This award is designed to honour and recognize active COHNA/ACIIST members who demonstrate extraordinary involvement and achievement in occupational health nursing at a local, provincial/territorial and/or national level.
The award recognizes a combination of:
- outstanding occupational health nursing endeavours in areas of practice, education, research and/or leadership in mentoring others.
- outstanding volunteer endeavours which reflect commitment and leadership within the occupational health community.
The COHNA-ACIIST Board invites members to apply for the Award of Excellence by October 15 of each year. EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 15 for 2025!
At least two COHNA-ACIIST members must sign each nomination.
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- Nominations must be submitted to the COHNA-ACIIST Office using the form provided and must include a copy of the provincial association membership card. COHNA-ACIIST president will confirm receipt of nomination to nominator.
Forms
Award of Excellence Guidelines
Award of Excellence Nomination Form
National Award of Excellence 2025 Winner – Natalie Decker
Natalie Decker RNBN COHN(C) MER is the business owner of Decker Consulting – Occupational Health, Safety & Wellness. Her client span of service includes offshore oil and gas, marine companies, oil refining, transportation firms, federal postal services, mining, healthcare, service industries, retail sector, and universities. Natalie holds a nationally recognized OHS designation as a Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN), as well as, an OHS certification from the College of the North Atlantic. Her value for effectively meeting organizational needs is further enhanced with her business background through a Masters in Employment Relations (MER).
With 30 years of diverse Occupational Health Nurse experience and expertise, Natalie provides leadership and comprehensive services that focus on Risk Mitigation through Injury and Illness Management, Medical Surveillance, Health Promotion presentations, Mental Health First Aid training, Bio-screening clinics, Ergonomics, and Disability Management. Natalie’s professional work ethic and competencies have proven to be an asset to employers, as she tailors programs to corporate goals and objectives to provide a higher level of wellness among the working population.
Outside of work, Natalie has a passion for gardening, enjoys travelling and loves planning leisure time activities with her family and friends.
National Award of Excellence 2024 Winner – Anne Masters-Boyne
Anne Masters-Boyne obtained her Bachelor of Nursing (1982) & Master’s in Nursing (2007) from the University of New Brunswick. Her thesis focused on injury prevention & needlestick injuries among hospital-based health care workers in the Maritimes. She was the first UNB MN student to partner with Health Canada & conduct a secondary data analysis using the Canadian Needle Stick Surveillance Network database. Anne was the recipient of a Canadian Institute of Health Research Scholarship of $5,000 in 2007.
Anne’s Occupational Health Nursing (OHN) career began in 1985 when she became the first OHN at Saint John Shipbuilding building a robust Occupational Health Service (OHS) serving over 3000 employees. In 1987, she worked with Maritime Paper Products until 1990. She received her Diploma of Occupational Health Nursing from St. Lawrence College in 1989 & became COHNA(c) certified in 1989. In 1997, Anne began as an OHN with the Horizon Health Network OHS and developed numerous policies in collaboration with inter-disciplinary committees. In 2010, she became the OHS Regional Coordinator. In 2014, she embarked on a new project to reduce musculoskeletal injuries & costs as the Safe Patient Handling Program Coordinator and in 2020 she returned to OHS just as COVID was beginning.
Anne has served on the COHNA-ACIIST Board of Directors as the Director representing New Brunswick since 2014, serving as Secretary/Treasurer from 2016 to 2019, Vice-President in 2020, President from 2021-2022 & currently Past President since 2023. An active member with NBOHNG since 1986 she has served as Vice-President from 2007-2009 and President from 2009-2012. She has also been on the Conference Planning Committees for three national Occupational Health Nursing Conferences in both New Brunswick and Alberta. She was a key organizer of the Occupational Health Nurses Forum in 2017 and contributor to the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. She has also been involved in many policy/process changes within COHNA-ACIIST during her service.
Anne & her husband John are avid canoeists & enjoy back country camping. Anne also enjoys long walks in the woods, knitting and spending as much time as possible with her two grandchildren, Maggie, and Jack.
National Award of Excellence 2019 Winner –
Cathy Dormody
COHNA-ACIIST is pleased to announce that Cathy Dormody from Newfoundland-Labrador is the 2019 COHNA-ACIIST Award of Excellence recipient. Cathy holds a Bachelor of Nursing Degree from Memorial University as well as diplomas/certifications in Healthcare Leadership and Management, Disability Management, Occupational Health Nursing (CNA) and Health and Safety Consultant Certification (CSSE). She currently works with NL Power where she develops and delivers numerous Corporate Occupational Health Programs and Services.
Cathy has been on the COHNA-ACIIST Board since 2013 demonstrating exceptional national leadership as Vice-President, President, and current Past-President. She is very active with the Association of Occupational Health Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador serving as Secretary and President. She has planned and coordinated provincial and national OHN Conferences and is also the CSSE Vice-Chair (Avalon Chapter).
Cathy is a true visionary and took over the President role at a time when COHNA-ACIIST was struggling with our identity, mandate, and future. She breathed new life into our association through her no nonsense, thoughtful, diplomatic, and always humorous approach. She was a key person in the coordination of the first National Forum on Occupational Health Nursing in Canada in 2017 which lead to the development of our 5-year strategic plan. During her tenure, we have launched our new website in 2017, updated many policies, forged stronger relations with the CNA, participated in the OHN Indicator Survey, updated the COHNA-ACIIST Information Booklet and been represented at National Committees and Working Groups
Cathy is passionate about having Occupational Health Nursing represented and having a voice in the field of OH&S provincially and nationally. On behalf of the COHNA-ACIIST Board of Directors we wish to congratulate Cathy on this incredible achievement.
National Award of Excellence 2018 Winner – Juanita House
Juanita House is an Occupational Health Nurse Consultant superstar who founded Eisan Consulting in 2005 Juanita’s vision was to create a company that was devoted to assisting employers and employees in the prevention and management of occupational injury, illness & disability. Her mandate was to ensure Occupational Health Nurses were at the forefront of that service. Her career spans three decades including being an OHN educator and Subject Matter Expert for UNB COHN program, Disability Manager, Legal Nurse Consultant, and an investigator for the Alberta Government Protection for Persons in Care.. Juanita also sits on the Alberta Government’s Blood and Body Viral Infections (BBVI) expert panel adding an OHN voice to fitness to work when healthcare workers are diagnosed with BBVI and working as a team to ensure they have respectful outcomes to fitness to work. Juanita is a dedicated OHN who pursues this profession with autonomous passion and is privileged to be here with colleagues and peers!! She has received the Ruptash Mandryk AOHNA Nurse of the year award (2014), the AOHNA Chapter Award of Excellence (2018), was nominated for the Woman in Business Award (entrepreneur) 2017and Eisan Consulting has been nominated for the Canadian 2018 Business Award with the CV-Business magazine. Congratulations Juanita from COHNA-ACIIST and OHN’s across Canada!