Child Life Council : Conference Scholarships

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Conference Scholarships

International Scholarships

CLC Announces Recipients of Conference Scholarships for 2013

The Child Life Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 International Scholarships to attend the CLC Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, May 16-19, 2013. We received nearly 40 compelling applications this year. Six full scholarships were made available through the Advancing the Field of Play for Hospitalized Children Initiative grant from The Walt Disney Company. In addition, CLC was able to make three partial scholarships available.

This year's scholarship recipients are:

Full Scholarships

Dr. Lucia Celesti, Head of Department of Family and Social Services, Bambino Gesú Pediatric Hospital, Italy

Dr. Celesti oversees and manages a staff of 23 in the Department of Family and Social Services at Bambino Gesú Pediatric Hospital in Rome, Italy. She also wrote the Italian Manual of Accreditation on children's rights in the hospital. For the first 15 years of her career, she worked as a family pediatrician. She holds a Degree in Medicine and Surgery with a specialization in Pediatrics from Universitá La Sapienza in Rome.

Nana Chavchanidze, Psychologist / Program Coordinator, Children’s New Clinic; Psychologist, Jo Ann Medical Center, Georgia

Nana works as a Pyschologist and Program Coordinator at Children’s New Clinic in Georgia, and she also volunteers her time as a pyschologist at the Cardio Clinic for Children at Jo Ann Medical Center. She was involved in the translationa and adaptation of Guidelines for Development of Child Life Programs in Health Care settings in Georgia. She has a BA in Social and Political Sciences and Psychology from Ivane Javakhishvili State University, and a Certified Business Administrator credential from the Free University of Tbilisi.
Joanne Cross, Hospital Play Specialist, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, England - United Kingdom

Joanne is a Hospital Play Specialist for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, where she serves as part of the theatre pre-assessment team preparing children for procedures. She is also the Chair of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Hospital Play Specialists (NAHPS). She holds a diploma in Pre-School Practice and a BTEC diploma in Hospital Play Specialism.
Jane Kamau, Child Life Health Worker, Sally Test Paediatric Centre, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

Jane is one of six Child Life Health Workers working at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, the only facility in Kenya to have a fully functioning child life program. She holds a Diploma in Social Work and Welfare from the Kenya Institute of Social Work, and a Higher Diploma in Counseling Psychology from the Kenya Association of Professional Counselors.
Blondi Kwok, RN, CHPS, Hospital Play Manager, Playright Children’s Play Association, Hong Kong

Blondi is the the Hospital Play Manager for the Playright Children's Association, an organization which has been developing play services for children in hospitals in Hong Kong for more than 18 years. Prior to her work in hospital play, she worked as a nurse. Blondi holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) as well as a Hospital Play Specialist Certificate (Bolton College, UK). More recently she earned a diploma in Child Psychology (The Open University of Hong Kong).
Charlotte Rosline Soans, Child Life Practitioner, Priyanka Foundation / Manipal Hospital Bangalore, India

Charlotte is a Child Life Practitioner working for the child life program at Manipal Hospital --one of the first of its kind in India--established through The Priyanka Foundation. She has a master's degree in Holistic Psychological Counseling from Roshini Nilaya College, and has participated in a child life internship, with plans to sit for the Child Life Certification Exam later this year.

Partial Scholarships

Khatuna Dolidze, CCLS, Director of Psychosocial Service, Jo Ann Medical Center; Director / Teacher at The Center for Preschool and Inclusive Education, Ilia State University; Founder and Director of the Georgian Association for the Care of Children’s Health - Georgia
Khatuna is the Director of Georgia's first child life program at Jo Ann Medical Center. She also teaches courses in Pediatric Psychosocial Services at Ilia State University, where her students complete a 120-hour field experience at Jo Ann Medical Center and New Children’s Clinic. As the founder and director of the Georgian Association for the Care of Children’s Health, Khatuna coordinates a team of specialists and volunteers providing psychosocial and educational services at two different hospital programs. She has a master’s degree in psychology from I. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and is a Certified Child Life Specialist. She is currently working to earn a PhD through Ilia State University.
Lubna Mohammad Aamir, Child Life Specialist, Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital (KACCH), Kuwait

Lubna is a Child Life Specialist who has worked for 11 years on the pediatric inpatient wards in a general hospital in Kuwait. She is in charge of the KACCH program in her area and manages a team of play leaders and volunteers. She holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Karachi University in Pakistan and a Certificate in Child Life from Kuwait University.
Lorraine Pratt, Research Play Specialist, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, England - United Kingdom

Lorraine is a Hospital Play Specialist who was appointed to a position as a Research Play Specialist - a unique role in the United Kingdom. In 2011, she led a Randomized Controlled Trial entitled "Testing the Efficacy of a 3D Pain and Anxiety Distraction System with Children Undergoing Dressing Changes." She has continued in her research role, and currently is working on two additional studies. Lorraine has a Master's Degree in Sociology from the University of Aberdeen, and a diploma in Specialized Play for Sick Children and Young People from Stevenson College, both in Scotland.

We are pleased that these distinguished professionals will join us in Denver, and take back what they learned to help improve the care of children in their respective parts of the world. We encourage all CLC members planning to attend the conference to give our scholarship recipients a warm welcome!