Laserina O’Connor Prize
The highest scoring participant in the Examination for the European Diploma in Pain Nursing is awarded the Laserina O’Connor Prize. Prof Laserina O’Connor was a registered advanced nurse practitioner (RANP) and registered nurse prescriber (RNP) in pain management. She studied Advanced Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, USA and received her PhD from the European Institute Medical Health Sciences, University of Surrey, UK. Laserina held a Joint Chair of Clinical Nursing at University College Dublin (UCD), the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) and St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVUHG) Dublin. She led an MSc Advanced Pain Management /Prescriptive Authority Program, a Professional Certificate in Pain Management, a CPD ‘Developing Acute Pain Champions’ in University College Dublin.
Laserina was tireless in her efforts to promote the Irish Pain Society and pain management in Ireland, a nurse leader in the development of advanced nursing practice. She was the first nurse elected as President of the Irish Pain Society (2014 – 2016). Laserina passed away in April 2022.
The prize is awarded at a ceremony at the European Pain Federation EFIC biennial congress, where the winner receives a plaque along with free registration for the congress. The recipient will be honoured from the plenary stage in front of their peers and leaders amongst the pain nursing and medicine community.
