Baguio Professor, Dr. Erlinda Palaganas, finally personally received the Princess Srinagarindra Laureate Award conferred to her in 2021 by the Princess Srinagarindra Award Foundation.
“The pandemic prevented me and the 2020 winner from UK from receiving the award. We join the 2022 winners from Israel on Oct. 21, 2022,” Palaganas said in her social media post.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn herself presented the Sterling Silver Shield and certificate at the Mulasathan Boroma Asana Hall, the Royal Grand Palace, Bangkok.
“This international award seems to have been tailor-fit for me. An affirmation of who I am as a public servant, an academician, a researcher and a nurse leader,” Palaganas said.
In 2021, city officials commended Palaganas in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the nursing profession and exemplary achievement as a recipient of the Princess Srinagarindra Award Laureate 2021 from the Princess Srinagariindra Award Foundation of Thailand.
Under Resolution 549 signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, the city council stated Palaganas’ award has brought great honor and pride to the people of the city and serves as an inspiration to health workers to contribute towards progress and advancement of the nursing and midwifery professions, health system, and people’s health.
The Princess Srinagarindra Award Foundation based in Thailand is a private entity duly constituted, chartered and registered with avowed primary purpose of conferring the Princess Srinagarindra Award Laureate to an individual nurse or midwife or to groups of registered nurses or registered midwives for outstanding performance or research in the field of nursing for the benefit of mankind and for wellbeing of the people.
It was established in commemoration of the centenary birthday anniversary of Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra Mahidol on Oct. 21, 2000.
Palaganas was chosen unanimously by the Princess Srinagarindra Award Foundation’s Board of Trustees on Sept. 13, 2021 at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand as a recipient of the award.
Palaganas is a professor of management and is holding the position of scientist I at the University of the Philippines College Baguio with a Master in Public Health from the UP Manila and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
She is a tireless and staunch advocate for nurses and people’s welfare and largely known among the Philippine health community nursing pundit as the leading expert in qualitative research and for her contribution and unwavering efforts to achieve equitable access to health care for Filipinos.
As president of the Philippine Nurses Association, Palaganas is among the key figures in the national movement of peaceful protest that impelled the Supreme Court to uphold the implementation of the 2002 Nursing Law.
Her 13 years of scholarly leadership as editor-in-chief of the Philippine Journal of Nurses provided local and international nursing scholars a prestigious platform to disseminate their unique contributions to the said profession.
Palaganas was said to have held various influential leadership positions in the said organization that allowed her to be given the recognition as one of the tireless workers in the said profession. – Aileen P. Refuerzo and Jessa Mardy P. Samidan
April 25, 2024
