Award Recipients


2022 Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS) Research Award - Honoring The Contributions Of The Northeast Chapter

Supavadee Thiengtham
Ph.D. Candidate
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing,
Florida Atlantic University,

As a Ph.D. nursing student who has learned and applied Leininger’s culture care theory for many years, it is an incredible moment for me to be a student researcher who receives the award from the Transcultural Nursing Society, North East Chapter. This research award is the most prestigious award in my professional journey. I am extremely honored to receive this recognition from those who have contributed so much support and encouragement to my experience as a student in the field of transcultural nursing. I believe this award will provide me with a great opportunity to improve my competency in conducting qualitative research for my dissertation through the lens of Leininger's theory. This award will also enable me to achieve my goal of exploring cultural influences on family caregiving during transitional care among Thai Isan family caregivers. Based on my work on my dissertation, I hope this is the first step towards exploring and understanding transcultural and culture care knowledge in Thailand as well as other countries in Asia. Since this award provides me with a big step toward exploring the world of culture care, I guarantee to put more effort in the future to provide culturally competent health care service in my country. Again, I sincerely thank you for your generosity from the bottom of my heart. I also would like to express my sincere thanks to all the people who made this happen in my Ph.D. journey, including my family, friends, faculty, and officers from Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University.


Transcultural Nursing Society Research Award Recipient 2021

Jennifer Stephen PhD (c), MSN, RN, CPN

I am honored and humbled to be the recipient of the 2021 Transcultural Nursing Society Research Award! This research is significant in the understanding of cultural care phenomena related to families of Mexican heritage and the promotion of culturally congruent care.

This award supports my dissertation study: Cultural Care Needs of Spanish Speaking Parents with Limited English Proficiency Whose Children Are Hospitalized: An Ethnonursing Study. The study seeks to answer: 1. What are the cultural values, experiences, and beliefs of Spanish speaking parents of Mexican origin who speak little to no English whose children are hospitalized? 2. What are their cultural care needs? 3. What is the role of the nurse in promoting culturally congruent, family centered care?

Funding from TCNS enables me to bridge the language barrier with the assistance of a Spanish speaking interpreter/translator and listen to the voices of the informants. This unique opportunity allows me to consider their worldview through the collection of rich cultural data. Utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire reflecting Leininger’s Sunrise Enabler, I will conduct face to face interviews with parents.

Thank you for supporting research to raise the voices of Spanish speaking parents of Mexican origin describing their experiences, values, and beliefs so that nurses may understand and promote culturally congruent care.

Jennifer Stephen PhD (c), MSN, RN, CPN

School of Nursing, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

Bio: Jennifer Stephen is an education coordinator at Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth, TX where her primary role is onboarding of nurses and other clinical care providers. She has a passion for promoting culturally congruent care, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She teaches classes for newly graduated nurses in the residency program and participates in committees and initiatives within and outside her organization around these topics. She embraces the Culture Care Theory for both research and practice and has been a member of TCNS since 2009.


Congratulations to Transcultural Nursing Society Research Award Recipient 2020 Jennifer Weitzel

2019 Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS) NE Research Award Recipient - Kori Lapham, MSN, NP-C, BSN

To be selected as the recipient of 2019 TCNS Northeast Chapter Research Award is an honor!

My project, and my passion is cultural competence. The funding offered by the TCNS, permits the exploration of behaviors among licensed healthcare personnel at university student health centers, as a possible link to health inequities. The project has the potential to benefit diverse students by educating licensed healthcare personnel about cultural competence.
For numerous decades, the TCNS has been a leader in the quest and discovery of worldwide transcultural care. As a Doctor of Nursing Practice student at Georgetown University, I have been humbled by their pursuit of knowledge. I thank TCNS for believing this research will benefit the field of transcultural nursing and potentially improve health outcomes for diverse university students.

Kori Lapham, MSN, NP-C, BSN
Doctorate Nursing Practice Degree Georgetown University G’19


2017 TCNS Scholarship Award Recipient - Jennifer Stephen

When attending the Transcultural Nursing Society’s Annual Conference four years ago, I was immediately impressed and inspired by the knowledge and scholarship of the leaders and researchers. From the roundtable discussions to the podium presentations, experts on a variety of culturally related topics discussed their work and shared their findings. I remember thinking how fortunate I was to meet the nurses whose books and research had previously advanced my knowledge and transformed my practice.

As a PhD in Nursing student at Duquesne University, I too have the opportunity to grow in transcultural nursing knowledge and develop my research skills thanks to the generous financial support of the Society’s 2017 Scholarship Award. My goal is to advance knowledge about the experiences, values, and beliefs of Spanish speaking parents, who speak little to no English, when their children are hospitalized.

I believe active participation in the Transcultural Nursing Society is an important part of my professional development. Membership has enabled me to advance my transcultural nursing knowledge and network and learn from experts. Receiving the scholarship validates my academic pursuit and research interest and motivates me to give back to the Society. Most importantly, the award facilitates and energizes my desire and commitment to make a difference through research in the lives of vulnerable patients and families.

With sincere gratitude,
Jennifer Stephen


 Transcultural Nursing Society NE Chapter Research Award - First Recipient

Eda Ozkara San, RN, MBA - PhD Student at CUNY Graduate Center in Nursing.  “Effect of the Diverse Standardized Patient Simulation (DSPS) Cultural Competence Education Strategy on Nursing Students’ Transcultural Self-Efficacy Perceptions” $1,000 Transcultural Nursing Society NE Chapter Research Award - First Recipient.  Eda Ozkara San is currently an international PhD student at City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center in Doctoral of Nursing Science Program. She was born in 1986 in Turkey. Before joining CUNY Graduate Center, between 2005-2009, she completed Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Koc University in Istanbul-Turkey. In 2012, she completed her MBA degree in Health Care Management at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul-Turkey. She has experience as an Registered Nurse (RN) in emergency nursing care and medical surgical nursing. She has two high honors certificates from Koc
University and Bahcesehir University.


2016 Research Award Recipient Information

Laurie A. Bennett, PhD (c), MSN, RN - PhD - Nursing Education program at Nova Southeastern University. “THE ESSENCE OF INFLUENCES ON
PERCEPTIONS OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN TRADITIONAL UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS COMPLETING THEIR SENIOR YEAR”
$3,000 Transcultural Nursing Research Award
Laurie A. Bennett, PhD(c), MSN, RN is a full time faculty member in the nursing department at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH where she teaches Adult Medical Surgical Nursing and Care of the Elderly & Chronically Ill. She lives in NH with her family.


2015 Research Award Recipient Information

Sarah Miner, RN, MSN, University of Rochester, School of Nursing, Health Practice Research Program was chosen as the recipient of the 2015 Research Award from the Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS). This award will provide $3,000 toward the costs associated with her research, which will be presented at the TCNS Annual Conference when completed. Ms. Miner will be recognized as the recipient of the research grant at the 41st Annual Conference of the ranscultural Nursing Society held in Portland, OR, October 2015.


2014 Research Award Recipient Information

Beth Desaretz Chiatti, RN, MSN, PhD (candidate), CSN, CTN-B was chosen as the recipient of the 2014 Research Award from the Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS). This award will provide $3,000 toward the costs associated with her research, which will be presented at the TCNS Annual Conference when completed. Ms. Chiatti will be recognized as the recipient of the research grant at the 40th Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nursing Society held in Charleston, SC, October 2014.


2013 Transcultural Nursing Society Scholarship Award Recipient

We would like to congratulate Mr. Hunter Keys on receiving the $1,000 award to continue his studies in Transcultural Nursing. Mr. Keys will be recognized as the recipient of this award at the 39th Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nursing Society held in Albuquerque, NM, October 2013.


2013 Research Award Recipient Information

Sharon A. Kubik, DNP(c), ACNP, APRN-BC, CCRN was chosen as the recipient of the 2013 Research Award from the Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS). This award provided $2,559.00 toward the costs associated with her research, which will be presented at the TCNS Annual Conference when completed. Dr. Kubik was recognized as the recipient of the research grant at the 39th Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nursing Society held in Albuquerque, NM, October 2013


2012 Research Award Recipient Information

Karen W. Burkett, PhD(c),PNP-BC and Pamela J. Embler RN, MSN were chosen as the recipients of the 2012 Research Award from the Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS). This award will provide each individual with $3,000 toward the costs associated with research, which will be presented at the TCNS Annual Conference when completed. They were recognized as the recipients of the research grant at the 38th Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nursing Society held in Orlando, FL October 2012.


2010 Virginia V. Andrews Scholarship Award Recipient

We would like to congratulate Pamela J. Embler RN, MSN on receiving the $1,000 award to continue her studies in Transcultural Nursing. Ms. Embler was recognized as the recipient of this award at the 36th Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nursing Society held in Atlanta, Georgia October 20-23, 2010.


J. Frank and Joan Uhl Pierce Transcultural Nursing Award Recipient for 2010

We would like to congratulate the J. Frank and Joan Uhl Pierce Transcultural Nursing Award Recipient for 2010, Roxanne Amerson, PhD, RN, BC, CTN-A for her work: “The Role of Cultural Encounters During International Service‐Learning.” She presented her work at the 36th Annual Conference of the TCNS in Atlanta, GA in October 2010.


2010 Transcultural Nursing Society Scholarship Award Recipient

We would like to congratulate Kathleen Holman BS, RNC on receiving the $1,000 award to continue her studies in Transcultural Nursing. Ms. Holman will be recognized as the recipient of this award at the 37th Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nursing Society held in Las Vegas,NV, October 19-22, 2011.