Alumni Awards & Recognition

alumni_awards_880x300.jpg

Nursing Alumni of Distinction Award

Western’s Nursing Alumni Chapter is pleased to offer an annual awards program that recognizes significant contributions by an alumnus to the university community, the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing and nursing profession. Nominate an outstanding Western nursing alumna or alumnus for a Nursing Alumni of Distinction Award or the Rising Star Award. The Awards are presented each year at the Nursing Homecoming Event. The recipients will receive an elegant Alumni of Distinction award as a keepsake.

Criteria

Rising Star Award:

This award is presented to an alumnus who has graduated within the past 10 years from the undergraduate or graduate programs, in recognition of outstanding career achievements and/or contributions to the School, their local nursing or health care community. The recipient is a role model for those new to the profession and sets a standard of excellence to which others can aspire.

Nursing Alumni of Distinction Award:

This award recognizes outstanding lifetime accomplishments of an alumnus who aligns with one or more areas below:

  • Professional achievement in clinical care
    • This alumnus is dedicated to the Nursing profession and goes above and beyond in their line of work and makes a significant impact on groups, individuals, and/or the larger Nursing profession as a role model
  • Significant contributions to research and/or education
    • This alumnus stands out in the field of research as having made compelling and impactful progress towards the advancement of their discipline and is committed to continuing their learning and education either through everyday practice or higher education
  • Commitment to community and leadership
    • This alumnus is committed to bettering the Nursing community, successfully enriching the lives of others through community service and displaying exemplary leadership

2025 Nursing Alumni Award Recipients

Alumni of Distinction Award:

Janet Rennick 

Tracey ColellaDr. Janet Rennick recently retired from her position as a Nurse Scientist at The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre, and Associate Professor at the Ingram School of Nursing and the Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University. She graduated from Western University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and began her career as a staff nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at The Hospital for Sick Children. In 1987, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Toronto and subsequently began working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Pediatric ICU at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. After deciding to pursue a research career, she was admitted to the doctoral program at McGill’s Ingram School of Nursing and graduated with her PhD in 1999. She became the first Nurse Scientist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and was appointed as a Scientist in the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Dr. Rennick received multiple Clinical Research Scholar Awards from the Quebec Health Research Fund, and her research program was funded primarily by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her research focused on: (1) Children’s psychological and behavioral outcomes following Pediatric ICU hospitalization; (2) Enhancing patient and family-centred care for critically ill children with medical complexity; and (3) Innovations in care to promote healthy recovery following critical illness. She has received numerous awards, including the Order of Nurses of Quebec’s 2014 Prix Florence for exceptional research contributions. Dr. Rennick has over 65 publications and 140 presentations, has been an invited speaker at national and international meetings, and has supervised over 40 graduate students in their clinical research. She is thrilled to be receiving Western’s Nursing Alumni of Distinction Award today! 

Rising Star Award:

Ryan Chan 

Tracey ColellaRyan Chan is an Assistant Professor (Teaching Scholar) and the Simulated Education Faculty Lead at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University. Ryan’s teaching, research, and scholarly interests include digital health/nursing informatics, nursing education, and clinical simulation/simulation-based learning. In addition to his teaching and scholarly activities, Ryan continues to engage in service to the nursing and informatics community through his active involvement as an executive member within various local, provincial, and national professional associations, including as President of the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association and a Board Member of the Registered Nurses Foundation of Ontario. 

 

  • 2024 - Tracey JF Colella, PhD
  • 2024 - Jennifer Stinson, BScN’88
  • 2024 - Rising Star: Sarah Bissex, BScN’17
  • 2023 - Cindy-Lee Dennis, MScN’95
  • 2023 - Rising Star: Alexis Smith, BScN’16, MScN’18
  • 2022 - Laura Wilding, BScN’90
  • 2022 - Nancy Watters, BScN ’72, MScN, ’80
  • 2021 - Mary Anne Andrusyszyn, MScN’86
  • 2021 - Rising Star: Susana Caxaj, PhD’13
  • 2021 - Dionne Sinclair, BScN’98
  • 2021 - Carol Wong, BScN’71, MScN’86
  • 2019 - Yvette Laforet-Fliesser, BScN'74, MScN'81
  • 2019 - Rising Star: Jennifer Martin, BScN’08
  • 2018 - Janice McCallum, MScN’79
  • 2018 - Dr. Catherine Ward-Griffin, BScN’79, MScN’88
  • 2017 - Rising Star: Kimie Soriano, BScN'07
  • 2016 - Kelly Metcalfe, BScN'96
  • 2015 - Eileen Denomy, BScN ’87, MScN’00
  • 2014 - Heather Whittle, BScN’90, MScN’94
  • 2013 - Elsie MacMaster, BScN’62, MScN’77
  • 2012 - Annabel Sells, BScN’67