Honouring Kindness, Compassion, and Community
Meet the Latest King Charles III Coronation Medal Recipients
Two more Lakehead researchers, and one of their partners, have been honoured for their outstanding community service with a prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Dr. Angela Hovey
Dr. Hovey—an associate professor and graduate coordinator of Lakehead's School of Social Work in Orillia—was awarded and presented the medal by Ontario Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont during a ceremony at Queen's Park in Toronto on May 6. She was chosen for her important work chairing the Hilary M. Weston Scholarship Selection Committee for six years.
Dr. Hovey (left) accepts her King Charles III Coronation Medal and certificate from Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont (right). Dr. Hovey and her research team also won Lakehead's 2019 Community-Engaged Research Award for their work reducing women's barriers to accessing shelter services. In 2021, she received the student-nominated Contributions to Teaching Award.
The Hilary M. Weston Scholarship commemorates Ontario's 26th lieutenant governor and is awarded annually to two Ontario graduate social work students by an appointed committee of social work scholars.
"The scholarship program represents Hilary Weston's legacy as lieutenant governor who, during her term, became passionate about helping address homelessness and mental health issues," Dr. Hovey says.
As committee chair, Dr. Hovey brought leadership and a strong focus on community-based research, drawing upon her many years of clinical practice experience in the areas of violence, trauma, and substance abuse in federal and provincial prisons, community agencies, and private-practice settings.
"To award this scholarship to students whose research was advancing social work practice with vulnerable populations was inspiring and exciting," Dr. Hovey says, "especially since it's the only dedicated graduate social work scholarship for students conducting mental health research. As a professor, I want to nurture highly skilled social workers who can contribute to this work in a positive way."
For Dr. Hovey, the medal symbolizes her commitment to the social work profession and her efforts to promote student-led scholarship.
Dr. Elaine Wiersma and Bill Heibein
Dr. Wiersma and her collaborator Bill Heibein were jointly presented with their medals by Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland (who also nominated them) in an April 22 ceremony at Thunder Bay's Whitewater Golf Club for their extraordinary work supporting people with dementia.
“Supporting people with dementia and their care partners and fighting the stigma I see them experiencing drives my work,” says Dr. Elaine Wiersma (right). “I’ve known people who’ve declined rapidly after a diagnosis because they buy into dementia stigma,” adds her community partner Bill Heibein (left).
Dr. Wiersma is an associate health sciences professor, a researcher with Lakehead's Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health (CERAH), and the director of the Dementia Café, which gives people with dementia and their care partners the opportunity to socialize and build connections. In addition, she helped establish the North West Dementia Working Group, a grassroots advocacy organization run by people with dementia and their care partners.
"Our work at Lakehead University is done together with the community of those impacted by dementia," Dr. Wiersma says. "It's a collective endeavour."
One of her favourite community partners is 84-year-old Bill Heibein, who was a chartered accountant and the owner of a horse farm when he was diagnosed with dementia. "My doctors gave me three to five years before I would be unable to function properly and would have to go into a home," Bill says. "That was 26 years ago and I'm still living on my farm."
"Bill is inspirational," Dr. Wiersma says. "He's a founding member of the North West Dementia Working Group and the Dementia Café. He also serves coffee and tea and plays in his Bottom of the Barrel band at the Café. Sharing this award with him is a real honour."
"Receiving the medal with Elaine made it very special to me," Bill agrees. "This award affirms that people with dementia can be vital community members. So many people believe the stigma about dementia and give up when they're diagnosed, but our initiatives give people hope by showing them what they're capable of. I tell everyone that being with others and being outdoors are the most important things you can do when you have dementia."