The recently announced awardees of the 2026 Nurses and Nurse Practitioners Awards include Dr. Lillian Hung, Associate Professor, and Ms. Raluca Radu, Adjunct Professor.
May 19, 2026
Dr. Lillian Hung, Associate Professor, has been selected for the NNPBC Award for Innovation and Inquiry in recognition of her sustained and exemplary leadership in advancing nursing practice through inquiry-driven innovation that directly informs care delivery. Her work demonstrates innovation in practice, meaningful patient outcomes, mentorship, leadership, and new nursing knowledge.
Dr. Hung has introduced novel technologies (e.g., social robots, virtual reality, silent disco headphones) and practice models (e.g., Gentle Persuasive Approaches, virtual team-based care, learning health system) to improve patient engagement and care quality, particularly for people living with dementia in acute and long-term care settings. Her projects and digital tools to support patient-family connection were designed in response to pressing clinical needs and implemented in partnership with nurses at the point-of-care. Her practice-based initiatives are evaluated with patient partners and decision-makers, ensuring that innovations generate evidence to inform practice and system improvement. Her ability to translate clinical insights into sustainable practice change while contributing to nursing knowledge exemplifies the intent of this award.
Through her technology research in senior care, Dr. Hung is advancing nursing leadership in innovation, strengthening evidence-informed care, and modeling how inquiry can be embedded within everyday practice to improve outcomes for patients, families, and care teams.
Ms. Raluca Radu has been selected for the Planetary Health Champion Award, which is presented jointly by NNPBC and CANE-BC. Ms. Radu is an adjunct professor at the UBC School of Nursing and a Consultant specializing in planetary health and climate-resilient health systems. Her work spans clinical practice, academia, and global health, including coordinating Providence Health Care's first organizational strategy on planetary health, as well as leading climate and health education in our own School of Nursing and at Doctors Without Borders.
Deeply engaged in national and international collaborations, Ms. Radu drives equity-centered, scalable solutions for sustainable healthcare. She is passionate about equipping health systems, communities, and individuals to take meaningful action towards advancing planetary health through climate adaptation, mitigation, and long-term resilience.
Her work aligns with CANE-BC's main goal: "If we want to continue to safeguard human health, we also need to maintain the health of the planet and its natural systems on which we depend."
As part of her graduate studies, Ms. Radu created an Educational Tool on Climate Change and Nursing Education, which is available for download: Open Library
And her video celebrating Nursing Week through CANE-BC in 2023 is here: Nursing Week 2023