Anisa Salad is the first in her family to receive a nursing degree, and also the first to pursue a master’s degree, an achievement, she says, that has been shaped and influenced not only by her parents who immigrated to Canada in the early 1990’s, but also by the supports she has received throughout her education.
Salad is the inaugural recipient of Bloomberg Nursing’s Graduate Nurses’ Student Society Black and Indigenous award, which was created in 2022 by members of the Graduate Nurses’ Student Society. The aim of the award is to cultivate Black and Indigenous nursing leaders who will make an impact on the health care system and the future of nursing leadership.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have received this award which has provided both emotional and financial support for me,” says Salad. “Black individuals in higher academia face a unique experience that not everyone understands, and this award has given me a sense of inclusion and belonging in the community at U of T and the Faculty of Nursing.”
March 28th is U of T Giving Day, and the Graduate Nurses’ Student Society Black and Indigenous Award is one of Bloomberg Nursing’s featured funds to which anyone can donate to help support our future nurses. Funds donated on this day, will be matched by the university up to $1000.
Having worked as a registered nurse for almost four years in an emergency department in Etobicoke and downtown Toronto, Salad developed her main motivation for pursuing graduate studies and becoming a nurse practitioner. Seeing so many of the health disparities in the communities she was working in on full display and having such a negative impact on the health of individuals, including poor access to timely care and food insecurity, made her want to attempt to manage some of those upstream health issues.
“At Bloomberg Nursing, what has really stood out for me are the opportunities we are given to conduct and understand nursing related research, including from a health equity and health promotion perspective,” says Salad.
One of her short-term goals following the completion of her master’s program is to conduct research in health policy and promotion that is directly related to facilitating health promotion strategies, specifically geared towards maternal care for immigrants and newcomers who may otherwise not have access to timely care.
Without the support of donor funded awards, Salad acknowledges that her pursuit of higher education would have been extremely difficult.
“I just want to say thank you to the students and individuals who helped start this award and built it from the ground up. Something like this can have a huge impact on the individuals it benefits,” says Salad. “To future donors, you have a chance to make difference in the landscape of nursing leadership, and your support is genuinely appreciated.”
Learn more about U of T Giving Day.