About APS
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes outstanding and dedicated service to the American Pain Society.
Sandra E. Ward, PhD RN FAAN, is Helen Denne Schulte Professor of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Dr. Ward's research, teaching, and service are in the broad area of psychosocial oncology with a focus on patient-centered interventions that address the concerns of persons with cancer.
During the past 20 years Dr. Ward has studied patient-related barriers to pain management and developed and tested interventions to overcome those barriers and thereby improve pain management. Her teaching activities have included developing and teaching courses on knowledge development in nursing, patient-centered interventions, and research methods. She is also the Director of the School's NIH-funded T32 pre and postdoctoral training program. Her service activities have involved sitting on numerous NIH grant review panels for NINR and NCI, serving on the Board of Directors of the American Pain Society, and Chairing the American Pain Society's Small Grants Program. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the 2008 recipient of the Midwest Nursing Research Society Distinguished contribution to Research Award.