Celebrating our 2023 NNPBC Nursing Awards honourees
At the 2023 Nursing Awards of Excellence, we were delighted to honour 17 exceptional individuals who demonstrated excellence in practice, research, advocacy, administration, education, planetary health, leadership, and lifetime achievement.
“We are so excited to be able to host these 17 fantastic nurses, their families, colleagues, dignitaries from government and other special guests to the 2023 Nursing Awards of Excellence. We love this time of year because we get to honour extraordinary nurses who work in all domains of practice across the province. We are inspired by the fantastic work, the focus on person-centred care and the degree to which nurses continue to bring their best and most innovative work to the forefront. It’s a true privilege for us to host this event,” said Sherri Kensall, NNPBC Board Chair.
At the in-person event all four nursing designations in British Columbia (Licensed Practical Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse, and Registered Psychiatric Nurse), were honoured for their foundational and varied roles in the health system. NNPBC recognized nurses in eight categories including a new special recognition for two nurses who have been tireless champions of raising awareness of the impacts of climate change and strong advocates for the ways in which nurses can raise awareness for and make the connections between planetary and human health.
Nursing Awards of Excellence recipients for 2023
Learn more about each of the recipients in the 2023 Nursing Awards of Excellence gala program.
Lifetime Achievement
Lynn Guengerich, MS, NP(Peds)
Over her 40+ years in nursing as a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, Lynn has greatly impacted both the profession and the children and families in her care, providing low-barrier access to health services. Lynn strives to present options and works with clients’ and families’ priorities and values, allowing them to take ownership of their health.
Lynn is a visionary leader and actively fosters and encourages progressive, forward-thinking approaches to improving access to primary care. Lynn’s strength, humility and values are the bedrock of her work with clients, colleagues, and health care leaders and have made for a lifetime of excellence as a nurse and nurse practitioner
Excellence in Nursing Administration
Lorraine Blackburn RN, MSN
As Vice President, Professional Practice and Chief Clinical Information Officer at Vancouver Coastal Health, Lorraine leads Professional Practice (Nursing and Allied Health), Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Ethics and Clinical Informatics. Lorraine is a thoughtful, collaborative, and visionary leader with over 20 years’ experience as a Registered Nurse. Through her career, Lorraine has consistently advocated for quality patient care and the nursing profession as she moved from roles in point of care, to transplant coordinator, professional practice lead, VP and Chief Nursing Officer.
Lorraine’s ability to build and foster cross-disciplinary relationships, her relentless advocacy for advancing nursing contributions to patient care, and her strong commitment to collaboration make her an exemplary nursing administrator.
Jane Slemon, RN, MA
Jane has been the Director of Care at Rotary Hospice House for the past six years. In her role, Jane seamlessly marries creative and innovative approaches with evidence-based nursing care. With unwavering dedication to her work, Jane developed a wide-ranging education program for the hospice nursing staff as well as for others in the palliative care field.
Team members report that her ability to balance the science and medicine of nursing with the nuanced complexities of the human experience are what make Jane truly unique. Jane encourages others to maintain an openness in their work so that they pick up on even the smallest verbal and emotional queues and helps guide nurses and providers to further enable patient agency in their end-of-life care and health decisions. Jane exhibits a human-centred approach in her own nursing practice and inspires other health professionals to always consider the philosophical, ethical, and existential contexts pertinent to health decisions and to continual development of the provision of care.
Excellence in Advancing Nursing Knowledge and Research
Gerri Klein, RN, BScN, MSN
Gerri exudes passion for the provision of fulsome, holistic diabetes care. She administers high quality clinical care, provides education to other health professionals, and supports the growth and development of diabetes health care through initiatives and research. In her own practice, Gerri offers “walking visits” to support diabetes patients in their exercise goals and to help demonstrate the importance of physical activity in diabetes management. Gerri promotes this activity among other providers and has previously organized a larger-scale walking event where patients “walked and talked” with endocrinologists to learn more about aspects of their care.
Leading by example, Gerri expresses the importance of providing patient- and family-centred care and guides other health professionals in seeking out wide-ranging resources to comprehensively offer access to supports that patients and families need, when and where they need them.
Sandra B. Lauck PhD RN
Sandra holds the first-in-Canada university-appointed and hospitallocated Professorship in Cardiovascular Nursing at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) in Vancouver. She holds a dual appointment as Associate Professor at the UBC School of Nursing, and Advanced Practice Nurse Scientist at SPH.
Sandra is a champion of nurse-led research and knowledge translation. She is an enthusiastic mentor for advanced practice and front-line nurses who seek to answer research questions that affect clinical care or wish to increase their research skillset to guide nursing practice and strengthen their professional development.
Excellence in Nursing Advocacy
Teresa D. McFadyen, LPN
Teresa first began her nursing career in 2008, returning to school at 45 to pursue her dream of being a nurse. Teresa was a grassroots advocate for moving the LPN designation into BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) to promote nursing as a unified profession. Among her numerous advocacy roles, Teresa has served as a Ward Rep with the BCNU, in various capacities with the Licensed Practical Nurses Association of BC (LPNABC), with the Coalition of Nursing Associations, and as LPN Council President, councillor, and Board Director with NNPBC.
Teresa is passionate about bolstering the voice of BC LPNs, promoting excellence in nursing practice, and finding actionable solutions to challenges facing the profession. She actively exhibits and fosters collaborative, team-based care, and embraces, advocates for, and supports all patients and families she works with.
Carlin Patterson, RN
Carlin Patterson is a Registered Nurse at Providence Health Care (PHC) St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlin advocated to maintain the location of the Overdose Prevention Site at its location next to St. Paul’s, recognizing that the placement of the site in a highly accessible area was critical to meeting the needs of inpatients and preventing drug toxicity deaths. Additionally, Carlin recognized the importance in addressing safe inhalation as a mode of consumption to further save lives. Her work is ongoing as she continues to engage with and garner support from organizational colleagues with an ultimate plan to establish a supervised inhalation space on-site.
Carlin is dedicated to delivering patient-centred and trauma-informed care and utilizes a progressive harm reduction approach to addiction management. She is particularly experienced in the management of infections among marginalized patients who are frequently underhoused and under supported and has forged extensive networks and collaborations with various care facilities and support groups in the community, contributing to a comprehensive and interconnected health care network that prioritizes health and wellbeing for all.
Laurel Plewes, MSN, RN
Laurel Plewes, MSN, RN, is Director of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Coordination program at Vancouver Coastal Health. She was the first nurse to take on such a role in Canada and is a role model for the development of such offices across provinces and jurisdiction. Based on her clinical expertise in pediatric palliative care, Laurel understands that advocacy with respect to the right to die with dignity inevitably requires exceptional insight into legislative, ethical, regulatory, and social contexts that influence developments in this practice internationally.
Advocating for equitable access to end-of-life options for all British Columbians, Laurel is a highly respected and trusted leader in policy and practice across the country.
Excellence in Nursing Education
Ingrid Handlovsky, PhD, RN
Ingrid Handlovsky, PhD, RN is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria. Ingrid’s desire to support learning experiences began in her role as an undergraduate teaching assistant for anatomy and physiology for three years after which she continued to exercise this interest throughout her nursing graduate training as a teaching assistant, research assistant, and sessional lecturer. For the past 12 years Ingrid has facilitated learning experiences for nurses in both classroom and research mentorship positions and is currently the coordinator of the education stream of the University of Victoria’s Master of Nursing program.
Ingrid believes that relational engagement is central to the nursing discipline and has powerful implications for experiences with health providers, researchers, and educators. Ingrid’s commitment to equity and justice is demonstrated via her embodiment of emancipatory pedagogical approaches as a means to encourage and promote critical thinking, questioning and compassionate engagement.
Elaine Veldman, RN BSN NSWOC WOCC(C)
Until 2023, Elaine Veldman was the sole Nurse Specialist in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (NSWOC) care in the northwestern region of the Northern Health Authority service area for 12 years. In this role, Elaine supported patients and clients living in rural and remote communities, many with complex health needs, with high quality, specialty care.
Elaine is a highly respected nurse and educator who delivers exceptional education and support to health teams and patients and has helped to improve the lives of so many who would not otherwise be able to access this level of care in their communities.
Excellence in Nursing Leadership
Dr. Jennifer Krist, DNP, NP(F)
Dr. Jennifer Krist, DNP, NP(F), has been in nursing for over 23 years, and has served as a leader, educator, and mentor to UBC’s NP students as Lecturer and Clinical Liaison for 13 years in the Master of Nursing Nurse Practitioner Program. After completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2019, Jennifer pursued provincial leadership opportunities becoming BCs first Fraser Regional Lead for NP Programs and Initiatives, an innovative program supporting and mentoring NPs within Primary Care Networks (PCNs) via NNPBC and the Ministry of Health.
Jennifer utilizes her educational leadership skills to empower the leader within by asking courageous questions and responding productively and benevolently to the competent needs of students, providers, and patients. Jennifer continues her practice as a family NP providing care at the Surrey Community Birth Program, providing virtual primary care for a large communications company, and as Subject Matter Expert for the Mobile Skills Program with NNPBC in prenatal care and assessment.
Barb Langlois RN, BSN, MSN, CHE
Barb is a collaborative, innovative and transformational leader with a record of excellence in operations, professional practice, education, team building and change management.
As a Director, Professional Practice, Barb led change management projects and implemented operational and strategic initiatives at BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services. Responsibilities in Barb’s current role as Program Director, Surgery, include providing strategic and operational oversight for Providence Health Care’s Surgery Program. Under Barb’s leadership, her teams have demonstrated high quality service while being innovative and nimble to surgical patient needs.
Lorelei Newton PhD RN CGNC
Lorelei Newton, PhD, RN is the current President of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology/Association Canadienne des Infirmières en Oncologie (CANO/ACIO) as well as an assistant professor at the University of Victoria School of Nursing. In her career, Lorelei has held successful nursing leadership positions with the University of Victoria School of Nursing, BC Cancer, Yukon Territorial Government and Health Canada, contributing to health system innovations in both acute and community care. Notably, Lorelei has led several research project teams as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator and was the project leader for the implementation/integration of Nurse Practitioners into the BC Cancer Agency.
With unparalleled expertise and unwavering commitment to the betterment of health care and advancement of the nursing role Lorelei has contributed remarkable advancements by fostering nursing leadership, enhancing patient care, improving clinician and provider experience, and fortifying the nursing profession.
Excellence in Nursing Practice
Kristy Goosney BSN, RN
Kristy Goosney is an Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) Registered Nurse, notably the second OAT nurse prescriber in the province and the first OAT nurse prescriber working in rural BC. In May of 2019, Kristy was instrumental in developing and starting an OAT clinic in the community of Trail. Prior to this, people were required to travel outside of their home community to receive lifesaving OAT services.
As one of the first OAT nurse prescribers in Interior Health, Kristy has provided mentorship and guidance to numerous new OAT nurse prescribers and OAT nurses throughout the Kootenays and Interior Health region. Kristy holds a wealth of knowledge and experience and generously shares her expertise and patient-centred approach to nursing care. Kristy is the essence of a collaborative professional; she practices with integrity and humility and provides excellent care to all – clients and colleagues alike.
Rajveen Sharma, RPN
Rajveen (Veen) Sharma graduated in 2016 from the Douglas College Psychiatric Nursing program with honours and went on to receive a Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP) degree from the University of British Columbia in 2021. As a recognized leader in clinical practice, knowledge translation, professional accountability, and responsibility, Veen has demonstrated a talent for influencing positive change in care delivery using evidencebased practice and a commitment to advocacy for patients and families and for the care provided to them.
Veen demonstrates a non-judgemental and compassionate approach to care, and a strong ability to connect with others with humility. She actively fosters a work culture of respect, integrity, collaboration and camaraderie, and sparks joy in the workplace. Her combination of quick wit, engaging and curious approach and thoughtful reflection creates a welcoming work environment.
Special Recognition in Planetary Health
Agnes Black, RN MPH and Helen Boyd RN.BScN.MA (Counselling)
Nurses know that environmental factors significantly impact human health. According to the World Health Organization, climate change is “the single biggest health threat facing humanity.”
Both Helen and Aggie have worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change and are strong advocates for the ways in which nurses can build awareness and make the connections between planetary and human health.
