PhD Student Receives SK Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship
A partnership between the University of Saskatchewan and the Government of Saskatchewan has provided major financial assistance to students in the past and this year, the College of Nursing is extremely pleased to announce graduate student Mary Ellen Walker has received a 2015 Saskatchewan Innovation & Opportunity Scholarship in the amount of $20,000.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) student is just completing her first year of studies and is supervised by College of Nursing Associate Professor Dr. June Anonson from the Prince Albert Campus and Michael Szafron, from the University of Saskatchewan School of Public Health. “Mary Ellen is one of those “dream students” you always pray to have the pleasure of working with,” said Anonson. “She has been a selfless, diligent learner who never ceases to amaze me at the depths of her work ethic and commitment to her research, study, family and friends. Mary Ellen is achieving great things in her work and I am grateful for any small part I can play in this extraordinary journey!”.
When asked about her PhD studies, Mary Ellen replied, “I chose to do my PhD because I enjoy research and I think research is a valuable way that nurses can contribute to improving the health of many people.” The Saskatchewan Innovation & Opportunity Scholarship program will support Mary Ellen’s research in one of the University's six signature areas - One Health: Solutions at the Animal-Human-Environment Interface. “My research interests’ lie in international health and the ways that health and access to health services are impacted by the diverse contexts in which people live their lives” said Walker. “I believe the nursing profession has the potential to lead in addressing international health issues.” This year 36 recipients were chosen from 179 student and department-nominated applications.
“College of Nursing graduate students, like Mary Ellen, are a great example of how nurse scientists are working to understand and solve pressing social, civic and ethical problems that lead to poor health in our communities,” says College of Nursing Interim Graduate Chair, Dr. Jennifer Kryworuchko. “Indeed, social justice is one of the College and nursing profession’s core values; a belief in the value of human life, the inherent worth of the individual, the right of each individual to the attainment of a high standard of health. The College is committed to working with communities to achieve these rights.”