UBC Health Awards: Anja Lanz, Lelainia Lloyd, & Bruce Raber Receive Kerston Award
On May 31st, Anja Lanz, Lelainia Lloyd, and Bruce Raber were presented with the R. Paul Kerston Community Educator Award for patient and community educators who have made a difference to student learning at UBC. The trio were honoured at the annual UBC Health Awards reception for their outstanding contributions to health professional education at UBC.
For the first time since he retired and the award was created in his name in 2014, Paul Kerston joined the event in person.
“It’s an honour to have this award in my name. I’m really pleased to be here, and by that I mean alive to see this award. I was proud to be a part of [the Health Mentors Program] during the time that I was here before I retired and I’m very certain that the awardees we’re honouring today are people who exemplify the goals of the program,” said Paul.
Anja and Lelainia were in attendance and shared a few words about their experiences.
“This is an award that you are nominated for by the students you are affecting in your mentoring and it ultimately goes both ways because the students are affecting me as well. I have learned from my students that I have affected some of their career choices and this is very rewarding,” said Anja.
“We leverage the power of our lived experiences to help our students gain insight into what it’s like to live with chronic illness and disability. We pour time, energy, love and support into helping them fully realize their potential and become the kind of medical professionals we dream of having. In two different medical settings, I was cared for by two nurses, who were graduates of the Health Mentors program. Their care was exceptional and I was able to witness them modeling truly patient-centred care to their colleagues. It has been a true privilege to be a part of this incredible community and I am humbled and grateful for the recognition I received tonight,” said Lelainia.
Bruce was unable to attend the reception but was recognized for his contributions to the Health Mentors program and for shaping the redesign of the integrated curriculum workshops on collaborative decision-making as an inaugural patient co-facilitator.
Visit the 36:00 minute mark of the video to watch the presentations and hear the full speeches from this year’s Kerston award recipients. Stay tuned for the next call for nominations coming this Fall 2022!