Professor Hester Klopper, deputy vice-chancellor: strategy and internationalisation at Stellenbosch University (SU) has been honoured with the Dorothy Ford Buschmann Presidential Award for her contributions to nursing and global health.
This award, which is awarded for exceptional achievement in nursing and to leaders in this field, was bestowed on her on Monday November 18 in Washington DC in America, at the 45th Biennial Convention of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society of Nursing (Sigma).
Sigma is the second-largest nursing organisation in the world with approximately 135 000 active members across more than 100 countries.
The prize is awarded by the international president of Sigma, in collaboration with the board of directors, in recognition of exceptional contributions to nursing and health. In 1997, in celebration of Sigma 75th anniversary, the award was named to recognise the pioneering leadership of the honour society’s first president, Dorothy Ford Buschmann from the Indiana University in America.
Professor Klopper was recognised for her outstanding contributions to nursing and global health. She was a founder member and instrumental in establishing the first Sigma chapter in Africa that involved 19 universities across nine countries with more than 1 500 members.
In 2013, Professor Klopper was installed as the first Sigma president from outside of North America and provided exemplary leadership to the board of directors and in the establishment of the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery.
Outside of nursing, she is recognised by Sigma as a global leader, which is evident in her roles as a member of the board of directors of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and her appointment as deputy vice-Chancellor of strategy and internationalisation at SU in May 2016. She is an internationally recognised academic and professional leader with extensive networks in global health, policy, nursing and healthcare. She also holds a professorship in the faculty of medicine and health sciences at SU.
