Florence Nightingale Medal Awarded to Tian Li

On May 12, 2025, ahead of the 114th International Nurses Day, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced the recipients of the 50th Florence Nightingale Medal. This year, 35 outstanding nurses from 17 countries were honored. Among them, seven were nominated by the Red Cross Society of China, including Tian Li, Director of the Clinical Nursing Center at Tianjin University Central Hospital.

Tian also serves as Director of the Department of Nursing at Tianjin University Central Hospital. She has led her team in pioneering the "inpatient care without family attendants" model in China, addressing a longstanding social concern where families were required to provide around-the-clock bedside care. This reform significantly improved the quality and efficiency of nursing services and provided a nationally recognized reference model for healthcare systems in an aging society.

Over the past decade, under her leadership, this initiative has been widely adopted, gaining national recognition. The model has been implemented in thousands of hospitals across more than 30 provinces and municipalities, attracting healthcare institutions nationwide for study visits. In 2015, it was promoted as one of the 20 Livelihood Projects by the Tianjin Municipal Government. In 2019, Tian and her team received multiple honors from the National Health Commission, including “Outstanding Institution for Patient Satisfaction,” “Innovative Department for Healthcare Improvement,” and “Individual Contributor to Healthcare Service Reform.”

As a leading figure in the field of nursing, Tian has spearheaded several national and municipal initiatives. Her team was designated as a National Key Clinical Specialty in 2011 and has been selected as Tianjin Key Medical Discipline under both the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans. Her research project was the first key breakthrough in the field of nursing within Tianjin's healthcare system. In 2018, she received the First Prize for Excellent Nursing Papers from the Chinese Nursing Association and later published a monograph titled High-Quality Inpatient Care Without Family Attendants, summarizing her practical experience.

Established by the ICRC in memory of Florence Nightingale’s extraordinary contributions to the care of wounded soldiers, the Florence Nightingale Medal is the highest international distinction in the field of nursing. Candidates must have a long record of professional or voluntary service in nursing, demonstrate exceptional moral integrity and clinical expertise, and have shown courage and dedication in responding to public health emergencies or providing care under extraordinary circumstances.

Since China’s first participation in the award in 1983, a total of 97 Chinese nurses have received this distinguished honor.

By: Qin Mian