NACN-USA Board and Committee Members Elected to CICIAMS Executive Board
Three of the members of NACN-U.S.A. have been elected to the Executive Board of CICIAMS at its August General Council meeting held in Manzini, Swaziland. A fourth member was selected to serve in Committee. The International Catholic Committee of Nurses and Medical Social Assistants is a member association of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. The following NACN-U.S.A. members are congratulated for this honor and for their willingness to serve:
CICIAMS Pan American Representative: Dr. Marian (Mimi) Nowak, DNP, MPH, RN, CSN, FCN, who chairs the NACN-U.S.A. Newsletter and Publicity Committee.
CICIAMS Representative to the United Nations: Dr. Patricia Sayers, DNP, RN, who previously served as NACN-U.S.A.’s Corresponding Secretary.
CICIAMS Chair of the Ethics Committee: Dr. Marie T. Hilliard, MS, MA, JCL, PhD, RN, who is the Recording Secretary of NACN-U.S.A. and a member of its Ethics and Spirituality Committee.
CICIAMS Committee on the Family Member: Dr. Shannon Simonovich, PhD, RN, serves as the Chair of the Research subcommittee of the NACN-USA Education, Practice and Research Committee.
CICIAMS came into being in Lourdes, France, under the name “International Study Committee for Catholic Nurses’ Associations” following a meeting of delegates of Catholic nurses’ associations from different countries held in Basel, Switzerland, in 1928. As the number of members increased including not only nurses but other professionals in the medical and social fields, the Committee took its present name in 1946. It is recognized by the Holy See as an International Catholic Organization, and is a member of the Conference of ICOs. As an NGO, CICIAMS has consultative status at the WHO, UNICEF and the Council of Europe. CICIAMS encourages the establishment and development of Catholic professional associations in every country to provide nurses and medical/social workers with spiritual and moral support, and updated specialized training; it coordinates the initiatives that Catholic professional associations launch in order to deepen and advocate Christian thinking in the nursing and medical/social professions; it promotes health care and social work in accordance with scientific progress and in harmony with the principles of a Christian order which guarantees every human being the well-being and health that is their birthright, and always with respect for their religious convictions. CICIAMS pursues its objectives by organizing international meetings and study seminars, drawing up ethical guidelines, and with a solidarity fund to support the establishment and work of Catholic nurses’ associations in the developing countries.
Maria Arvonio, RN, BSN, MA (NE Region Director NACN-USA), Dr. Pat Sayers, DNP, RN (Corresponding Secretary) & Dr. Mimi Nowak, PhD, RN (Newsletter Editor, NACN-USA), CICIAMS Representatives at the United Nations (not pictured – Patricia Staley)
