2019 Spring/Summer | TouchPoints

Ken and Sheila McArthur

Posted by Kathryn Choi in 2019 Spring/Summer

Back to Table of Contents Giving Back to the Next Century: Philanthropic Couple Supports a New Generation of Nurse Practitioners Ken and Sheila McArthur Shallow breathing, fever, fingertips that turn blue. Pneumonia can be frightening at any age, but Ken McArthur’s lungs had turned infectious not once but twice—before the age of six. “Without my mother’s dedication,” he says, “I’m not sure I would be here today.” In his eighties now, Ken speaks reverently of his mother, Elizabeth McArthur. In 1917, she graduated from the Calgary General Hospital School…read more

Jun.07

Systems Change

Posted by Kathryn Choi in 2019 Spring/Summer

Back to Table of Contents Systems Change Envisioning a Canada Beyond Prohibition Imagine a future where people have access to a safe and regulated supply of substances. That was the vision of about 300 people who attended a free public forum on “new models for drug policy grounded in compassion, human rights, and public health,” held at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on Hastings Street in Vancouver on May 15, 2019. The event was co-sponsored by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, BCCDC Foundation for Public Health,…read more

Jun.06

Vivian Lucas

Posted by Kathryn Choi in 2019 Spring/Summer

Back to Table of Contents Vivian Lucas – A Portrait in Giving As a UBC Nursing alumna and retired nurse, Vivian Lucas is passionate about the value of education over training, so she created the Vivian Lucas Scholarship in Acute Care Nursing. The scholarship is offered to student nurses who have demonstrated excellent communication, leadership and adaptability—especially those with an interest in, and aptitude for, acute care nursing. One of our favourite “friends of the school,” Vivian answered a few questions about her experiences in giving, with a view…read more

Jun.05

Ethel Johns

Posted by Kathryn Choi in 2019 Spring/Summer

Back to Table of Contents Ethel Johns: National Person of Historical Significance In February of 2015, Canada’s National Parks Board presented the School of Nursing with a plaque dedicated to Ethel Johns. One hundred years after she accepted the dual role as Head of the Department of Nursing and Superintendent of Nursing at the Vancouver General Hospital, Miss Johns’ plaque was erected on the path between the UBC Hospital and the Health Sciences Mall. On February 26, 2019, the official unveiling revealed the culmination of twelve years’ hard work…read more

Jun.04

History of Nursing Symposium 2019

Posted by Kathryn Choi in 2019 Spring/Summer

Back to Table of Contents History of Nursing Symposium 2019 100 Years of University Nursing Education at UBC Looking Back and Looking Forward “Do you think we can rest satisfied with what we have? It is good, yes, but not good enough. Now what are we nurses going to do about it?” This is the question posed in 1919 by UBC School of Nursing’s first Director Ethel Johns in an address to staff and pupils at Vancouver General Hospital. Dr Susan Duncan, Professor and Director at the University of…read more

Jun.03

Centenary Gala

Posted by Kathryn Choi in 2019 Spring/Summer

Back to Table of Contents Centenary Gala A Special Evening for Special People “We really set the bar!” Elizabeth Saewyc announced, after hosting the School of Nursing’s Centenary Gala on May 2, 2019. The sold-out event had received the generous support of the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science, James Olson, and benefited from the enthusiastic presence of UBC’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Santa J. Ono and other luminaries. The energy was high, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was sparkling, the plated meal was delicious, the formal program proceeded swiftly…read more

Jun.02

Director’s Message 2019SS

Posted by Kathryn Choi in 2019 Spring/Summer

Back to Table of Contents DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE At this halfway point in our centenary celebrations, the School of Nursing is thrilled with the support and good wishes received from colleagues, partners, politicians, and others among our nursing community. Our last issue encapsulated some of the excitement we felt as we began planning for our year-long celebration. Now, the events are unfolding, and this issue is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date and informed about our memorable events, including: the Ethel Johns Plaque, honouring a woman of national historic importance as…read more

Jun.01