Nelly Garzón Alarcón (March 8, 1932 – April 17, 2019) was a Colombian nurse and teacher, recognized as the first

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n nurse to be president of the

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for health care professionals. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerl ...

(ICN). In her day, she was one of the Colombian women who had the greatest relevance in science at the international level."Hoja de vida".

Early life and education

Garzón was born on March 8, 1932, in the municipality of

La Mesa, Cundinamarca La Mesa () is a municipality and town of Colombia in the Tequendama Province of the department of Cundinamarca. The urban centre is located from Bogotá. Geography Its name ("The Table" in Spanish) comes from its geographical position, loca ...

. She enrolled at the National University of Colombia, where she received a general nursing degree in 1958. She carried out master's studies in nursing at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, United States.

Career

She was elected and assumed the presidency of the ICN during the 18th Congress in 1985 in Tel Aviv, Israel. She was the first South American president of the ICN. In 1988, she received the Health for All Medal from the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO), for her leadership in the ICN and for ICN's contribution to the global movement to achieve the WHO goals for the year 2000 through

primary health care Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...

(PHC); it was the first time that the WHO awarded a medal of this type to a nurse. She likewise was the first woman president of the Tribunal Nacional Ético de Enfermería (National Ethical Court of Nursing) from 1997 to 2006. In her later years, she was a professor of nursing in postgraduate programs at the National University of Colombia, until 2006. Likewise, the same university conferred on her the

Doctorate Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in 2011. She directed the legal regulation of nurses in Colombia, including the establishment of “Law 266 of 1996” and the Nursing Ethics Law, “Law 911, 2006”. She was one of the managers and the founder of the Upsilon Nu Chapter,

Sigma Theta Tau The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing () is the second-largest nursing organization in the world with approximately 135,000 active members. While often referred to by nurses as simply Sigma, its official name is "Sigma Theta ...

International, Nursing Honor Society (STTI) at the National University of Colombia in 2007. From 2011 to 2013, she was STTI Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2015, the Sigma Global Nursing Excellence organization awarded her the Nell J. Watts Life Time Achievement Nursing Award.

Death

Garzón Alarcón died in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, on April 17, 2019, at the age of 87.

Awards and honours

* Member of the American Nursing Honor Society, Society Sigma Theta Tau, Kappa Chapter. * Nurse of the year, National Association of Nurses of Colombia. ANEC – 1970 * University Merit Medal, National University of Colombia – 1986 * Jorge Bejarano Decoration, Ministry of Health – August 1985 * Health for All Medal, World Health Organization – March 1988 * Fellow, Nightingale Society – 1988 * Academic Excellence Award, Health Area of Adexun Alumni Association, National University of Colombia – 1990

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garzon Alarcon, Nelly 1932 births 2019 deaths People from Cundinamarca Department Colombian nurses Women nurses Nursing administrators National University of Colombia alumni International Council of Nurses Catholic University of America alumni Academic staff of the National University of Colombia 20th-century Colombian women 21st-century Colombian women