Nursing Associate Professor Dr. Davina Banner received an Excellence in Advancing Nursing Knowledge and Research award from the Association of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC (NNPBC).

Banner leads an interdisciplinary program of research exploring cardiovascular and rural health and has a special interest in research that is partnered with patients and communities.

“I am extremely honoured and grateful to receive this Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia Excellence in Advancing Nursing Knowledge and Research Award,” Banner says. “I am proud to be a part of the nursing profession here in British Columbia and to live and work in northern British Columbia, on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Lheidli T'enneh.” 

The NNPBC is the professional association in the province representing all four nursing designations, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses. The Nursing Excellence Awards are handed out for nurses who excel in advocacy, practice, education, leadership, knowledge and research and innovation. There are also lifetime achievement awards and rising star recognition.

“Nurses are the backbone of our health-care system and highly trusted by the public because of demonstrable leadership and commitment to high-quality patient care. The ability to honour and recognize these exceptional nurses is truly a privilege and one that we are honoured to be able to do,” says NNPBC Board Chair Sherri Kensall. “We all know the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the overdose crisis have taken on people and our province. Health care workers and nurses in particular have been and remain critical to our provincial responses to both of these crises. Having a night where we get to reflect on the exceptional work nurses do is an important way to acknowledge the nursing contribution to health and wellness.”