Carolyn Sifton Award

I became a nurse because of my values related to equity, service, and care.  Recognizing how these values aligned with nursing, I knew it was the path for me.  As I have grown as a nurse, my commitment to women’s sexual and reproductive health equity and rights has strengthened. I began my nursing career in labour and delivery.  Since then I have had the privilege of supporting women, and their families, in various settings including with Medicins Sans Frontièrs and as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in women and HIV care. Through these experiences, I have seen how health inequities and injustices translate into obstacles for women and girls.  This motivated me to pursue further education. My master’s thesis focused on the pregnancy experiences of newcomer women to Canada with HIV.  Since then I have worked as a Research Associate at the Women and HIV Research Program.  In 2019 I decided to begin a PhD at Western University. My doctoral work will engage a group of young women to explore how they frame sexual health using applied feminist research. I am grateful to CNF for supporting my studies again by awarding me as this year’s recipient of the Carolyn Sifton Award.