Debbie began her tenure at the University in 1989 and truly embodies the values of dedication and hard work. Her advocacy for nursing, the University and the community at large is unwavering as evidenced through her achievements in her intertwined roles as a Registered Nurse, Nursing Professor, and Researcher. Her contributions have played a pivotal role in highlighting the profession and the University.
Debbie is a strong voice for nursing and health care. She served for two years as the Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Lambton representative to the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. She is well informed on emerging issues facing health care, and on numerous occasions, has been asked by the media to provide comment on these issues.
Debbie served as the Nursing graduate coordinator where she played a leadership role in the initiation and approval of the PhD program that launched in 2017. As Associate Dean and as the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies she was instrumental in the positive changes for graduate students in the CUPE4580 collective agreement and for advancing both policy and practice for students, faculty, and staff.
She is well known for her work on the President’s Commission for Employment Equity and was the 2023 recipient of the Employment Equity Award. She has served willingly on university level committees and in the community, most recently for the Windsor Essex County Health Unit. Debbie’s advocacy over the years has served to amplify voices promoting change and she has devoted countless hours to action that help realize those positive changes on campus and throughout the community.
As a teacher Debbie was viewed by undergraduate and graduate students as fair and open minded. Her students describe the positive impact that she has had on their professional success and how her mentorship inspired them to become better nurses, teachers, leaders, and researchers. She has made enormous contributions to the education of nursing students and to the students across campus whose committees she has played important roles as a reader or as a defense chair. Her work with students as a professor has been exemplary and her advocacy for students in her positions in the Faculty of Graduate Studies has been outstanding.
Debbie’s research has highlighted emerging trends in health care such as retention and recruitment of men in nursing, bullying in nursing as well as workplace issues addressing the experiences of cancer patients with return to work. A connecting thread in all of this work is a thoughtful and well- developed humanistic consideration of work-life balance. Through her work she has consistently demonstrated her ability to bring people together to achieve successful outcomes.
Debbie’s co-Associate Dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Lori Buchanan, says “Debbie provided me with a model of how to keep advocacy for students at the fore of every decision and every application of policy. I learned a great deal working with her and I had fun laughing with her”.
In the words of her colleague Dr. Dale Rajacich, “Debbie is generous, kind and caring. She does not seek accolades for her accomplishments and in the face of challenges remains respectful and calm, which are just two of her admirable qualities. I feel very fortunate to have worked with Debbie and consider our partnership and friendship highlights of my time at the University.”
“Debbie’s success at the University of Windsor is testament to her work ethic and her desire to make the University the best it can be” says Dean Patti Weir. Please join me in thanking Debbie, and congratulating her on a well-earned and well deserved retirement.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies is hosting an open house on Thursday June 27, 2024 from 3:00-5:00 pm in Freed-Orman. Please join us in celebrating Debbie.