EONS AWARDS

ECND24 Making an impact in Cancer Nursing Award

In 2024, the “Making an Impact in Cancer Nursing Award” recognised Cindy Kenis for her extraordinary contributions to cancer nursing. Cindy, a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Geriatric Oncology at UZ Leuven, has been instrumental in improving care for older cancer patients through innovative research and the development of geriatric oncology programmes. She has also significantly contributed to implementing Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and advancing (inter)national guidelines in this field.

Cindy’s dedication to shaping the future of cancer nursing, improving patient care, and fostering innovation earned her this well-deserved recognition. As part of the award, she received free registration for the EONS17 Conference.

ECND20 Strengthening Equality in Healthcare Award

During the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in 2020, we recognised two outstanding cancer nurses for their exceptional work with a special ‘ECND Strengthening Equality in Healthcare Award’. The EONS Board carefully assessed several nominations to select the winners.

“In the context of cancer, health inequalities result in patients having poor access to specialised treatment and being deprived of the opportunity to be cared for by specialised healthcare professionals, including cancer nurses.

“Providing competent, specialised, safe and equal treatment options to patients requires a collective effort among healthcare professionals, institutions and policy makers.

“From a cancer nursing perspective, there is a strong commitment to addressing and ultimately eliminating health inequalities. EONS is actively supporting these efforts by awarding the ECND Strengthening Equality in Healthcare Award 2020 to two excellent cancer nurses acknowledging their contribution to reducing inequalities in healthcare.”  

EONS President Andreas Charalambous

On the eve of European Cancer Nursing Day (18 May 2020 ), EONS President Andreas Charalambous announced the winners: Bodil Westman, Sweden, and Celia Diez de los Rios, Spain. Many congratulations to them both! They have received a free registration to the EONS13 conference in September 2020. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the award.

Novice Research Dissemination Award

Launched in 2013, this award provides early-career cancer nurses with the opportunity to present their research internationally. Eligibility includes less than five years’ research experience and no prior international presentations.

Winners:

2024: Sandrin van Geel - Weda

Abstract: ‘From surviving cancer to getting on with life: Adult testicular germ cell tumour survivors' perspectives on transition from follow-up care to long term survivorship'.

2023: Adriana Kolstrøm (Norway)

The winner of the Novice Research Dissemination Award 2023 is Adriana Kolstrøm, Norway, an oncology nurse, working in home care, for her abstract: ‘From difficulty to meaning – Palliative cancer patients experience on advance care planning conversation and having a palliative plan‘.

2022: Silvia Ucciero (Italy)

The winner of this award in 2022 was Silvia Ucciero, from Italy, for her abstract ‘Informal caregivers’ contributions to self-care for patients treated with oral anticancer agents: A qualitative study’.

2021: Mary van Zyl (UK) and Marco Di Nitto (Italy)

2021 saw two winners of this award: Mary van Zyl, UK and Marco Di Nitto, Italy – Congratulations to them both!

Read both abstracts to find out about their research

2020: Phillipa Jupp (UK) and Lin Cheng (China)

2020 saw two winners of this award: Phillipa Jupp and Lin Cheng. Congratulations to them both!

EONS Lifetime Achievement Award

Honours individuals for their outstanding contributions to cancer nursing through clinical practice, research, education, or leadership.

Winners:

2024: Eileen Furlong (Ireland) 

Acknowledged her high commitment to cancer patients and advancing cancer nursing and her strong involvement in enhancing and endorsing multi-professionality and building bridges across all disciplines.

2023: Professor Daniel Kelly, OBE (UK)

Many congratulations to Professor Daniel Kelly, OBE, recipient of the EONS Lifetime Achievement Award at EONS16 in Madrid. Professor Kelly was EONS President from 2015-2017 and is currently co-chair of ECO HPV Action Network. He joined Cardiff University in 2011 as the Royal College of Nursing Chair of Nursing Research. EONS President Virpi Sulosaari (left) and President-Elect Helena Ullgren presented the award. Virpi thanked Danny for all his exceptional work to develop and promote the cancer nursing profession.

2022: Professor Theresa Wiseman (UK)

Many congratulations to Theresa Wiseman, from the UK, who has been awarded the 2022 EONS Lifetime Achievement Award by EONS President Johan de Munter at EONS15. As Professor of Applied Health Research in Cancer Care at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Theresa is held in high esteem and deep affection by all those she has worked with and those she has mentored and supported. She has made a huge contribution to the work of EONS as a highly-valued Board member over many years and at a senior level on the EONS Education Working Group. Her contribution to the advancement of cancer nursing education and research through teaching and writing has been immense and is greatly appreciated by the entire nursing community across the UK and Europe.

2021: Lena Sharp (Sweden)

Many congratulations to Lena Sharp, Sweden, who has received the EONS Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding personal and professional contribution to the field of cancer nursing and for her strong involvement as a role model in cancer nursing leadership. Lena is a former President of EONS.

2020: Erik van Muilekom (Netherlands)

Huge CONGRATULATIONS go to former EONS President Erik van Muilekom (pictured), from the Netherlands, who has received the EONS Lifetime Achievement Award 2020!

Erik van Muilekom started his nursing career in 1987. After his general training, he specialised in oncology and became a staff nurse at a surgical ward for abdominal surgery at the Netherlands Cancer Instituut-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital in Amsterdam. He became a clinical nurse specialist in 2001 and finished his master degree in Advanced Nursing Practice in 2007. His focus in uro-oncology is the care and treatment of patients with localized and metastasised prostate, bladder and penile cancer, in a standard care and clinical trial setting. Erik has held many senior positions in the cancer nursing field. He has also been a faculty member of the prestigious EONS-ESO Masterclass.

2019: Elisabeth Patiraki (Greece)

The award was given to Elisabeth Patiraki to acknowledge her high commitment to cancer patients and advancing cancer nursing and for her strong involvement in EONS as a former EONS Board member, former member of the EONS Research WG and for her lasting involvement in enhancing and endorsing multi-professionality and building bridges across all disciplines. The Award was presented during the EONS12 Congress at ESMO 2019.

RECaN Award

Presented annually to recognise cancer nurses for their exceptional contributions to the profession.

Winners:

2024: Dimitris Protogiros (Greece)

Congratulations to Dimitris Protogiros or his high commitment to cancer nursing in Greece, serving as an important role model for the young cancer nurses locally and at an European level.

2023: Bethany Maynard (UK)

Congratulations to Bethany Maynard for her exceptional work for young cancer nurses. Bethany studied for her undergraduate Adult Nursing degree at University of Surrey in the south of England and qualified in 2013. Since qualifying, she has worked at Southampton General Hospital in Oncology. For the first three and a half year she worked as a staff nurse on a Medical Oncology ward, giving chemotherapy and caring for people when they were admitted with complications. Since 2016, she has been working as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Medical Oncology, as well as in the Acute Oncology Service at Southampton General. Alongside this, she has been studying for a Masters degree in Advanced Clinical Practice. She spends her days working alongside the medical teams assessing patients on the wards as well as triaging patients, admitting and assessing them in emergency situations. Her areas of interest and expertise are Medical Oncology and Acute Oncology.

2022: Nikolina Dodlek (Croatia)

The 2022 RECaN Award was presented to Nikolina Dodlek during the EONS15 Congress in Paris. The award acknowledges her high commitment to cancer nursing in Croatia, serving as an important role model for young cancer nurses not only in her own country but at a European level.

2021: Amanda Drury (Ireland)

The 2021 Award was presented to Amanda Drury, Ireland, for her work as a role model in the EONS Young Cancer Work Network.

2020: Michaela Popelkova (Czech Republic)

The 2020 Award was presented to Michaela Popelkova, Czech Republic
Michaela graduated as a nurse in 2017 at the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, in Prague. The topic of her bachelor thesis was “Multidisciplinary care of the patient with breast cancer”. She was fascinated by cancer nursing and decided to work at the Oncology Department in Motol University Hospital in Prague – inpatient unit and day unit. She became a chief nurse of these units after one year. Michaela attended the ESO-EONS Masterclass in Oncology Nursing in 2018 in Budapest. She is an active member of the Czech Nurses Association – Oncology Section, and tries to improve the possibilities of education for oncology nurses in the Czech Republic. Michaela was a member of the Czech oncology nurses team which won the right to host ECND2019 in Prague.

2019: Sara Torcato Parreira



In 2019 at the EONS12 Conference, the RECaN Award was presented to Sara Torcato Parreira, of Portugal, for her exceptional work in setting up and supporting the EONS Young Cancer Nurse (YCN) Group.

2018: Lemme-Liis Jääger



In 2018 the first RECaN Award was presented to Lemme-Liis Jääger, from Estonia, at the EONS11 conference in Germany.