Award Recipients

Over the many years I have known Donna, she has always impressed me with her total commitment to creating a cohesive and accepting work environment. Developing supportive relationships with her colleagues is, first and foremost, an obviously important value she totally believes in and practises always!

Donna supports, encourages, listens, and believes in her fellow workers, fostering a safe, productive, and enjoyable work environment. Many of her colleagues have subsequently become lifelong friends!

Donna’s leadership years in CAHN were always based on these simple but so very important principles! Those of us who had the honour to work with her in her capacity as President of CAHN knew we were always valued and heard; we were an important part of the team! Donna has the uncanny ability to find the unique strengths present in everyone – most of us aren’t even aware of them until an excellent leader supports us and shows us the way!!

Donna has given many years of significant service to CAHN as an organization. She has been on multiple committees, been a board member, contributed to the development of educational tools available on CAHN’s website, participated in CAHN’s nursing study in 2020, and most recently, been CAHN’s president – guiding us all with her steady, kind, and very knowledge leadership style.

Thank you, Donna, not only for all you have done over the years for CAHN but also for how much you have so enriched the lives of your colleagues and friends! We present you with this award of Distinguished Service with grateful appreciation for your dedicated and inspiring leadership throughout your years of significant service and contribution to CAHN.

CAHN is honoured to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Sharon Bojarski. Rumour has it that Sharon was the very first hepatology nurse in Canada. She was one of the founding members of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses. She was instrumental in building the association to where it is today. Sharon has contributed many years in the field of academic hepatology under Dr. Feinman’s practice at Mount Sinai Hospital. She has had a longstanding presence and membership with CAHN. During that time she has mentored and shaped the practices of many nurses and hepatology fellows who are now practising hepatologists. Sharon has stayed and remained very active on various CAHN committees, especially the conference planning committee. We owe Sharon a big thank you for her dedication, time, and commitment to hepatology nursing. This award signifies your devotion, dedication, efforts and all your perseverance. Congratulations and enjoy your semi-retirement.

This year’s Exceptional Contribution to the Field of Hepatology Nursing goes to Stephanie Eiloart. In Stephanie’s nursing practice she exemplifies reaching patients where they are in the cascade of care. Whether it be approaching people on the street for screening, drawing blood in an alley or hotel room or visiting the patient in their home. She is always willing to help the hardest to reach populations. She does this with the utmost compassion and respect for this patient population. Stephanie helps engage and treat hepatitis C patients that are left untreated because they are the hardest to reach. She uses the social determinants of health when treating her patients. She helps with not only medical care but with food insecurity and housing needs just to name a few. Stephanie demonstrates excellence in the application of the Canadian Association on Hepatology Nurses Standards. She displays an effort to improve hepatology healthcare, and demonstrates an expert level of competency in the delivery of holistic hepatology care as well as advances and promotes the practice of nursing through sustained nursing leadership. Stepanie influences change and provides leadership in the hepatology nursing profession through active participation at the local, provincial and national levels. This award signifies well-deserved recognition. Congratulations.

CAHN is pleased to recognize Sarah De Coutere for Innovation and Inspiration. Sarah is an NP and educator working with the hepatology team in Halifax N.S. During COVID restrictions Sarah embraced technology which allowed her to educate nurses via Zoom and other platforms. She has been a key person in developing the decompensation liver clinic within a collaborative practice team, who addresses the health needs of the patient population and facilitates a coordinated and integrated approach to care. Patients no longer have to wait for hours in the ER to have paracentesis. Sarah has advanced patient care within Hepatology through the development of Fibro scan clinics, this has significantly decreased the need for liver biopsies and long waitlists. She uses a holistic approach to patients in the outpatient setting of gastroenterology and hepatology clinics. Sarah has taken the lead in developing a care plan through extensive and comprehensive Electronic Medical Records. She has developed focused care templates that are flexible to individualize toward each person. This EMR communication with the patient/family and primary health care providers is key in the collaborative approach toward healthy liver living. This award is a result of her hard work, effort and fearless spirit. It could not have been awarded to a more deserving recipient. Congratulations Sarah.

Another one of this year’s Innovation and Inspiration awards goes to Kate Newcombe. Kate is currently working at the Alex Health Center in Calgary Alberta. The Alex provides comprehensive care to vulnerable Calgarians. Up until recently, she worked at CUPS in Calgary. Kate is a phenomenal patient advocate, always up to date on the latest news in Hepatitis C treatment and care. She has been innovative in her approaches to “ the hardly reached “ populations. She mentors, supports knowledge sharing, and shares her learning eagerly with any audience. She is often called upon to do training presentations and newsletter articles, and somehow she manages to find creative ways to accommodate these requests even if it means pre-recording presentations. COVID has really made us all think outside the “box”. This award is a result of your hard work and effort. May you keep inspiring hepatology nurses for many more years to come. Congratulations!