NP, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Lori Palozzi is the NP recipient of the 2023 Nursing Now Ontario Awards. With more than 30 years of experience in caring for infants, children and adolescents in pain, Palozzi is a true nursing leader whom colleagues describe as empathetic and compassionate. In 2015, she helped develop the Get Up and Go: Persistent Pediatric Pain Service at Toronto’s Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Through the service, she has helped hundreds of patients find ways to manage pain and lead fulfilling lives.
Palozzi graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto in 1984 and began her nursing career in SickKids’ Burn and Plastic Surgery unit. Her interest in pain management for kids grew from there, leading her to complete a research master’s in 1991 on children’s experiences of pain management during burn dressing changes. From there, Palozzi worked in several nursing roles related to pain management at SickKids, most notable being her role as a clinical nurse specialist in the Acute Pain Service – the first of its kind in Canada.
To increase her opportunities and work more independently, Palozzi attained her post-master’s acute care NP certificate in 1995 and continued her work at SickKids to implement new pain assessment tools and strategies. For the past eight years, she has been part of a great team at Holland Bloorview and is proud of their unique, impactful work.
From a young age, Palozzi knew she wanted to be a nurse to care for and help people. Palozzi’s advice for nursing students beginning their careers is “the time spent with patients – listening and being together with them – is the most important thing you can do.”
