My name is Robin Coatsworth-Puspoky and I am an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My preparation and qualifications to serve on the Leadership Succession Committee (LSC) of Sigma for four years have evolved from my personal, professional, and leadership experiences. I believe that creating nursing community environments that foster change are foundational to the advancement of nursing knowledge, theory, research, practice and education. My pursuit of a PhD was driven by my father’s acute care experience through multiple hospital transitions and a desire to make the process better for other families. In 2022, I completed my PhD at the University of Alberta, Canada where I examined older persons with multiple chronic conditions’ unplanned readmission experiences. I have published on topics such as therapeutic relationships, families, poverty, social justice, knowledge translation, and older persons’ unplanned readmission experiences.
In my personal life, I have chaired and held membership in community committees and made a presentation to the local council. In 2008, my family and I presented council and community members with cell phones to improve the safety, health, and well-being of the community in the event of future emergencies at the landfill. In addition, twenty-four years of experience in teaching and clinical practice in hospital and community settings, have equipped me with leadership experiences. Combined, these experiences underpin the research and the organizations I engage with to improve older peoples’ and consumer/survivors’ health and well-being.
I am active with the Clinical Nurse Specialist Associations of Ontario (CNS-O) (2023) and Canada (CNS-C) (2023) and Sigma (2003). Since joining Sigma, I have held leadership positions at the chapter and regional level. At the chapter level, with Iota Omicron, I have served on many committees, been President, and am currently Treasurer. At the regional level, I have maintained membership, served on several committees, and been Chair of the Region 10 Conference Planning Committee. In these positions, I have had the honor and privilege of forming relationships to work with, and learn from local, regional, and international members of the Sigma community. Facilitating the development of relationships and networks between and among the members promotes and harnesses the passion and energy that we share as a global community for the advancement and expansion of nursing knowledge, research, practice, education, and scholarship. By serving with the LSC, I hope to contribute to the development and mentorship of future chapter, regional, and international nursing and Sigma leaders; support current chapter, regional, and international members and leaders; and learn about current needs from current leaders and past leaders. Over the next four years of my LSC term, my goal is to work with the LSC to strengthen the leadership succession planning of Sigma. Strong succession planning is a priority to ensure that the global diversity and the needs of our global membership are reflected on our election ballots. Thank you for the honor of being considered as a candidate to serve with the LSC of Sigma.