to lead the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in 1985. This happened at their 18th meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel. She was the very first president of the ICN from South America!
In 1988, she received a special award called the "Health for All Medal" from the World Health Organization (WHO). This was because of her great leadership at the ICN. The ICN helped a lot with a worldwide effort to reach the WHO's health goals by the year 2000. This was done through something called primary health care, which means making sure everyone has basic health services. It was the first time the WHO gave this medal to a nurse.
She also became the first woman president of the National Ethical Court of Nursing in Colombia. She held this important job from 1997 to 2006. In her later years, she taught nursing to students studying for advanced degrees at the National University of Colombia until 2006. The same university gave her a special award called a Doctorate Honoris Causa in 2011. This is a high honor given to people who have done amazing things.
Nelly Garzón Alarcón also helped create important laws for nurses in Colombia. These included "Law 266 of 1996" and the "Nursing Ethics Law, Law 911, 2006." These laws helped guide how nurses should work and behave.
She was also a key person in starting the Upsilon Nu Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, a special nursing honor society, at the National University of Colombia in 2007. From 2011 to 2013, she helped coordinate this society for all of Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2015, she received another big award, the Nell J. Watts Life Time Achievement Nursing Award, from the Sigma Global Nursing Excellence organization.
Her Passing
Nelly Garzón Alarcón passed away in Bogotá, Colombia, on April 17, 2019. She was 87 years old.
Awards and Special Recognitions
- Member of the American Nursing Honor Society, Society Sigma Theta Tau, Kappa Chapter.
- Nurse of the Year, National Association of Nurses of Colombia (ANEC) – 1970.
- University Merit Medal, National University of Colombia – 1986.
- Jorge Bejarano Decoration, Ministry of Health – August 1985.
- Health for All Medal, World Health Organization – March 1988.
- Fellow, Nightingale Society – 1988.
- Academic Excellence Award, Health Area of Adexun Alumni Association, National University of Colombia – 1990.
See also
In Spanish: Nelly Garzón Alarcón para niños
