Merck Canada Nursing Scholarship

My name is Gabriella Wong Ken and I am a registered nurse living and practicing in Calgary, AB on Treaty 7 territory. I am currently completing graduate studies at Athabasca University in the Master of Nursing – Nurse Practitioner Program. My thesis research focuses on patients with low socioeconomic status and the barriers and facilitators that they experience when accessing cancer care.

I became a nurse because I wanted to combine my interest in science and medicine with my desire to help and care for others. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I became more passionate about health equity and the intersections between the social determinants of health. Although I volunteered as a youth, seeing the first-hand effects of poverty on health led me to co-found and build several non-profit community initiatives once I graduated. This was also influenced in part by the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of
many people. These initiatives include a community fridge, a free store and social support hub, a community farm, and a non-profit health program and clinic.

My nursing work has been mainly in oncology, hematology, and specialty outpatient care. I currently split my time between community organizing, graduate studies, and working in outpatient medicine. As an advocate for equitable health care, I have published papers, spoke on various panels and in interviews, and am a member of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO) Advocacy and Policy Committee.