Gabriela Digesu, a third-year BScN student, reviews the Faculty of Nursing’s new strategic plan, eager to see it in action as she prepares to wrap up the Winter term.
The Faculty of Nursing has launched its strategic plan, Advancing Nursing and Health Care: Education, Research, and Partnership, aligning with the University’s Aspire plan.
Introduced at the beginning of January, the plan was developed through an inclusive process incorporating more than 6,100 data points, ideas, and suggestions from students, staff, faculty, and community partners. It builds on recent achievements while charting a sustainable path forward.
With six strategic priorities guiding decision-making through 2025 and beyond, the faculty is committed to advancing nursing education, research, and practice while continuously adapting to the evolving needs of the profession.
“I am thrilled to move forward with our ambitious and strategic plan that was built on a foundation of our faculty’s hard work,” says Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine, dean of the Faculty of Nursing. “This plan will inspire new conversations and ways of collaborating while shaping a bright future for our students, faculty, health-care system, and the community.”
The plan begins with a launch phase lasting until fall 2025, establishing infrastructure, refining processes, and implementing initial initiatives. Subsequent phases will align objectives with the academic calendar, integrate budgeting, and evaluate progress. Regular reviews will include faculty council updates every six months and annual impact reports.
This evolving plan ensures UWindsor nursing remains a leader in education, research, and health-care innovation, says Dr. Sheppard-LeMoine: “By fostering meaningful collaboration, supporting students and faculty, and investing in growth, the faculty is positioning itself for a stronger, more transformative future.”
View the Faculty of Nursing Strategic plan 2025-2030.
2025Educating Nurses for the Future of Health CareStorytelling/Branding and VisibilityEngaging Communities
Don’t miss out on exciting events that will benefit Teach Tanzania, a multidisciplinary international service-learning (ISL) program.
Binge on a book, test your smarts, fight the bulge, or just indulge. Third-year nursing students have helped organize fundraisers that will surely get your heart rate up – or help bring it back down!
Fundraisers include:
Proceeds from the fundraisers will support Teach Tanzania, a multidisciplinary international service-learning (ISL) program led by Clinton Beckford, professor in the Faculty of Education. Part of the funds will help provide essential health and self-care items, including oral hygiene kits, menstrual products, mosquito nets for at-risk families, and sponsorships for girls attending the Empowerment and Leadership Camp portion of the program.
The Teach Tanzania team comprises BScN students, Faculty of Education teacher candidates and graduate students, along with several faculty and support members. Starting April 24, they will embark on a three-week trip, offering education on leadership and empowerment, social justice, health and well-being, and sustainable school food security projects to grade school students in Tanzanian communities such as Singida and Moshi.
“This trip is extra special because it marks the first time that nursing students will be part of the initiative,” says Rachel Elliott, professor in the Faculty of Nursing. “Providing perspectives that help address health disparities and enhance intersectoral collaboration in primary health care is incredibly fulfilling.”
“We’re very excited and grateful for this joint project with Dr. Beckford and the Faculty of Education.”
Sign up today for the events and stay connected with the latest updates on Instagram.
2025Engaging Communities
Binge on a book, test your smarts, fight the bulge, or just indulge. Third-year nursing students have helped organize fundraisers that will surely get your heart rate up – or help bring it back down!
Fundraisers include:
UWindsor nursing alumna and health-care leader Donna Wellington shares industry insight and aims to inspire nurses to explore diverse career paths and drive meaningful change.
UWindsor nursing alumna and distinguished health-care leader Donna Wellington shares industry insight and aims to inspire nurses to explore diverse career paths and drive meaningful change.
“Be authentic,” says Donna Wellington emphatically. “Use your voice positively to be heard, foster connections, and seek to understand.”
Wellington (BScN 1994, MBA 2004) is a Black health-care leader with over 27 years of executive experience at Henry Ford Health in Detroit. Currently, she is senior vice-president - chief ambulatory officer, and vice-president system primary health.
Her roles have included appointments that oversee strategic direction and operational performance that aim to enhance the quality and delivery of care in both hospital and ambulatory settings — medical services that involve patients who are not admitted to a hospital stay. Her path has been one of resilience, determination, and commitment to quality care.
As a child of a single parent raised in a predominantly white neighborhood, Wellington understood early in life the importance of pride in her identity and the power of a strong work ethic — virtues her mother passed on to her.
“Embrace who are unapologetically, generate a sense of belonging, and contribute to the conversation you are a part of,” says the Windsor native.
These words resonated deeply, especially in a field like nursing, where collaboration and advocacy are essential.
Her belief in the power of human connection fuelled her decision to start a career in nursing. She shares the idea that nursing is a privilege, given the opportunity to care for individuals during their most vulnerable moments.
“Honesty and integrity lead to trust and trust is essential in patient relationships,” says Wellington. “Nurses cannot lose sight of that as the connections your forge with your patients leave lasting impressions.”
She appreciates the advancement of technology and artificial intelligence to streamline workplace processes but stresses the importance of balance. She voices concern about how too much technology can affect genuine human interaction — an element vital for expressing sincere compassion to individuals and their families during hospital visits.
“We spend a lot of time with patients, and they remember feelings of what they went through,” she says. “The delivery of good news, bad news, the support that’s given to the family. It is vital in nursing education to always prioritize compassionate care and relationship-building, even in a tech-driven environment.”
Donna Wellington practices an eye exam and ambulating a patient (fellow student) at a lab session at University of Windsor, 1991.
Wellington values mentorship and hopes to see more nurses making an impact in non-traditional nursing settings such as in high executive (C-suite) roles, health-care analytics, advocacy, research, and compliance. The pandemic affected nursing, and she believes that informing prospective students about opportunities beyond conventional jobs can revitalize a profession in desperate need to meet health-care demands.
“I have a career for life that I am blessed to serve every day,” she says. “I’m an example of how you can make contributions outside of standard nursing paths.”
In addition to her current post at Henry Ford Health System, Wellington’s other appointments include:
Wellington has also served in various roles and received honours such as:
Wellington understands and takes pride in the fact that she’s a nurse first, noting that it’s a fantastic field of work where there is no shortage of action.
“You truly can make an impact on not only those that you serve, but your workplace partners because it takes a team to provide great care to even just one patient,” says Wellington. “And use your voice constructively. It matters.”
2025Black History MonthEducating Nurses for the Future of Health CareEngaging Communities
Professor Kathryn Pfaff leads the Health and Wellness Friendly Communities project.
The 2024 Great Lakes Biennial Nursing Conference attracted over 100 attendees, showcased 40 health care presentations and posters, and featured Indigenous Research Chair and guest speaker, Dr. Holly Graham.
Over 100 guests attended the Great Lakes Biennial Nursing Conference, held on Nov. 23 at University of Windsor’s Vanier Hall.
Keynote speaker Holly Graham highlighted the impact of racism on the health outcomes of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Peoples, and provided a practical approach to addressing racism in the health care setting utilizing her “CPR RACISM toolkit.”
Stacey Nahdee, First Nations Cultural Practitioner, began the conference with a traditional ceremonial opening to welcome an audience comprised of students, alumni, former faculty members, researchers, clinicians, health-care associations, and members of other universities and colleges.
Dr. Graham’s knowledge and experience provided a glimpse of the realities of health care challenges affecting Indigenous peoples. She stressed the importance of acting with kindness and with an anti-racism approach. Graham offered pragmatic solutions, engaged in a captivating Q-and-A session, and shared tips on addressing racism in the workplace.
Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine, praised Graham’s wisdom and research strategies and emphasized how it will benefit UWindsor’s path moving forward relative to Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations for the faculty’s nursing programs.
A soothing break in the conference was provided by students from the massage and hydrotherapy program from the Canadian College of Health Science & Technology. Suffice it to say, the free massage sessions were a hit.
Throughout the event, over 40 oral presentations and research posters spread over multiple rooms covered such topics as:
“One presentation that stood out for me was 'Influencing Outcomes through an Evidence-Based Nurse-Driven Telemetry Discontinuation Protocol'," says BScN student Sedat Karabulut. "It showcased a real-world example of integrating technology into nursing practice and how healthcare and nursing are rapidly evolving through those tech advancements."
The conference’s People’s Choice Awards winning posters for the Best Undergraduate Student Poster belonged to "Mental Health Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences: Neglect and Maltreatment in Canadians" by Dami Babs-Olorunfemi, Maggie Zhu, and Chisom Jennifer Obiora, while the Best Graduate Student Presentation was awarded to "Social Support of Pregnant Women During COVID-19 Restrictions" by Natalie Sykora.
Based on the success of the event, conference chair and UWindsor associate professor of nursing, Jody Ralph, is looking forward to the next event in two years.
2024Indigenous Health CareConference
Over 100 guests attended the Great Lakes Biennial Nursing Conference, held on Nov. 23 at University of Windsor’s Vanier Hall.
Keynote speaker Holly Graham highlighted the impact of racism on the health outcomes of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Peoples, and provided a practical approach to addressing racism in the health care setting utilizing her “CPR RACISM toolkit.”
