Astrazeneca PhD Nursing Award
My name is Damilola Iduye, and I am a third-year PhD student in Public Health Science at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. I obtained a Diploma in Nursing from the Oyo State College of Nursing in 2004, a Bachelor of Nursing Science from the University of Ibadan in 2010, a Master of Nursing from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, in 2016, and a Master of Public Health from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2021.
Becoming a nurse was not an intentional choice because I had a different career plan. However, my reluctant decision to start my nursing career over 20 years ago has afforded me the opportunity of a beautiful career adventure I never imagined. I won’t change anything about being a nurse, and I feel privileged to have practiced in diverse clinical and educational settings that have fostered my interest in research and advocacy. My research focuses on exploring how social and structural determinants of health intersect to shape the experiences and care of Black Canadians with type 2 diabetes, with consideration for their ethnic diversity, which hasn’t been well explored in previous studies. My study will provide in-depth evidence that enriches the understanding of the experiences and care of Black people living with type 2 diabetes while navigating health care services. Additionally, it will provide insights into the development and implementation of equity-informed policies and interventions to improve the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes in this population.
I am thrilled to receive the AstraZeneca Award, and I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Canadian Nurses Foundation for this generous financial support.

