Since graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University’s BScN program in 2020, Simon Donato-Woodger has worked on the COVID assistance and general medicine units at Kitchener’s Grand River Hospital, the acute care unit at Inuvik Regional Hospital in the Northwest Territories, and most recently the intensive care unit at Scarborough General Hospital.
Simon works as a research assistant for Dr. Charlene Chu at the University of Toronto, exploring topics such as health-related artificial intelligence and gerontology, specifically how artificial intelligence affects the older adult population.
In addition to these roles, Simon is a relief RN at Toronto’s Parkdale Queen West Supervised Consumption Site, and volunteers as the policy/political action executive network officer for RNAO’s Region 6 (Toronto West). Simon has a strong interest in quality improvement science, and completed an RNAO Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship (ACPF) this year, focused on best practice guideline implementation in critical care.
Dania Versailles is a registered nurse who holds two master’s degrees. Over the past 29 years, she has exercised her leadership at the bedside, in professional practice, in education, management and research. As a director of clinical services at the Canadian Mental Health Association, Dania sees the impact that social determinants of health have on individuals who live with severe and persistent mental illness. Over 20 years, Dania has engaged as a stakeholder reviewer and an expert panel member to develop and review several RNAO best practice guidelines (BPG). She has also implemented BPGs at the organizational level, and also at the Ontario Health Team (OHT) level. After participating in RNAO’s Black Nurses Task Force, Dania co-founded and co-chaired the Black Nurses Leading Change interest group at RNAO, which won the Interest Group of the Year Award in 2023. She is a fervent advocate for health equity for all. Her passion lies in collaboratively transforming complex challenges into lasting, co-designed improvements throughout the health-care system.
The Award of Merit goes to an RN or NP who has made outstanding contributions to RNAO and the nursing profession in Ontario. This resourceful individual is a change-maker, advocating for, promoting and initiating changes to improve healthy public policy through RNAO initiatives. This person serves as a resource and mentor contributing to and enhancing the role of the RN/NP in Ontario.
