Holly Symonds-Brown
Ann Beckingham Award I am a PhD student in nursing at University of Alberta having had a long career as a nurse in community mental health settings. I have always loved working with people within their communities, supporting people to find creative ways to live their lives despite being affected by health problems. After many […]
Alysha McFadden
Lundbeck Research Award In 2002 I volunteered in a hospital in Haiti. At the time I was grappling with how to support children facing complex issues such as malnutrition and HIV. The problems were greater than I could understand. I wanted concrete skills in order to help. That’s when I decided to become a nurse. […]
Yongzhu Li
Lundbeck Award My love for nursing stemmed from my interest in mental health that began when I was in high school. At that time, a good friend of mine started experiencing symptoms and was later diagnosed with a severe mental illness. Bearing witness to his experience, I was naturally drawn towards the mental health field. […]
Stephanie Van Haute
College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba Award I began my nursing career in 2003 when I graduated from the diploma program at Red River College, in Winnipeg Manitoba. I was in my early twenties- young and idealistic and deeply disturbed by social inequities that resulted from poverty, social exclusion and racism. I made the decision […]
Sarah Wolfson
Dorothy Kergin Award In 2011, I began working in a women’s homeless shelter in Vancouver’s downtown Eastside as a support worker. The job description was basic: set out mats of the floor for sleeping, clean the bathrooms, keep up with laundry, and make sure there was always hot soup on the stove. There were also […]
Samantha Scime
Aplastic Anemia & Myelodysplasia Association of Canada Award My interested in oncology began at a young age. When I was in the sixth grade I read a series of novels about young adults with cancer and it was at that time I decided I wanted to care for these people. In high school, I pursued […]
Mary Bradley
Innovative Medicines Canada Award I have been practicing for the past 11 years since graduating from with my Nursing degree from the University of Alberta. I chose nursing because of a desire to work with people in the medical field and I felt having a tangible “hard skill” was the best way to be effective […]
Lisa De Panfilis
Lundbeck Award I am a student of the Master of Science in Nursing program at McMaster University, and a graduate of the Mohawk/McMaster collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Currently I work as a research assistant in the School of Nursing, and as a school nurse. I became a nurse because I am passionate […]
Leah Carrier
College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia Award As an Indigenous person and member of the LGBTQ community, my research and clinical interests are informed by my lived experiences and how my cultural background has influenced my interactions with the healthcare system. These experiences drive me to advocate for a more inclusive healthcare system for […]
Lauren Airth
Extendicare Gerontology Award I became a nurse because I wanted to help people, specifically marginalized populations. The mental health field took me by surprise when I was hired as a care aide at a home for adults with mental illnesses. This led to placements on mental health units, volunteer work, countless initiatives, and public speaking […]