Dr. Helen Preston Glass Fellowship Award

I am a doctoral candidate in the College of Nursing at the University of Manitoba. My research focuses on critically examining equitable access to oncology care and cancer disparities among Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and my doctoral research focuses specifically on how oncology nurses construct barriers to accessing care for this population.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing degree in 2005 and began my nursing career in a busy urban emergency department. After several years, I found my way to oncology nursing, where I worked as a primary oncology nurse at CancerCare Manitoba for many years. I eventually moved into a clinical research nursing role, where I developed an appreciation and passion for research, and decided to pursue graduate studies in nursing.

I am passionate about social justice and health equity, and I believe that is what led me into a nursing career. Nursing has provided me with so many opportunities for growth, connection, and career advancement. I am most proud of the difference I have been able to make, however small, in the lives of patients, through providing direct care, and now through research. I am proud to be a CNF scholar, grateful to the Canadian Nurses Foundation for supporting my doctoral studies.