BYU College of Nursing maintains an ongoing collaboration with The DAISY Foundation in acknowledging nursing educators and students who demonstrate exceptional compassion. The DAISY Foundation originated from the Barnes family's desire to commemorate the life of Patrick Barnes, who tragically passed away at just 33 years of age from complications of an autoimmune disease. To honor him, their family established DAISY, an acronym representing "Diseases Attacking the Immune System," as a means to express their gratitude to the nurses who provided care to Patrick and to honor outstanding nurses worldwide.
This year the College of Nursing is pleased to honor Assistant Teaching Professor Dr. Kristen Erekson with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty.
Kristen received several nominations from a variety of caring students. One student wrote, “Professor Erekson is so kind and compassionate! I went in for a one-on-one meeting with her to review some content from class and before we started, she took extra time to make sure that she knew more about me and she found ways to connect with me individually.”
Another student said, “I remember in my first semester she was not even my lab instructor, and I saw her in the hall and she spent a good chunk of time just sitting and talking to me. Professor Erekson genuinely cared for me and that I could count her as a friend even though I was not even in her lab section.”
Students also described Kristen’s dedication to preparing them for a career in nursing. One student said, “She is always willing to listen to our questions/concerns and I can tell she puts so much time and effort into preparing us to be the best nurses possible. Professor Erekson is very knowledgeable and I can tell she spends so much time preparing for our lectures and labs. She is always willing to help us inside and out of class, and never puts students down.”
Many students expressed their admiration and respect for Kristen in that she goes above and beyond to help, inspire, and uplift them.
The College of Nursing is grateful for Dr. Erekson and the positive impact she has on her students.