ICN presents awards at Congress 2025

Kim Mo-Im Policy Innovation and Impact Award

Dr Kim Mo-Im was a pioneering nurse and leader in numerous areas of social and health development. She was the first nurse in Korea to be appointed as Minister of Health, she was a member of the World Health Organization Expert Panel of Nursing for 20 years and ICN President from 1989 to 1993.

Sadly, Dr Kim died last year, but her memory lives on in many ways, including in the Kim Mo Im Policy Innovation and Impact Award, which is granted by the ICN every two years to a nurse who has demonstrated policy innovation and impact. It focuses on a key global issue of the time and ICN established strategy.

The award was presented at this year’s ICN Congress in Helsinki, Finland, where ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton announced a new Memorandum of Understanding, extending the Award for another 10 years.

This year the award was presented by Mr Catton, Dr Hyeon Kyeong Lee, Dean of Yonsei University School of Nursing, and Dr Euisook Kim, Professor Emerita, Yonsei University, to Dr William Rosa, Assistant Attending Behavioural Scientist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Dr Rosa, who is a former ICN Global Nursing Leadership Institute scholar, designed and launched a multi-pronged programme of innovative policy-focused education and research to achieve universal palliative care access. He focuses on leveraging the nursing workforce and prioritizing interdisciplinary collaboration to effectively relieve the health-related suffering of people with serious illness.

The ICN/FNIF International Achievement Award

The ICN/FNIF International Achievement Award is offered biennially to a practising nurse, with at least 10 years of nursing experience in one of the following domains of nursing: direct care, education, management or research. Nominees must have achieved significant impact internationally.

The 2025 International Achievement Award was awarded to Dr Hiromi Sanada for her exceptional contributions to nursing science, particularly in gerontological care, wound management, and disaster response. Her pioneering work in bioengineering nursing research, her leadership in establishing key academic institutions, and her dedication to mentoring the next generation of nurse researchers have had a profound impact both nationally and globally, and exemplify the values and vision of ICN and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation.

As Dr Sanada was unable to collect her award in person. It was accepted on her behalf by the Japanese Nurses Association.

Partners in Development Award

The ICN Partners in Development Award recognizes foundations, corporations, non-governmental organizations or other groups that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and investment in nursing and health care capacity building.

This year, ICN is delighted to present the award to Direct Relief whose impactful collaboration with ICN, particularly their efforts to integrate nurses’ insights into disaster response and humanitarian relief, has significantly contributed to improving health outcomes during crises around the world.

Direct Relief’s dedication to social responsibility, global presence, and alignment with the principles of the UN Global Compact exemplify the values this award seeks to honour. ICN deeply values its partnership and the shared mission to strengthen health systems through the empowerment of nurses.

The award was collected by Professor Byron Scott, President and Chief Operating Officer of Direct Relief.

ICN Health and Human Rights Award

ICN’s Health and Human Rights Award was created 25 years ago by the ICN Board of Directors. It calls attention to ICN’s values and commemorates nursing’s fundamental dedication to human rights. The award recognizes significant humanitarian contributions and achievements in the domain of health and human rights. It is ICN’s only award to someone who is not a nurse.

This year’s winner was the Right honourable Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister and a Member of the New Zealand Parliament for more than 27 years.

In April 2009, she became Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme as well as Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of all UN funds, programmes, agencies, and departments working on development issues.

In July 2020, she was appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organization as a Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. She is Chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, as well as of other public good organizations and initiatives.