Inspiring careers driving progress in cardiovascular care

The convivial presentation ceremony for the Dr. Denis Roy Awards for Excellence in Cardiovascular Care was a wonderful opportunity to showcase three exceptional careers and one visionary clinical initiative that illustrates the power of an integrated care model to prevent complications and provide a brighter future to patients with heart failure. 

Amandine Mériau

Amandine Mériau, head of the volunteer service and cross-functional projects, was praised for her mobilizing energy. Since 2015, she’s been energizing our volunteers and building a welcoming, profoundly human-centric environment for the teams who provide comforting daily care to patients. 

“Receiving a Dr. Denis Roy Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Care is both a huge honour and a very moving experience. It represents more than a professional achievement; it’s a testament to all the connections I’ve made and all the support and kindness I’ve received from every person who has had an impact on my career. And if this serves to teach my daughter that anything is possible with heart, perseverance, and a hint of audacity, then this award will be even more significant for me.” – Amandine Mériau, head of the volunteer service and cross-functional projects

Fabienne De Witte

Fabienne De Witte is a former orderly who has established herself as a clinical authority in her role as a nursing care advisor specializing in skin and wound management. She recently leveraged her scientific expertise — and commitment to compassion — to co-create the “Demande de consultation de plaie” (Wound Care Referral Request) app, an innovative tool that helps streamline care for the most complex cases. 

“Receiving this award is an immense source of pride and a wonderful recognition of my journey from care assistant to nursing care advisor. I accept this award with a lot of gratitude and humility, and I want to share it with every person who helped me on my journey and who believed in me. It’s also a huge source of motivation to pursue a mission that is dear to my heart: ensure practices evolve and help make a difference in the patient journey.” – Fabienne De Witte, nursing care advisor

Karine Deschênes

This year’s third recipient is outpatient clinical nurse Karine Deschênes, someone who is recognized as a quiet source of strength whom everyone turns to for support. She’s been a pillar of the MHI for the past 28 years and plays a key role in the success of the ICM-Info phone line. She also embodies the spirit of mentorship and passes on her knowledge to the next generation with exemplary generosity and composure. 

“I am deeply touched that my work is being recognized. In a broader sense, I view it as an acknowledgment of the important role nurses play in providing access to quality outpatient care. It also serves as a source of motivation for me as I pursue my work to help develop and improve this type of care!” – Karine Deschênes, outpatient clinical nurse

The Dr. Denis Roy Award for projects went to an innovative initiative called PIVOT-HF (Pragmatic Implementation of Vaccination: Optimizing the Trajectory in Heart Failure) focusing on the critical issue of vaccine hesitancy in patients with heart failure. 

It’s a project led by Christine Dinh with support from Dr. Amir Ibrahim, Numidia Lachelili, Alyssia Guénette, Ève-Marie Bordeleau, Dr. Anique Ducharme, and Adèle Magnan Robart. By making the review of vaccination records a systematic part of the outpatient clinic experience, PIVOT-HF positions preventive care as a means to lower the risk of cardiac decompensation and subsequent hospitalization. 

“Receiving this award is an enormous source of pride for me. It’s also a wonderful acknowledgement of the work, dedication, and multidisciplinary collaboration that has gone into the PIVOT-HF project. This is a powerful incentive for us to keep refining practices and improving the care provided to patients.” – Christine Dinh, pharmacist

Congratulations to the three winners and to the entire PIVOT-HF team for their dedication, expertise, and commitment to innovation. Their work has helped to reaffirm the MHI’s reputation for excellence in cardiovascular care.