Nurses have always played a vital role in a cancer patient’s journey – from helping patients navigate through the cancer care system to conducting life-saving transfusions to offering moral support for patients in their time of need. An investment in nursing education and research is an opportunity to contribute to a stronger Canadian healthcare system, which is why Merck Canada is committed to supporting nurses.

One of the ways Merck Canada supports oncology nurses is through two post-secondary scholarships and five bursaries awarded by the Canadian Nurses Foundation. First introduced in 2021, these awards support research, education and professional development for some of Canada’s top oncology nurses. The winners for 2021 exemplify the dedication and talent oncology nurses bring to both patients and in improving our health system. In this case, both scholarship recipients are committed to the important field of pediatric oncology, working to help some of society’s most vulnerable members.

She then discovered her passion for survivorship, advanced care planning and palliative care but, she adds, “I truly found my calling when I began my career at Emily’s House to work in pediatric palliative care.” Emily’s House is Toronto’s only hospice for children and families facing life-threatening illnesses. “It’s such a privilege and honour to support children and their families during such difficult times, to bring light, laughter and peace to the time they have left together physically.”

In 2020 she started in the nurse practitioner program at the University of Toronto in primary care with a collaborative specialty in palliative and supportive care.

Katie Webber is the PhD Recipient of the Merck Canada Oncology Nursing Award. She says as much as she chose a nursing career, nursing actually chose her because she is the sibling of a childhood cancer survivor. She became a pediatric oncology nurse after her graduation in 2011.

“I quickly learned that, while the work of a pediatric oncology nurse is quite technical, a nurse’s ability to connect relationally to patients and their families is just as significant as their mastery of technical skills,” she says. “It is not uncommon for nurses and parents to develop meaningful relationships. However, it can also become difficult to navigate professional boundaries in these relationships, particularly in an age where social media is an accessible and accepted form of communication.”

This nurse-parent relationship and how the online and offline professional boundaries are navigated is now the topic of her doctoral research at the University of Calgary.

As part of our ongoing commitment to support oncology nurses, the scholarships will be awarded again in 2022.

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