The Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Nursing Development Scholarship (DEMNDS) was created in 2009 by the Auxiliaries’ Executive Committee to advance the fine talent of RCH nurses and to ensure that the RCH continues to be at the forefront of world-class practice.

Dame Elisabeth generously gave her name to this scholarship in perpetuity. Each year, the $50,000 scholarship allows one outstanding nurse to enhance his or her skills and experience by exploring innovative practices and models of care across Australia and internationally.

We hope you will join us to congratulate this year’s scholarship recipient Bianca Devsam and celebrate how the power of many has influenced paediatric healthcare in the past, and the transformative impact it has both now and well into the future.

There will be a range of amazing prizes on offer and there will be opportunities for additional donations to support nursing now and into the future.

The 2020 recipient of the scholarship, Bianca Devsam, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Butterfly Ward, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and a Clinical Nurse Consultant in the Nursing Research Department. During her time at the bedside with critically ill babies, she recognised the complexities in finding the right balance of pain relief. This scholarship will enable her to optimise pain management in the NICU by developing and implementing a pain management guideline to improve the outcomes for this vulnerable group of patients.