Claire graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from the York University Collaborative Program with Georgian College. Claire is currently working as a Public Health Nurse in the Smoke-Free Program at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. As a Public Health Nurse, she uses health promotion, policy development, and advocacy to encourage the reduction of commercial tobacco consumption and vaping. She thoroughly enjoys working with young adults and providing health education to students. She is very excited to begin her role as secretary for CHNIG.

Contact the Secretary at Secretary@CHNIG.org

Karen Parkinson is the Professional Practice Leader – Nursing and a Public Health Nurse at Toronto Public Health.  She has worked in public health for over 18 years in a variety of programs in Child Health and Development.  In addition, she has several years of experience as a Health Informatics PHN supporting nurses and other users of a community health information system.

She joined RNAO as a student and over the years has been a member of different interest groups.  Her passion is in community health nursing and therefore she has been a long-standing member of CHNIG.

Karen completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Ryerson University.  She is currently pursuing a Master of Nursing from Athabasca University.  Karen is certified in Community Health Nursing with the Canadian Nurses Association.  She coordinates a certification study group twice yearly for nurses from both within her health unit and other health units as well as home health nurses.

Contact Professional Nursing Practice Director (Public Health) at PublicHealthPractice@CHNIG.org

Austin is currently a Public Health Nurse at Niagara Region Public Health on the Healthy Schools Team. His focus and has been the development, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion programing across Ontario through his positions at Niagara Region Public Health and the Tobacco Control Area Network out of Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

Austin has been actively involved within the RNAO and CHNIG as a student, and Registered Nurse. He has used his leadership positions to not only advocate for student engagement in policy making, but the important role that community health nurses have within our health care system. He began his involvement with CHNIG as Keynote Speaker for the workshop: Exploring the World of Community Health Nursing.

Austin is interested in the use of graphics and marketing when delivering evidence-informed messaging to advocate for policy change. He is excited to use his skills to support the Board of Directors as Communications Director for the Website.

Contact the Website Director at Website@CHNIG.org

Kelly discovered her passion for community health when she worked at the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Health Care for a summer. This led her to further pursue opportunities at home and aboard to better understand social justice, health systems, and the nursing contributions in these areas. She has volunteered in May Pen, Jamaica to provide health services for an underserved community and finally, she chose to complete her consolidation on the Early Years Team at Southwestern Public Health Unit. Currently, Kelly works in the Child and Family program at VHA Home Healthcare. She is a Master of Nursing Candidate in the Health Systems Leadership and Administration program at the University of Toronto. She strives to leverage her competencies as a nursing leader to improve health outcomes of vulnerable populations through policies, programs, and partnerships on a local and global level. 

Kelly believes in the power of creativity and storytelling through imagery. She hopes to use photography and other medium to communicate stories, create conversations, and increase understanding of community health issues to influence change

Contact the Social Media Director at SocialMedia@CHNIG.org

Janet Leung is a Second-Entry Nursing Student, who is expected to graduate from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Program at York University in October 2019. She received a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Occupational and Public Health with a major in Public Health and Safety from Ryerson University.

She is passionate in caring and supporting individuals and diverse communities to promote health and wellbeing, and to enhance health protection and safety. She strives to improve the health of vulnerable populations with the aim of advancing health access and equity.

She collaborated with her clinical practicum team and community stakeholders to conduct thorough assessments and develop an accepted proposal to support LGBTQ2+ individuals (residents and staff) at a long-term care organization. She and her team presented Strengthening Community Ties: Supporting LGBTQ2+ Client Centred Care for Older Adults, including strategies to support and protect LGBTQ2+ staff in the workplace, at the National Community Health Nursing Conference: Caring, Connecting and Leading for a Healthy Canada in June 2018, Regina, SK. As a member of the Community Health Nurses of Canada (CHNC), she collaborated with the LGBTQ2+ workgroup to develop a policy brief to inform the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA) report, The Health of LGBTQIA2 Communities in Canada.

Recently, she completed her consolidation at the Toronto Public Health Communicable Diseases Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Program.

As a RNAO Student Liaison and CHNIG Student Representative, she will contribute to advancing community health nursing and nursing student education.

Contact the Student Representative at Student@CHNIG.org