Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Nursing Excellence Awards
Summary:
During Nursing week, SickKids proudly celebrated nursing excellence across the organization at the annual Nursing Excellence Awards.
The Nursing Excellence Awards at SickKids recognize nursing staff who demonstrate dedication, distinction and a deep commitment to their profession, and to the patients and families they serve. Held annually during Nursing Week, the awards celebrate nurses and nursing teams from across the organization whose work exemplifies excellence in practice, leadership, education, research and innovation.
This year’s Nursing Week theme is Stronger Together: The Power of SickKids Nursing. From bedside care to system level impact, recipients reflect the breadth and strength of nursing at SickKids. As we honour these outstanding individuals and teams, we are reminded of the powerful role nurses play every day. Their expertise, compassion and advocacy continue to shape care — and help build a strong foundation for future generations of nurses, interprofessional colleagues, patients and families.
The Nursing Excellence Awards are made possible thanks to generous endowments from the family and friends of Grace Evelyn Simpson Reeves.
Congratulations to the winners of this year's Nursing Excellence Awards!
Grace Evelyn Simpson Reeves Awards
Career Achievement
Hazel Pleasants - Terashita
Nurse Practitioner, NICU
Julianna Cromwell
Registered Nurse, Neurosurgery
Joan Schuermer
Senior Clinical Manager, Heart Centre - Cardiac CCU
Nursing Research and Evaluation
Alicia Kilfoy
Registered Nurse, Haematology/Oncology
Nursing Leadership
Nicole Loureiro
Registered Nurse, Emergency Medicine
Riley Wallace
Interprofessional Education Specialist, Quality Management
Eloise Czekalla
Senior Clinical Manager, Orthopaedics/ENT
Advanced Nursing Practice
Dalia Bozic
Nurse Practitioner, Diagnostic Imaging
Ashley Harvey and Jacqueline Hanley
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Operating Room Clinical Nurse Specialist, Anaesthesia
Maria Zak
Nurse Practitioner, Neurology
Nursing Practice
Susan Miranda
Registered Nurse, Child Health Services, Transition to Adult Care Program
Rebecca Cote
Clinical Program Coordinator - Transplant Centre
Jennifer Stunguris
Registered Nurse, Transplant Centre
Nursing Education
Carrie Glanfield
Interprofessional Education Specialist, Emergency Department
Brittney Pozzobon
Interprofessional Education Specialist, Connected Care
Nursing Innovation (Individual)
Kimie Soriano
Team Leader, Quality Programs - General Surgery, Urology, Gynaecology
Maricelle Tia
Registered Nurse, Immunology and Allergy
NICU Intramural Team
Ari Caruso, Registered Nurse
Matthew Keyzers, Registered Respiratory Therapist
Jennifer Cardno, Registered Nurse
Ondina Moreira, Registered Nurse
Christinia Phillips, Registered Respiratory Therapist
Vasiliki Zigouris, Registered Nurse
Paul Markowski, Registered Respiratory Therapist
Kelly Roddy, Registered Nurse
Julianna Guerreiro, Registered Nurse
Nursing Small Team
IBD Team
Christine LeBannister, Registered Nurse
Karen Frost, Nurse Practitioner
Krista Uusoue, Clinical Respiratory Nurse Coordinator
Ashley Cruden, Registered Nurse
Cari Emery, Registered Nurse
NICU IES Team
Lisa Fowler, Interprofessional Education Specialist
Michelle Bertoni, Interprofessional Education Specialist
Sarah Brown, Interprofessional Education Specialist
CTAL Team
Patrizia Virone, Registered Nurse
Kailyn Rodrigues, Registered Nurse
Jillian Robinson, Registered Nurse
Chantal Cordon, Registered Nurse
Erny Lammertink, Senior Clinical Manager
Nursing Innovation (Team)
6 A/B Nursing Team
Nursing Large Team
Emergency Nursing and EMT Team
Clinical Extern Excellence Award
Nura Saleh
Clinical Extern, Emergency Department
Isabella Kolbasenko
Clinical Extern, SickKids Learning Institute
Aleksandra Kubura
Clinical Extern, Pre Op, PACU and the Integrated Sedation
New Graduate Nurse Award
Tony Qixuan Huang
Registered Nurse, Emergency Medicine
Elizabeth McMaster Inspiration Award
Ability Team
Angela Milicevic, Registered Nurse
Chantal St. Jules, Registered Nurse
Lindsay Lockyer, Registered Nurse
Iris Weiss Memorial Award for Excellence in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Katie Baldwin
Interprofessional Education Specialist, Psychiatry
Beckett Nelson
Registered Nurse, Adolescent Medicine
Olga Worrell Excellence in Orthopaedic Nursing Award
Carly Dunn
Registered Nurse, Orthopaedics/ENT
Lucy Chen
Registered Nurse, Orthopaedic Clinic
The Amrita Naipaul Memorial “Joy in Work” Nursing Award
Bryden McGeorge
Registered Nurse, Haemotology/Oncology
The Bresler Family Neurosurgical Nursing Award
Maria Pereira
Registered Nurse, Neurosurgery Clinic
Sarah Calder
Registered Nurse, Neurosurgery
Shane Stradiotto Cardiac Nursing Excellence Award
Zalak Amin
Registered Nurse, Heart Centre, Cardiac CCU
Maria Gyorossy-Csepreghy Kluge Award
Elora Bibby (Di Rezze)
Interprofessional Education Specialist, Critical Care Unit