The CAP Fellowship group at the Interim Project Presentations last month. Joey and Toby Tanenbaum’s gift enabled five nurses to participate in the CAP Innovation and Research Fellowship Program. (L to R: Sharon Cudek, Ruthie Anderson, Anne Hu, Sharon Ryan, Rebecca Bliss, R.J. Edralin, Shawn Luo, Gloria Leung, Judy Jung, Ingrid Turner.)
When Joey Tanenbaum was admitted to Toronto General Hospital, the hospital was near capacity. But despite the busy ward, he immediately noticed that the nurse taking care of him, as well as other patients in the room, treated everyone with equal dignity, respect, and kindness.
Inspired by the incredible care he received, Joey and his wife, Toby, established the Joey & Toby Tanenbaum Christmas Fund on November 19, 2013. Each year, the fund enables five point-of-care nurses to participate in UHN's Collaborative Academic Practice (CAP) Innovation and Research Fellowship Program at Toronto General Hospital.
This year, we celebrate the fund's first five CAP Innovation and Research Fellows: Ruthie Anderson, Sharon Cudek, Judy Jung, Gloria Leung, and Ingrid Turner. The fellows are currently pursuing initiatives from promoting nursing involvement in antimicrobial stewardship in the Multi-Organ Transplant Unit to a skin health improvement project to mitigate pressure ulcers. Each outstanding project has the potential to be adapted and applied to other patient care areas.
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Carolyn Plummer, Senior Manager, Innovation Practice-Based Research and Innovation Collaborative Academic Practice believes the program leads sustainable change by identifying and addressing existing gaps in care.
"We are fundamentally changing the patient experience through this program because we are able to support meaningful change right at the point of care," she said.
The CAP Innovation and Research Fellowship Program is intended for healthcare professionals who do not already have professional development or research time built into their roles. Participants use research evidence to inform their knowledge and generate new knowledge that helps drive change to improve patient care.
