Centenary Medal – Bernie Garrett

Dr Garrett is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Nursing. His undergraduate degree was in geography, and he became an RN in 1987 and followed a clinical career as a renal Clinical Nurse Specialist before becoming a nurse educator. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and a PhD in Information Science, Prior to his current appointment he was Department Head of Critical & Specialist Care at Oxford Brookes University in the U.K.

His current work highlights two main areas: the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality in clinical and educational applications, and healthcare science and deceptive healthcare practices. He is currently exploring the use of VR to mitigate chronic pain, and Internet health scams.

He was recipient of the CRNBC Award of Excellence in Nursing Education in 2000. the 2007 Spencer Award for Information Technology Innovation and was the Elizabeth Kenny-McCann Nursing Education Scholar at UBC between 2013-2014. He was the CASN Pat Griffin Nursing Education Scholar between 2014-15, and is an Inaugural Fellow of the Canadian Nurse Educator Institute (CASN).

His work is underpinned by a passion for science and technology, and frequently writes on these subjects. Dr. Garrett is author of numerous papers and several textbooks including, Fluids & Electrolytes: Essentials for Healthcare Practice, and his graduate textbook Empirical Nursing. He is also lead author of the popular Clinical Pocket Reference for Nurses series (which has sold over 60,000 copies). He is a frequent speaker at academic and public gatherings and often contributes to popular media.