Report to Community

Hello, everyone. I’m Catherine Laing, the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, and it’s my privilege to welcome you to our 2026 Report to Community.

In this year’s report we review landmarks from the past 12 months. Whether that’s celebrating the broadening of access to nursing education, research that leads to solutions for real-world problems, or deepening our community ties across all our work, this report illustrates how we contribute to nursing and health care in Alberta, in line with our strategic commitments.

Strategic Commitment 1: Increase Access to Future-Focused Health-Care Education

This year, we’ve focused on consolidating projects and partnerships we’ve established to address nursing shortage across the province. This year we celebrated 23 graduates from our rural and Indigenous community route including our first cohort of six graduating nurses from the Siksika Old Sun Community College, standing as a powerful example of what we can achieve together.

We also continue to create transformative learning experiences. An example of this was several UCalgary Nursing students participating in a mass casualty simulation, hosted by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. The immersive experience strengthened teamwork, communication, and clinical decision-making in a realistic emergency response setting.

Strategic Commitment 2: Amplify the Power of Research and Innovation

Our researchers and scholars continue to tackle the biggest health, wellness, and societal challenges. This year, we secured over $2 million in grants to fuel research with real-world impact in Alberta and beyond. 

In October, Dr. Jacqueline Smith published her research on work that helps emergency room staff look after their mental health, illustrating our commitment to support nurses throughout their career. Dr. Smith was the speaker at our November Food for Thought breakfast, when to a room full of colleagues, supporters and partners, she and her team explained how her research supports nurses who work in challenging environments. 

In January we were thrilled to announce that Dr. Shane Sinclair was named the inaugural Cross-Canada Research Chair in Compassionate Care. His important work addresses how delivering care with compassion positively affects both patients and health-care providers. 

And we’re proud to celebrate our award-winning research community: 

• Bill Zheng, is UCalgary’s first Pathy Foundation Fellowship recipient;
• Dr. Jennifer Jackson, is a 2026 Parex Fellowship awardee; 
• Alex Cuncannon, is a Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholar. 

And, Sondra Wesner was a well-deserved recipient of a 2025 Teaching Award for Graduate Assistants. 

Strategic Commitment 3: Strengthen Community Engagement

This year, over $2 million was made available to the Faculty of Nursing through gifts from donors who support our research and wider work. 

Alongside the support we received from external supporters, within the faculty we continued to place community at the centre of our work, through events such as our annual Schumacher alumni lecture, or supporting the University’s United Way campaign with our Winter Warmth gathering, and one-off events like Pie a Prof – where several of the leadership team and faculty volunteered to be “pied” to raise funds for undergraduates.  These events all share a theme; they reflect our commitment to connection and care for communities both within and adjacent to the university. These moments also remind us that our strength lies in our people and our relationships. They remind us that slowing down, connecting and having fun with colleagues and students is vital in building and maintaining community engagement. 

As UCalgary marks its 60th anniversary, I’m reminded that our Faculty’s story is one of resilience, innovation, and, above all, connection. Whether you’re a University of Calgary student, alumni, donor, or community partner, you are part of this journey.

As you explore this report, I hope you share my pride in what we have achieved in the past 12 months.

Thank you for being part of our story. Here’s to more innovation, support and community building next year.