OTTAWA, Canada, May 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is proud to announce that past president Judith Shamian has been elected president of the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The results were announced in Melbourne, Australia, at ICN's quadrennial congress, which was attended by 83 countries.

"Words can't express how honoured and grateful I am to be chosen for this position," said Shamian, who was CNA president from 2010-2012. "I'm very humbled by all the support from my colleagues in Canada and internationally. Much like the work ahead for us at ICN, this campaign was a team effort. I'm eager to get to work right away, to collaborate with nurses from around the world to advance our profession for the health and well-being of our populations. Nurses have the experience, the knowledge and the solutions needed to improve global health. And ICN is the important global force that will lead these advancements."

ICN is the world's first and widest-reaching international organization for health professionals, representing more than 130 national nursing associations and more than 13 million nurses worldwide. Shamian will now begin a four-year term, focusing on increasing ICN's leadership, visibility and accessibility to nursing associations throughout the world and to key international groups.

"I'm really thrilled for Judith and the next four years," said CNA president Barb Mildon. "ICN plays a vital role in promoting global health and a strong nursing profession. I think we'll see important progress in these areas during the coming years under Judith's leadership."

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is the national professional voice of registered nurses in Canada. A federation of 11 provincial and territorial nursing associations and colleges representing nearly 150,000 registered nurses, CNA advances the practice and profession of nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada's publicly funded not-for-profit health system.

For more information and interview requests, please contact:
Kate Headley
External Communications Coordinator
Canadian Nurses Association
Telephone: +1-613-237-2159, ext. 561
Cell: 613-697-7507
E-mail: kheadley@cna-aiic.ca
Lisa Brazeau (on site in Australia)
Director, Communications and Member Outreach
Canadian Nurses Association
Cell: +1-613-864-1371
E-mail: lbrazeau@cna-aiic.ca

SOURCE Canadian Nurses Association