Congratulations to Patient Partner, Toni Leamon, recipient of the 2022/23 Toronto Alumni Scholarship!
NL SUPPORT/Quality of Care NL Patient Advisory Council member, Toni Leamon, is the recipient of the 2022/23 Toronto Alumni Scholarship for academic excellence and leadership qualities, a scholarship that is made possible through the fundraising efforts of the Toronto Alumni Branch of the Memorial University Alumni Association. Based on scholarship standing, this funding is awarded by the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards on the recommendation of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic). Toni was nominated for this award by Dr. Julia Lukewich, Associate Professor, Nursing, at Memorial University. This award is the latest in a significant string of awards for academic excellence that Toni has won throughout her nursing education.
Toni has been a member of our Patient Advisory Council (PAC) since November 2017. At that time, she was one of the only “youth” members of the group. She has demonstrated her thoughtful and emotionally intelligent nature in every interaction she has had with the PAC, of which she is an actively contributing member among many who are senior to her in age and experience. Toni has been a leader in recruiting younger members to the PAC and has been an excellent mentor to new members, helping them adjust to their role and encouraging them to be active in the group. Toni has been integral in the work of the NL SUPPORT Unit, participating in staff hiring panels and presenting about patient engagement at our annual Science, Health and Research Education (SHARE) Summit and at various other conferences and training events. In her role as a patient partner, Toni has co-authored journal articles and became Chair of a national group of patients through the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) who lend their perspectives and experience to the CMA’s advocacy work called Patient Voice. See what Toni has said about her work as a patient partner here.
Beyond her work with our Unit, Toni has clearly demonstrated that she is headed towards greatness in her soon-to-be career as a nurse. Recently, she was invited to Ottawa, ON by the Chief Nursing Officer of Canada to participate in an Advisory Committee that will inform the creation of a larger Nursing Retention Forum for the country. This year, Toni was also invited to a meeting in Montreal, QC in her role as a patient representative to inform the development of Canadian education for primary care nurses. Despite her hectic schedule as a nursing student, PAC member and Chair of the Patient Voices group, Toni has also worked as a research assistant on research projects relating to advancing primary care nursing provincially and nationally to ensure that nurses are better integrated into primary care teams and using their full scope of practice to the advantage of care teams and patients.
We are so proud of everything Toni continues to achieve. The Toronto Alumni Scholarship is an excellent recognition for all she has done over the past several years and we can’t wait to see what comes next!
Congratulations Toni!
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