Dr. Joan Lesmond was a nursing leader who championed diversity and inclusion in Canadian healthcare and worked tirelessly to promote IENs’ full integration to nursing in Ontario. Joan passed away in October 2011 at the age of 59. As a nurse, educator, advocate and mentor, Joan had a profound and widespread impact on the nursing profession and community-based healthcare. She was active in many nursing associations and was an early advisor to CARE Centre, which founded the IEN of the Year Awards in her name, with her blessing, for the organization’s 10th anniversary.

The CARE Centre Joan Lesmond IEN of the Year Awards celebrated 10 years in 2022 as part of CARE Centre’s 20^th anniversary. To build on CARE Centre’s organizational mandate, we have updated the nomination process for the submission criteria to reflect CARE Centre’s core values:
Respect, Teamwork, Accountability, Professionalism, Compassion, Diversity