Helen Mussallem

Helen Mussallem's Coat of Arms

Helen Kathleen Mussallem, CC, FRCN (born 1914) is a retired Canadian nurse.

Life

Born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, she studied at the School of Nursing, Vancouver General Hospital from 1934 to 1937. Between 1943 and 1946, she served as a surgical nurse and lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps during World War II. In 1947, she attended McGill University, where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. She received her Master's of Arts in Education from Columbia University teachers college and was the first Canadian nurse to earn a doctoral degree from Columbia University. From 1963 to 1981, she was Executive Director of the Canadian Nurses Association. From 1989 to 1991 she was the President of the Victorian Order of Nurses.

Honours

• She is the first nurse outside of the United Kingdom to be honoured as a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing.
• She has received the highest award that can be awarded by the International Red Cross, the Florence Nightingale Medal.
• She is a Dame of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John.
• In 1969, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1992.
• In 2006, she was appointed Capilano Herald Extraordinary within the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
• She has received honorary degrees from Memorial University, the University of New Brunswick, Queen's University, McMaster University, and the University of British Columbia.

External links

• Helen Kathleen Mussallem at The Canadian Encyclopedia
• VON: "Congratulations to Dr. Helen Mussallem!"
• Mussallem Family history page from Maple Ridge Museum website
• The Dr. Helen K. Mussallem Biography Project