Celebrating excellence

Salima Meherali, Neelam Punjani, Sherry Dahlke, Colleen Norris

November was an exciting month for the Faculty of Nursing, with many of our faculty members receiving prestigious awards and recognition for their exceptional contributions to nursing education, research and community impact.

Congratulations to associate professor Salima Meherali, who was named one of WXN’s 2024 Most Powerful Women Top 100 for her outstanding work in advancing reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health. Her efforts, particularly in supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, earned her the Canadian Tire Community Impact Award. 

Assistant professor Neelam Punjani also joined the ranks of WXN’s 2024 Most Powerful Women Top 100, receiving the Amex Emerging Leaders Award for her research on empowering children’s and adolescents' sexual health. By collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and using digital health technologies, Punjani is making a difference in creating equitable and inclusive sexual health education.

Punjani’s achievements didn’t stop there; she was also named to Edify’s 2024 Top 40 Under 40 list for her work addressing sexual health education gaps between first- and second-generation immigrant families. Through interactive workshops and online tools, she is reshaping how these vital conversations take place.

We are also incredibly proud to celebrate Colleen Norris and Sherry Dahlke, who were recognized by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) for their outstanding contributions to the nursing field. Norris received the Nursing Research Excellence Award for her groundbreaking work in women’s cardiovascular health, while Dahlke was honoured with the Excellence in Nursing Education Award for her leadership in gerontological nursing education. Both have achieved international recognition for their research while also educating students, professionals and the broader public about their areas of expertise.

These achievements are a testament to the incredible talent, passion and dedication of our faculty members in advancing nursing education, research and community health. A huge congratulations to all the honorees for their well-deserved recognition!