Judith Shamian Elected as New President of the International Council of Nurses

Judith Shamian, outstanding nursing leader in Canada and internationally, has been elected as the 27th President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The election took place in the context of ICN’s governing body meeting, the Council of National Representatives (CNR), during the 25th ICN Quadrennial Congress in Melbourne, Australia. More than four thousand nurses from 134 countries gathered at the Congress to share knowledge and discuss global health care priorities.

Judith Shamian’s nursing achievements span all domains of nursing practice: academia, administration, policy and clinical settings. She is recognised as an outspoken advocate on health and nursing issues both in Canada and internationally. She has brought nursing expertise to the World Health Organization through collaboration with WHO’s chief nursing scientists; served on the global advisory committee of nursing, which was formed to advise the WHO director general, and established and headed a WHO collaborating centre.

In Canada, Dr Shamian has held many leading national positions such as President of the Canadian Nurses Association, Executive Director of Health Canada, President of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and Vice President of Nursing at Mount Sinai Hospital. She has spearheaded a number of initiatives aimed at improving quality and access to health services, including a strong focus on the social determinants of health, earning her several honours and awards. Her academic work surrounding public policy models and knowledge transfer has also proven highly effective in translating nursing research and advocacy efforts into concrete policy action.

“Nurses hold the key to many of the potential solutions and ICN has an important role to play in extending the reach of the nursing profession in setting policy agendas at the national and international level, said Ms Shamian. “I consider it a fundamental right for populations to have access to the conditions and resources necessary for their health and well-being. As such, our ultimate goal as nurses should be to maximize our contributions to achieve optimal health for the greatest number of people.”

New members of the ICN Board were also elected at the Council of National Representatives meeting, including Bagooaduth Kallooa (Mauritius), Ioannis Leontiou (Cyprus), Paul Pace (Malta), Elsa B. Friðfinnsdóttir (Iceland), Jürgen Osterbrink (Germany), Annette Kennedy (Ireland), Pierre Théraulaz (Switzerland), Eva Reyes Gómez (Mexico), Elba Olivera Choque (Bolivia), Marlen Calvo Solano (Costa Rica), Sheuan Lee (Taiwan), Jintana Yunibhand (Thailand).

Current Board members who will serve another four-year term include: Peter Požun (Slovenia), Marlene Smadu (Canada) and Masako Kanai-Pak (Japan).

For more information on the ICN, please visit: ICN