A tribute video to nurses and the profession, messages of gratitude from UHN leadership and a panel discussion all shared centre stage with the annual DAISY Award winners as National Nursing Week 2025 got underway with the theme: “the power of nurses to transform health.”
“I thought the theme of this year was so important because I think it’s really vital that each one of us as nurses feel powerful and empowered to do good things,” Pam Hubley, Vice President and UHN’s Chief Nursing Executive, said at the event.
“And, collectively, we have done amazing things this year.”
Among achievements Pam listed: huge strides in filling nursing vacancies, dramatically reducing the turnover of nurses, doubling the number of nursing students at UHN and increasing training programs.
Dr. Kevin Smith, UHN President & CEO, said while scientific discovery and technological advances often get the attention and accolades, clinical care that has such an impact on the day-to-day work of UHN.
“Technology and buildings are just that,” he said. “Real human care that makes the difference for each and every patient and family every day is all about the clinical team, and it’s mostly about nurses.”
Prior to the DAISY Award portion of the event on Monday, which was also Indigenous Nurses Day, Pam hosted the latest instalment of the UHN Nursing Speaker series. It focused on how UHN nurses and future nurses, work toward transforming health either locally or globally.
The four panelists — registered nurse Amhara Duncan-Lindo, Advanced Practice Nurse Educator Liza Ng, registered practical nurse and Indigenous Patient Navigator Leonard Benoit, and fourth-year nursing student and clinical extern Grace Youhyun Yoon — discussed the impact of their work.
The DAISY Awards, which is an international program recognizing and celebrating the extraordinary clinical skills and compassionate care nurses display every day, closed out the event.
The honourees of this year’s DAISY Awards are:
Theresa McKnight, Lifetime Achievement Award
A nurse practitioner and post-transplant coordinator in UHN’s Ajmera Transplant Centre, Theresa is described as “one of a kind” and “a true health care hero,” by Maria-Jose Bouey, a longtime patient who nominated her for the award.
Theresa, who has worked at UHN’s Toronto General Hospital (TGH) for more than 40 years, earned a nursing diploma at George Brown College in 1982, a bachelor of science at then-Ryerson University in 2004 and graduated as a nurse practitioner from the University of Toronto in 2008.
“I have personally felt safe, supported and empowered with her as my nurse,” Maria-Jose wrote in her letter to the DAISY Award nominating committee. “Allowing my long-winded concerns to be heard, my laughs to be revived and my tears to have a place to fall, she has gone above and beyond to ensure my life is always worth fighting for.”
Maria-Jose went on to write that Theresa has the same types of interactions with other patients and her UHN colleagues, and “is the embodiment of outstanding health care.”
Chelsey McFarland, Nurse Leader Award
A registered nurse (RN) within the Medical Surgical/Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (MSNICU) at UHN’s Toronto Western Hospital, Chelsey was nominated for her “outstanding efforts and impact” on the Critical Care Nursing Sponsorship Program.
A new clinical leader within the TWH MSNICU, Chelsey serves as clinical facilitator for RN learners enrolled in the program, which has experienced higher enrollment of novice, new graduate nurses.
“Chelsey’s mentorship, support, coaching and strength-based approach has allowed her to serve as a pivotal catalyst for these nurses, who are transitioning into the critical care environment,” Stefanie Lamoureux, Course Coordinator and Instructor within the Critical Care Sponsorship Program at TWH, wrote in her letter to the nominating committee. “Chelsey takes great honour in developing and establishing a professional relationship with the learners and has become a role model for many of the novice nurses within the program.”
In addition to being lauded for her coaching and mentorship skills with learners, Chelsey was singled out for her dedication to the MSNICU and the profession of nursing, as well as her energy and optimism.
All Nursing Staff on Unit 6A, Toronto General, Nursing Team Award
The team on the Transplant/Nephrology Inpatient and Transplant Day Units at TGH was recognized for the professionalism, kindness and compassion they bring to their work everyday.
“I got to witness the joy and pride every team members brought to their role and it was truly inspiring,” Andrew Clementino Aguiar, a patient on 6A, wrote in a letter to the DAISY Award nominating committee. “The team was flawlessly committed to their mission of healing and to ensuring every patient’s needs were addressed.”
A Canadian Afghan War veteran, Andrew says his main day support nurse “came in every morning like a ray of sunshine” as did everyone else on the team.
“I joined the Canadian Forces and served my country with the understanding I was defending places just like 6A,” Andrew wrote. “(Unit) 6A turned out to be exactly what being Canadian is all about.
“It takes work to build and maintain a place as beautiful as we call home. On 6A, they are doing that work, they are doing it well.”
