This year’s June Awrey Lecture, titled “Reimagining Resistance and Reconciliation in Nurse Education: Towards antiracist nursing praxis,” hosted by the School of Nursing in York University’s Faculty of Health, will take place on May 14 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom.
The June Awrey Lecture, established in 2018 to coincide with the School of Nursing’s 25th anniversary, is held in recognition of the school’s first and founding director. Known for her tenacity, innovation and collegial leadership, the intention of the June Awrey Annual Lecture is to pay tribute to the school’s founder and to attract presentations by leading critical thinkers in nursing, health and health care. The lecture aspires to engage students, faculty, academic and practice partners, alumni and others in groundbreaking ideas that will stimulate excellence in practice, policy, leadership, education and research. This year’s lecture will feature a panel of scholars, activists and students in conversation about racism, nursing and social change.
Panellists for this year’s event include:
Josephine Pui-Hing Wong, RN, PhD
Josephine Pui-Hing Wong has rich experience in critical public health. She currently holds the position of professor and Research Chair in Urban Health at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Ryerson University. She was instrumental to the development of the access and equity policies at Toronto Public Health. Her program of research is underpinned by the principles of social justice and equity. She is committed to doing research “with” and not “for” the affected communities. She works closely with racialized and marginalized communities to identify “what is possible” through research in the areas of identity construction, migration and integration, HIV, mental health and stigma reduction. She is currently leading a COVID-19 rapid research community-based action research project.
Keisha Jefferies, RN, MN, PhD(c)
Keisha Jefferies is a Toronto-based African Nova Scotian woman, born and raised in New Glasgow, N.S. She is a registered nurse and PhD candidate in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University. Her research examines the leadership experiences of African Nova Scotian nurses and the implications for nursing practice and education. Her scholarly and advocacy work focus on addressing anti-Black racism in nursing, equitable admissions in post-secondary institutions and social justice at large.
Jefferies has clinical and policy experience in the areas of neonatal intensive care and breastfeeding. She is a Junior Fellow with the MacEachen Institute of Public Policy & Governance at Dalhousie. Her research is funded and supported by Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier-CGS), Killam Trust, Research Nova Scotia, Johnson Scholarship Foundation, BRIC NS, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and School of Nursing at Dalhousie.
Christina Chakanyuka, RN, MN, PhD (student)
Christina Chakanyuka is a Métis nurse, educator and (re)searcher who grew up Dene/Cree (Treaty 8) Territory in the community of Fort Smith, N.W.T. She has strong ties to community and is committed to honouring Indigenous strength, resilience and rights to self-determination in nursing practice, education and research. She is currently teaching and completing her PhD in nursing on unceded Coast Salish homelands at the University of Victoria. Working closely with the B.C. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Indigenous Health Research in Nursing Chair program, she is advancing Indigenist nursing research and mentorship guided by the core tenants of anti-racism and love.
Moderator: Nadia Prendergast, RN, PhD
Nadia Prendergast is a full-time assistant professor in York University’s School of Nursing. She completed her nursing degree in England and her master’s and PhD at OISE/UT. Her dissertation focused on the lived experiences of internationally educated nurses of colour and how racism and gender inequalities are organized within Canadian nursing. She continues serving under-resourced communities where she conducts intergenerational work. By bringing conversations between the millennials and non-millennials, Prendergast uses her skills in drama and the arts to restore historical practices and provide information as a “rite of passage” for Black and racialized communities. Prendergast was awarded the Women’s College Research Award in 2007 for addressing racism within nursing.
The event is open to all, and can be accessed through the following Zoom link using Meeting ID 970 1974 8530 and Passcode 574976: yorku.zoom.us/j/97019748530?pwd=M2ZHM3FZNDBJdUZ6Nmx3OEpaTDIxUT09.