Dr. Netha Dyck and Dr. Donna Martin.
Nursing faculty honoured with prestigious fellowships
College of Nursing leadership has been recognized on the national stage for their contributions to clinical practice, education, administration, research and policy.
College of Nursing dean Dr. Netha Dyck and associate dean (graduate programs) Dr. Donna Martin were inducted as fellows in the Canadian Academy of Nursing.
In a virtual ceremony Oct. 15, Martin was one of 38 fellows inducted in the second annual class of fellows to be named since the academy was established in 2019. The inaugural class was announced in September 2020 at which Dyck was inducted.
Martin said she is honoured to be among the esteemed company, which includes many researchers that she has cited in her own work.
“This is going to be a great opportunity for me to learn from these individuals and decide how best we can, as a collective group, mentor upcoming fellows and new nurses,” Martin said.
Martin began her nursing career in 1976 when she became a registered nurse through the Health Sciences Centre. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from UM in 1991 and 1997 respectively, and a PhD from University of British Columbia in 2006.
While working on her master’s degree, she began researching the quality of work life for outpost nurses in northern Manitoba, and became passionate about social justice, health equity and providing better health-care services to First Nations communities.
Martin currently serves as a co-principal investigator on a study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research looking at the perspectives of Little Saskatchewan First Nation youth impacted by a 2011 human-made flood that was the result of water being diverted from Winnipeg to 17 First Nations communities.
“Eight years of displacement created profound disruption in all facets of the youth’s lives. They wanted to have a voice at the decision-making table about land, water and human management,” Martin said. “The study’s findings align with CNA’s dedication to cultural safe nursing practice and the disruption of racism.”
Dyck congratulated Martin on the accomplishment, noting the fellowship represents the highest honour for Canada’s nursing leaders.
“We’re so proud of Donna’s exemplary leadership in the delivery of master’s and doctoral education and preparing exceptional nurse leaders,” she said. “We also celebrate her remarkable contributions to nursing research, policy and advocacy.”
An alumna of the UM nursing program, Dyck is an acclaimed leader in nursing administration and education. She has earned awards from provincial, national and international bodies, including the Ethel Johns Award from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing in 2016.
Prior to her appointment as dean in 2018, she spent almost 13 years as dean of the School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon. She was also director of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s personal care home program from 1998 to 2005.
Dyck was one of 46 fellows inducted in the academy’s inaugural class last year.
“It was a real honour to be named an inaugural Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing. It has been such a privilege to work with and learn from inspiring leaders and colleagues throughout my dynamic career in leadership in both health care and education,” she said.