Dr. Dorothy J. Kergin Award

My trajectory towards nursing has manifested itself throughout my life. From a very young age, I have continuously developed a profound passion for healthcare. Having worked in a pediatric family medicine clinic for many years throughout my undergraduate degree in anatomy & cell biology at McGill University, I was exposed to the various aspects of interprofessionalism and patient- or family-centered healthcare delivery, in a rapidly evolving digital health landscape as we transitioned to electronic medical records and telehealth. This position, alongside my concurrent health sciences education, allowed me to participate in some of the various roles which I learned to be associated with advanced practice nursing, including advocacy, policy leadership, nursing research, and education. Moreover, it allowed me to learn from a team of excellent clinicians and administrative staff, refining my own clinical skills with strong role models from whom to draw inspiration.

These experiences have aligned themselves quite well with my current aspirations and ongoing professional development, as I complete my MSc(A) in nursing with a research focus on digital health and nursing informatics, particularly as they are implemented in primary care and nursing case management. I have increasingly learnt to cultivate my passion for effective and accessible healthcare delivery through a balance of academia and practice, which I intend to foster into my future career in nursing. It is a great honour to receive the Dr. Dorothy J. Kergin Fellowship Award to support my ongoing nursing studies; I am truly grateful for the opportunity.