Deirdre Stewart RGN, RPN, PG Dip HCI, CNO Cerner Middle East.

“A Lifetime of Dedication”

Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of health care delivery and the health

of communities. As the leading healthcare IT provider in the Middle East with the major market share

in most of the countries we are operating in we serve more than 200 client facilities that range from

large government hospital networks to health clinics, with over 250 associates across the region. The

competitive landscape is comprised of a substantial number of local, regional, and international

healthcare IT providers. The critical success factors for Cerner have been our broad local and regional

presence, for over 25 years, combined with the most innovative and comprehensive internationally

regarded solution offerings to serve our clients best.

Deirdre is a qualified general and psychiatric nurse with an

informatics post graduate degree, and has worked in the Middle

East since 1985. She came to the UAE from Ireland as a 21 year old

newly qualified nurse, and has made her life and home here in the

UAE. Deirdre has committed her working and personal life to the

region, meeting her husband to be, getting married and raising two

children in Abu Dhabi, both of whom wish to return to the UAE after

graduation to maintain the Stewart legacy!

Her first 10 years were spent in Al Ain, firstly at Al Jimi Hospital and then as a community nurse at

Tawam Hospital, with a regular case load of over 100 local families, she was their main contact back

into the healthcare system, providing care and advice in the home; Deirdre speaks Arabic fluently and

has a wealth of local clinical and community nursing experience.

She was a pioneer of food safety in the region working with local hotels to improve the standards of

food preparation and service.

Before joining Cerner, Deirdre was at the Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi for 5

years as an infection control nurse and risk manager, where she was also

responsible for guiding them through JCIA and ISO9001 accreditations.

When suggesting we nominate Deirdre, there was a unanimous agreement

from all our clients and partners that no one would deserve such an award

more than her in the region. I hope that in the course of this nomination I can

convince you that this doubly deserved, both for her lifetime of dedication to

the health and care of people across the MENA region and for all the work she

has done to support and advance the role of women in healthcare in the

region and enhance the status, education and recognition of the nursing

profession.

“Dee, It is amazing what you accomplished on our HIS, and you do not care who gets the

credit.” The nursing department appreciates your gift of time, energy and support. We

would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt “Thank You!” Neama Fouad, - Chief

Nursing Officer, Children’s Cancer Hospital, Cairo.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dee, as she is known, for a long time; so I want to tell you about

the many aspects of Dee that I know, to give the selection committee a feel for the passion that she

has for everything that she does and the commitment to advancing the role of nurses in the Middle

East, not just as part of Cerner. The thing that amazes me most, is her ability to be first to do

something, Dee is always looking for what comes next, never satisfied with the status quo.

There is Dee the teacher and mentor. Dee has done a lot of teaching to

students and colleges across the region, especially at the Higher

Colleges of Technology in UAE, working with female students on

nursing and informatics, seen here being recognised by His Excellency

Sheikh Nahyan Mabarak Al Nahyan and Tony Blair for her work. Dee

also lectures at the University Hospital in Dammam working with

senior managers in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia on medical and

health systems informatics and how it is being applied in various parts of the world, with particular

attention to the Middle East and Africa. This course is provided through the School of Medicine at the

University of Missouri. These are not as a Cerner Associate but as part of her “give back” to the

healthcare community at large, both to those starting their career and those who wishing to advance

it.

Dee was the inspiration for bringing the Magnet programme to the region, not just for Cerner clients,

but as a way of recognising and growing nurses in the Middle

East. Dee ensured that this nursing focused excellence and

recognition programme was introduced, providing strategic

connections worldwide for the participants. Her proactive

management meant that nearly 80 people, from about 20

organizations, across 4 countries, left Dubai with a fire in

their bellies and the determination to go forth and conquer

the Magnet landscape.

Dee was also instrumental in preparing and running the inaugural session of Women in Saudi Health

(Wish) - Fostering a forum for women in Saudi Arabia to come together to share knowledge and

experience and to collaborate in healthcare.

“Dee was one of the first Cerner Healthcare women leaders I knew, She has a profound

knowledge of healthcare IT, she is an advocate of best practices implementations in

healthcare” - Mubaraka Mubarak Ali Ibrahim. Director, Health Information Systems

Department, UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention

“I have involved Dee in the intensive, on-campus sessions to develop and lead instruction

on the historical development of medical and health systems informatics and how it is

being applied in the Middle East and Africa. I value Deirdre as a teacher, professional

colleague and her contribution to my course of instruction.” - Gordon D. Brown, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Health Management and Informatics, University of Missouri.

Then there is Dee as Chief Nursing Officer at Cerner, she is the cornerstone of the Middle East team.

She hosts client education and collaboration events, teaches informatics and provides clinical sales

support from Middle East to Asia and Australia. Deirdre speaks at many industry conferences and

events each year, sharing her expertise, knowledge and recommendations. Her total knowledge of

the Cerner Millennium solutions and ability to demonstrate them from a clinician point of view comes

from her experience with Cerner. Starting as a delivery consultant in Emergency before assuming

positions as a practice and resource manager. She started the clinical adoption service in 2009, and in

2012 formed the Middle East demonstration team, still leading both teams. These teams provide

support across the Middle East, Asia and on occasions in Europe. Dee also represents the Middle East

in defining new software development needs and prioritising them based on their clinical value and

benefit to our clients and drives the design of their systems from an evidence based view but with

usability and the real world in mind, gained from her 31 years of practical experience. She, and her

family, are deeply involved with many of the Cerner Middle East CSR initiatives both as a leader,

Healthcare Ambassador and as a participant.

I work with Dee in her role as a senior director of Cerner Middle

East, Dee is focused on quality and clinical excellence in consulting

and performance improvement. The depth of her industry

knowledge, coupled with deep cultural awareness and trusted

relationships with clients, ensures she is successful.

Notably she has helped clients in the Middle East and around the

world achieve HIMSS accreditations and is the “go-to” person in the region for other healthcare

accreditation programs such as JCIA. The first HiMSS 6 accredited hospitals outside the USA were in

Saudi Arabia and the UAE thanks to Dee’s passion in seeing our client’s receive measurable and

recognisable value from the systems she has helped design and implement.

When asking other associates for input to this nomination they all agreed with me that it is her clear

vision and strategic focus that makes sure we stay on track, but her sense of humour and the fact she

must have kissed the Blarney Stone more than once that makes it such a riotous experience and

pleasure to work with her. One of the most respected leaders in Cerner Middle East, trustworthy and

accessible to all, where ever she may be. Personally she has given me good advice, which I try and

take, encouragement when I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and enough laughs and coffee

to keep me going.

I also know Dee the DAISY nurse (and her support of DAISY in the region). No one understands the

power of recognition for nurses better than Dee. She has worked tirelessly to spread The DAISY Award

for Extraordinary Nurses to hospitals around the Middle East, educating nurse leaders on the impact

of recognition on nurse recruitment, retention, professionalism, the importance of compassionate

care, and the patient experience. With Dee’s strong support, nurses are now honoured with The DAISY

Award in 16 hospitals in the region. Hundreds of nurses have received nominations from patients,

families, and colleagues, sharing the stories of their extraordinary care.

“We strongly recommend Deirdre for the MENA Award for her dedication to the nursing

profession and to excellent patient care. Given how much meaningful recognition she has

brought to so many nurses, it’s time to honour Deirdre!” – Bonnie and Mark Barnes FAAN,

Co-founders the DAISY Foundation.

I hope I have convinced the Selection Committee that Dee

has provided a lifetime of dedication to the improvement

of health care and the nursing profession in the Middle East

and beyond. I know that anyone who has ever met her or

been lucky enough to have worked with her would agree

she is the person most deserving of “A Lifetime

Achievement” award, having given so much to so many

people with no thought of self-promotion. There are many

people in the UAE and their families who have been direct

recipients of the care that only such a dedicated nurse can

give, and there must still be many stories around Al Ain of

the “crazy Irish Bedouin” that came to help them when they

were in need. There are many more who have benefitted

from the education and recognition that Dee has given across the region, being cared for by nurses

that have seen the standard for quality of care set high, been encouraged to meet it, and then been

rewarded as a consequence. Then there are literally millionsi of patients across the region whose care

is being managed on systems designed and implemented by Dee, and have received safer more

efficient care because of it.

It has been my pleasure to nominate Deirdre Stewart, for the Middle East Healthcare Leadership

Awards 2016 for her Lifetime of Achievement, however the last word should be from one of her clients

and friends.

Jim Massey

Cerner Middle East

i Cerner Millennium systems currently manage over 30 million unique patient records across the Middle East.

“I have known Dee for many years as we have both worked for the Health Sector in Abu

Dhabi. One irrefutable fact about her is when she does something she does it with fervour

- there is no missing the point. Be it discussing biological warfare, drawing parallels from

the plague to make it very real to the audience, or maximizing value from Electronic

Medical Records she is 100% committed, her passion for improving healthcare knows no

bounds.” – Joanna Mary Holt, Corporate Clinical Applications Manager, Abu Dhabi Health

Services Company - SEHA.