For Immediate Release
Deerfield, FL — June 2023 — Watson Caring Science Institute (WCSI) Founder/Director Dr. Jean Watson has awarded Dr. Joseph Giovannoni the prestigious Visionary Caring Science Leadership Award at an intimate Unitary Caring Science retreat in Giovannoni’s beloved birthplace of Lucca, Italy. The award recognizes many contributions and accomplishments toward the advancement and legacy of Watson’s Caring Science.
“We are delighted to honor Joseph’s prodigious commitment to humanity and his tireless devotion to Caring Science,” says Jean Watson. “I am deeply grateful for his ongoing support and dedication.”
Joseph Giovannoni DNP, MSN, MA, PMHCNS-BC, APRN, is a Doctor of Nursing Practice, a Watson Caring Science Institute Postdoctoral Scholar, Caritas Coach® (Cohort 10), and Associate Faculty of WCSI. Dr. Giovannoni is an adjunct professor at UMass Global, Marybelle and S. Paul Musco School of Nursing and Health Professions. He is an Advanced Practice Nurse with prescriptive authority in the state of Hawaii. He is an AASECT Certified Diplomate of Sex Therapy and a clinical member of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse. He provides holistic, compassionate, evidence-informed, person-centered mental health treatment. In 2019, he was awarded the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Annual Award for Excellence in Innovation - Individual for integrating human caring in forensic nursing and mental health treatment.
Dr. Giovannoni has been in private practice in Honolulu Hawaii for the past 40 years. He has adopted the moral principles to prevent violence based on Dr. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. He believes that every person has a right to receive compassionate care and that all human beings are entitled to be free of tyranny and abuse. His practice consists of treating victims of sexual abuse, sex offense specific evaluations, and sex offender cognitive behavioral therapy for the Judiciary State of Hawaii. He treats sexual dysfunction, promotes capacity for relationship stability for couples, family psychotherapy as well as psycho-pharmacological management of mental health disorders.
He aspires to unite nurses and physicians as equal partners void of any hierarchy of superior or inferior qualities and bring their knowledge and practices to promote health and human caring. He believes that this requires relinquishing personal ego agendas that often disconnects and separates healthcare science professionals from working together to advance health and human caring. He believes that humility opens us, softens us, and connects us. He views himself as a skeptical inquirer to free oneself from the illusion of the ego-self and be open to all ways of knowing to advance personal and collective consciousness.
Dr. Giovannoni’s wife Jill has been by his side in his private practice, his DNP studies, Caritas Coach training, post-doctoral studies, and his work in integrating human caring. He is grateful to have her support.
Dr. Giovannoni said “Jill and I are very grateful to Dr. Jean Watson and the late Ron Lesinski, the founding president of the Watson Caring Science Institute for their support, and journeys to the Middle East, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Peru, Chile, and Europe.”
Dr. Giovannoni is the 6th recipient of this award. Previous award honorees include the late Dr. Earl Bakken (2008), Founder of Medtronic and inventor of the First battery operated pacemaker; Dr. Anne Boykin (2009), theorist and Dean Emeritus of Christine E. Lynn School of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University; Dr. Jim D’Alfonso (2019), Executive Director, Professional Excellence & The Kaiser Permanente Nurse Scholars Academy and Honorary Doctorate in Caring Science; and Chilean Nurse/Midwife Erika Caballero (2021), Academic Director UVISA and member of the International Council of Nurses (Region 6); and Susan E. Mazer (2023), Chief Knowledge Officer and co-founder of Healing HealthCare Systems.