Magny-Normilus Honored with 2011 Nursing Ujima Award

Award recipients Toni Kimble, Cherlie Magny-Normilus and Kenold Deronville.

In the MICU, Cherlie Magny-Normilus, RN, is known by her colleagues as a nurse who provides compassionate and culturally sensitive care to patients and their families. Outside of BWH, she can often be found teaching the next generation of nurses at Regis College and giving back to her community, both in Boston and in her native Haiti.

“Cherlie is a highly motivated nurse, committed to mentoring those in her community,” said Kathleen Leone, MBA, BSN, RN, CCRN, MICU nursing director. “She has modeled for all of us the need to look outside of our own lives and give back to our communities.”

In February, Magny-Normilus was one of three BWHers honored with this year’s Ujima Award in recognition of her commitment to her patients and nursing practice, as well as her dedication to community service.

“I’m truly fortunate to have followed a vocation that allows me to give back to the community and to each of my patients,” said Magny-Normilus, who, along with OR Assistant Supervisor Toni Kimble and Patient Care Assistant Kenold Deronville, received the award during a celebration in the Cabot Atrium.

Ujima, one of the seven principles of Kwanza, is a celebration of family, community and culture. The Ujima Award was established in 2008 to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of multicultural members of the BWH community.

Hundreds of BHWers came together to recognize this year’s recipients and welcome Ujima Visiting Nurse Scholar Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, chief executive officer of the National League for Nursing, who spoke about building an infrastructure of inclusivity. The celebration was highlighted by performances from the Ujima Choir, which is composed of employees from throughout BWH, whose voices and songs had everyone on their feet.

“Today, we celebrate our wonderful community, where each one of us brings a special and unique talent,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD, who along with Jackie Somerville, PhD, RN, senior vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer, welcomed participants and raised consciousness about strengthening BWH’s culture of inclusivity. Angelleen Peters-Lewis, PhD, RN, executive director of Women’s and Newborns Nursing and Clinical Services, served as mistress of ceremonies, and Nadia Raymond, RN, Float Pool nurse and one of last year’s Ujima recipients, introduced Malone.

Leone recalled a recent patient experience that underscored the manner in which Magny-Normilus consistently provides culturally-sensitive care in the MICU. The family members of a patient of Haitian background struggled to communicate with MICU staff because they spoke only Creole.

“Cherlie stepped in to make the situation better,” Leone said.

Ujima Visiting Nurse Scholar Beverly Malone, chief executive officer of the National League for Nursing.

“Her ability to understand the cultural issues that were contributing to the family’s state of mind were critical to establishing a sense of trust and confidence in the MICU team.”

Outside of BWH, Magny-Normilus has participated in humanitarian relief work in Haiti with the International Nurse Faculty Partnership Initiative (INFP). This partnership between Regis College and Partners In Health provides educational development to current and aspiring nursing faculty members in Haiti by pairing them with nurses in the U.S. At the end of the program, the 12 cohorts will be awarded with a master’s degree in Nursing. The degree will provide the credentials the nursing faculty needs in order to appropriately teach Haiti’s next generation of nurses. This summer, Magny-Normilus plans to travel to Haiti to take part in the program once again.

“My father used to say that education provides a voice that can be used for personal gain as well as for your community. Nursing has given me that voice; it provides the required knowledge to educate and make positive changes in others’ lives. I have made the decision to not only use that voice to benefit my family, but also the community that I’m part of locally and globally,” Magny-Normilus said.