From being among the earliest cohort of doctoral-prepared nurses (making up only 3% of nurses in Canada at the time) to the first research nurse in Canada funded by the MRC (Medical Research Council of Canada) to her pioneering work measuring neonatal pain, Celeste Johnston was always ahead of the curve. Last December, Professor Johnston received the country’s highest honour when she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her foundational research in neonatal pain and for further advancing the field as a beloved mentor.
Currently a scientist at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Celeste Johnston is Emeritus Professor, Ingram School of Nursing, with associate appointments at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and Ste. Justine’s Hospital. Funded primarily by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Professor Johnston’s research focuses on the measurement of pain and non-pharmacological pain management in preterm neonates. Her research has had a profound impact on how health care professionals understand and manage pain in premature infants who spend their earliest weeks in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).
Ironically, when the call about the Order of Canada came through, Professor Johnston debated whether to answer the phone, as it was a long distance number and she had been receiving many spam calls from the Ottawa area. Her initial reaction was disbelief; it was only after she received the confirmation email from the Governor General’s office that she was able to appreciate enormity of this honour. “I was humbled at first and then very proud because it recognizes the whole area of neonatal pain research and the work of my colleagues,” she said.
Three of those colleagues are former Ph.D. students Professor Johnston had the pleasure of supervising at the Ingram School of Nursing: Bonnie Stevens, Marcia Campbell-Yeo and Manon Roger. Now at the University of Toronto, Professor Stevens developed the world’s most widely used procedural pain measurement profile for neonates. Over at Dalhousie University, Professor Campbell-Yeo researches the benefits of kangaroo care – skin-to-skin contact – in the NICU. At the University of British Columbia, Professor Manon Roger conducts animal studies on the mechanisms of vulnerability to early adversity (e.g. separation from the mother, stress/pain) in relation to brain development.
Professor Johnston has fond memories of her time at ISoN. “There was a wonderful sense of collegiality and an openness to new ideas and approaches. Everyone was so supportive of each other. And the students were phenomenal!”
What advice does Professor Johnston have for students at ISoN? “Cherish the friendships you make in nursing and be proud of being part of a school with such high standards.”
By Hena Kon, Communications Officer, Ingram School of Nursing