Nursing

By Sara Meikle 

When third-year nursing student Ava Mammarella reflects on her UWindsor experience, a theme comes to mind: growth.

From a first-year student discovering her path in health care to a mentor guiding others through the same transition, her journey through the Outstanding Scholars program highlights the transformative power of mentorship.

Mammarella says she has been drawn to medicine for as long as she can remember.

“I was that kid with the toy stethoscope, checking everyone’s heartbeat,” she says.

By Sara Meikle

Dr. Debbie Rickeard, a trailblazing nurse educator whose student-first approach and leadership in simulation-based learning have shaped nursing education at the University of Windsor and beyond, has earned national recognition for excellence in her field.

Rickeard received the Excellence in Nursing Education Award from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) for permanent, tenure-track, tenured and term faculty – one of the most distinguished honours in Canadian nursing education.

By Sara Meikle

The University of Windsor has reappointed Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine to a second five-year term as dean of the Faculty of Nursing.

The renewal recognizes her leadership in strengthening the faculty’s academic excellence, research profile and global partnerships since 2019. Under her direction, the faculty earned the maximum seven-year accreditation from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing for all undergraduate programs.

By Sara Meikle 

Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine, dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Windsor, will be inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing on Oct. 29, in recognition of her global impact on nursing education, leadership and policy. 

The Fellowship, one of the highest honours awarded by the Canadian Nurses Association, recognizes Canada’s most accomplished nursing leaders whose influence extends across clinical practice, education, administration, research and health policy. 

By Sara Elliot

Watching a cesarian section surgery up close in Tanzania was a pivotal moment for nursing student Gabriela DiGesu. 

“It was a truly profound cultural experience to be able to immerse myself in that,” says DiGesu. 

By John-Paul Bonadonna

The University of Windsor will become the first university in Ontario to offer undergraduate nursing students education in medication prescribing — a move that aligns with the province’s expanded scope of practice for Registered Nurses (RNs) and aims to strengthen healthcare delivery across the province.

Master of Nursing student Kasia Zurawski’s work in psychiatric and mental health nursing has earned her the first Chapman Harm Reduction Scholarship from the Registered Nursing Foundation of Ontario. 

The scholarship, with a value of $1,000, is awarded to a practicing nurse or nursing student who has demonstrated commitment to a career focus on harm reduction in the field of addictions and mental health. 

By Gam Macasaet

In celebration of National Nursing Week, the Faculty of Nursing thanks all nursing professionals for their steadfast dedication to caring for our communities and proudly highlights Sharon Thorpe — a UWindsor alumna and sessional instructor — for her professionalism, mentorship, and collaborative spirit.

Sylwia Borawski knows what it feels like to be a patient.

At age 13, she received a life-altering diagnosis — Type 1 diabetes.

Among the chaos of the bustling emergency room where she would spend days clouded with confusion as she learned the details of her new diagnosis, one moment of compassionate care stands out to Borawski, helping to shape her own future as a caregiver.