RNAO Recognition Awards

Through leadership and involvement in several community networks and organizations, Lori Zozzolotto advocates for and supports nurses and patients to live their best lives, and works to achieve social change on many fronts. Lori started her nursing practice as a registered practical nurse (RPN), then bridged to RN and became designated as a wound, ostomy and continence nurse by the Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada (NSWOCC).

Josalyn Radcliffe became a nurse after previous work as an adult educator helping people retrain after workplace injuries. After initially nursing in pediatric mental health, Josalyn worked for six years as a public health nurse for the Waterloo region.

Verna Liezl Perdon’s passion for helping keep people healthy and safe stems from her childhood experience of having a father who sustained a brain injury from a motorcycle accident in the workplace. Impacted by the lifesaving efforts of health-care providers who cared for her father, she felt compelled to help people experiencing health challenges and traumatic events.

May Tao’s vision is to empower others to reach their potential, strive for excellence in public health practice and inspire organizations toward continuous quality improvement. May is a health promotion specialist at Toronto Public Health, where she leads their RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) initiative as well as mentoring several BPSO hospitals in China.

Maureen M. Charlebois is the chief nursing officer at Bayshore HealthCare, one of Canada’s leading providers of  home care, pharmacies and community care clinics.

Hasina Amanzai is a faculty member in the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she teaches in the undergraduate program and the graduate nurse practitioner (NP) program, and also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Toronto. Hasina has a diverse portfolio of teaching in various programs and settings within the nursing profession.

Dr. Amy Wright is an assistant professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. Amy is the president of the Canadian Association of Neonatal Nurses, which provides education and networking opportunities for neonatal nurses in Canada. She also works as a nurse practitioner (NP) in the neonatal intensive care unit at McMaster Children’s Hospital, and is past-chair of RNAO’s Nursing Research Interest Group.

Simon Donato-Woodger currently works as an intensive care unit registered nurse (RN) at Scarborough General Hospital in Toronto, and as a relief RN at a supervised consumption site (SCS) at the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Center. According to Simon, health-care challenges at every level – from acute medical emergencies and understaffing to chronic social issues such as homelessness – are without question rooted in public policy.

Dr. Vanessa Burkoski is an extraordinary and passionate advocate for evidence-based policy in Ontario’s health-care system and for engaging, healthy and scholarly practice environments in the profession of nursing. She nurtures and inspires health professionals to maximize their contribution to patient quality and safety, as well as improve organizational and health system outcomes through evidence-based practice.

Dr. Laura Teague is a highly respected expert in wound care, setting new benchmarks for wound care education and elevating practice standards with groundbreaking educational materials and research. Currently academic and clinical lead for wound care in Toronto's Sinai Health System, Laura has held clinical and leadership roles as an RN, clinical nurse specialist, and NP. While at St.

Louise Gilbert is an advanced practice nurse, educator, consultant and policy advocate on issues such as perinatal mental health, breastfeeding and housing. She has practised at Ottawa Public Health as a clinical nurse specialist for the past 13 years, where she leads their Healthy Growth and Development Program team in their work with young families experiencing psychosocial challenges.

Dr. Wilma Koopman is a nurse practitioner (NP) at London Health Sciences Centre and has focused her career on being a better nurse throughout her 50 years in neuroscience nursing practice. This journey has been fueled by time in the field and by a passion for life-long learning, leading to her earning a PhD in 2022.

Shannon Wright is a nurse practitioner (NP) in the Mental Health in Medicine Clinic at Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN), providing mental health care to patients who live with complex medical conditions. Shannon values the opportunity to collaborate with patients, families and multiple medical teams to improve patient outcomes, experiences and quality of life.

As founder in 1996 and long-standing director of the Health Care and Services Research Unit (Investén-isciii) at the Carlos III Health Institute in Spain, Dr. Teresa Moreno-Casbas has advocated for a robust academic foundation for nurses and for the continuous development of care research as a cornerstone for quality health care.

Currently a nursing student at York University, Leo Jhon Macawile takes every opportunity to spearhead or participate in events that celebrate leadership, community and diversity in the nursing profession. He is the current president of his school’s  nursing student association, and also serves as the policy and political action executive network officer for RNAO’s Nursing Students of Ontario interest group.

Emma Ayukawa actively seeks out ways to combine her future career in nursing with her concerns about the environment and the climate crisis. Earlier in her studies she served as student liaison for the Ontario Nurses for the Environment Interest Group.