Each year, Providence Care celebrates staff through the annual Achievement Awards. This year the event took place at Providence Care Hospital on April 8.
The ceremony celebrates the outstanding talent, compassion, and dedication of our staff from 2025. Staff are nominated by colleagues in four different categories. Community Spirit, Leading with Excellence, Spirit of Compassion and Innovation and Discovery. For this year’s awards, each category received several nominations from teams and individuals across the organization.
Providence Care is proud to have such dedicated and compassionate staff, and recognizes the efforts of all those nominated, along with the winners.
Celebrating Ellie Lambert: Recipient of the Community Spirit award
Providence Care Occupational Therapist Ellie Lambert is this year’s Community Spirit Award winner, recognized for transforming a simple neighbourhood tradition into meaningful community support.
Each year, Ellie organizes a Santa Claus parade in her Kingston neighbourhood, using the event to spread holiday joy while collecting food and warm clothing for Providence Care patients and clients as well as community partners across Kingston.
“It feels really meaningful, and I really appreciate it,” Ellie says of the award. “I’ve always seen the parade as something that belongs to the whole neighbourhood, so this recognition feels more like a reflection of everyone’s generosity and community spirit than just my own efforts.”
Ellie started the parade in 2020 as a safe, physically distanced way for families to see Santa during the COVID-19 pandemic. She encouraged her neighbours to donate food and clothing as a way to support the holiday initiative, and the response was immediate. Carloads of winter clothing and pounds of food poured in. Since then, the generosity has grown.
“Every year since, our neighbourhood has raised the same, if not more,” Ellie explains. “Seeing our community come together to participate and donate is incredible.”
Now entering its seventh year, the parade has become a cherished annual tradition, complete with floats, cheering families, and Santa making special stops at group homes so residents can enjoy a personal moment of holiday magic.
“It is so rewarding to see the joy the parade brings to people of all ages,” says Ellie. “Seeing not just children, but also elderly neighbours lining the streets and excited to see Santa is the best feeling.”
Donations collected through the parade support Providence Care’s Recovery College clients, and community organizations including the Integrated Care Hub, Elizabeth Fry Society, St. Vincent de Paul, and local schools. To date, Ellie and her neighbours have raised more than 12,000 pounds of food, over $1,000 for the food bank, and multiple loads of warm clothing every single year.
“I hope the parade continues to be an opportunity for connection and compassion,” Ellie says. “With so much going on in the world, it’s more important than ever to focus on what we can do as a community to support those in need.”
Ellie brings the same kindness, leadership and community spirit to her work at Providence Care as she does to the neighbourhood she calls home. She’s never been one to seek the spotlight, but the difference she makes is worth celebrating.
“I’m so proud to live in this neighbourhood and grateful for the support and enthusiasm that make it all possible,” Ellie says.
Congratulations, Ellie, on winning the Spirit of Community Award!
Celebrating Dr. Leah Nemiroff: Recipient of the Leading with Excellence Award
Providence Care’s Dr. Leah Nemiroff, Geriatrician, Division Chair, and Clinical Director for Seniors Rehabilitation, is this year’s Leading with Excellence Award winner. Dr. Nemiroff has been recognized for transforming geriatric care through collaboration, innovation, and a deep commitment to aging adults.
“It was so meaningful to receive the award,” she says. “More than anything, it feels like recognition of the work our team has been doing together to improve care for older adults. Geriatrics is very much a team sport, and I am lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people who are thoughtful, dedicated, and willing to tackle hard problems together.”
Dr. Nemiroff’s leadership has driven major system level improvements across Providence Care and the region. She has led work on accelerated clinics, integrated outreach, streamlined triage processes, and cross‑disciplinary initiatives that break down silos between specialties. It’s work that has expanded access, reduced pressure on the health care system, and strengthened care for frail, aging adults who often face the biggest barriers.
“Older adults often have some of the most complex needs in our health care system,” she explains. “Improving access and collaboration matters because no one resource can meet all of those needs in isolation. When we work together across teams, departments, and regions, we can provide more thoughtful, efficient, and comprehensive whole‑person care.”
The impact is felt immediately by patients, care partners, and care teams.
“The most rewarding impact has been hearing that patients and families feel more supported and less overwhelmed,” she says. “Even small improvements — getting someone assessed sooner, helping a family understand what is happening, or creating a smoother transition — can make an enormous difference during a very stressful time.”
The shift has also been a welcome change for staff.
“When collaboration improves, people feel more supported, and patients benefit from that immediately,” she says. “Our outstanding collaboration with Seniors Mental Health, for example, helps ease complexity and administrative burden for family physicians who are already balancing so many competing demands.”
Looking back, Dr. Nemiroff says she is most proud of the culture her teams have built together.
“We have created partnerships that are genuinely collaborative, creative, and deeply committed to improving care for older adults,” she says. “We take on big challenges with a lot of heart, passion, and grit, and we do it with kindness, humour, and shared purpose. That’s what makes the work meaningful.”
Congratulations to Dr. Leah Nemiroff on winning the Leading with Excellence Award.
Celebrating Amber Horwood: Recipient of the Spirit of Compassion Award
Winning this year’s Spirit of Compassion award is Providence Care Social Service Worker Amber Horwood. Amber is recognized for the empathy, steadiness, and unwavering advocacy she brings to people who are facing difficult transitions in care.
“It was quite unexpected, and I am humbled by the recognition,” she says. “All of the nominees have such meaningful contributions, and it’s important to appreciate the value people bring every day in small and big ways.”
In her role at Providence Transitional Care Centre (PTCC), Amber supports patients and care partners during some of their most challenging moments. She takes the time to understand each person’s circumstances, builds trust with those who may be hesitant to engage in care, and ensures they feel genuinely seen and heard.
“I try to understand the challenges people are experiencing and work with them to access resources, so they’re better equipped when they leave hospital,” she explains.
Her commitment to advocacy is shaped by years spent working with vulnerable populations in the community who were navigating mental health challenges, housing insecurity and substance use health conditions.
“I try to apply that experience to advocate for marginalized individuals,” she says. “Advocacy can look different depending on the person — making countless phone calls to increase supports for a socially isolated senior, having informal conversations about reducing stigmatizing language, or drawing attention to barriers so we can reduce system gaps.”
Amber credits the environment at Providence Transitional Care Centre for making compassionate work possible.
“At PTCC I see compassion all around me every day from my peers,” she says. “It’s because of such a supportive and encouraging environment that I feel valued in my role.”
During difficult discharge planning conversations, Amber hopes people feel one thing above all: genuine care.
“I hope people feel that I truly listened to their concerns, and that I’ve been a clear, consistent, and knowledgeable part of their care team as they navigate next steps.”
Amber brings a kind voice and genuine care to every interaction, and it makes a real difference for patients, care partners, and colleagues.
Congratulations to Amber for winning the Spirit of Compassion Award.
Celebrating Providence Care’s Mood Disorders Program Psychiatrists: Recipients of the Innovation and Discovery Award
They have been recognized as a group for bringing cutting‑edge, research‑driven treatments directly into clinical care and transforming outcomes for people living with the most severe and treatment‑resistant mood disorders.
The team includes Dr. Yuliya Knyahnytska, Dr. Rumen Milev, Dr. Zainab Samaan, Dr. Dusan Kolar, Dr. Gustavo Vazquez, Dr. Casi Cabrera, and Dr. Anne Duffy.
Over the past year, they have expanded access, introduced therapies not available in standard practice, and translated new science into meaningful improvements for patients, clients and care partners.
For Dr. Zainab Samaan, the recognition is meaningful.
“I feel honoured and privileged to be acknowledged by colleagues and hospital leaders,” she says. “There are so many deserving people doing important work.”
What drives this team is a shared belief that there is always hope and new options for those struggling
“What inspires me is that things can and will change,” Dr. Samaan explains. “The reward comes from seeing people improve and get back to their lives, families, and communities.”
Their approach stands out because it removes barriers rather than reinforces them.
“Providence Care goes above and beyond without limits,” she says. “It’s a ‘yes we can’ approach that places patients at the centre.”
The impact is felt across the system. Patients and clients are accessing care sooner, treatments once available only in research settings are now part of everyday clinical practice, and collaboration across psychiatry, research, and community partners is stronger than ever.
Looking back on the past year, Dr. Samaan is most proud of the team’s shared commitment.
“We have a collective responsibility to patient and client care, to our community, and to the broader health care ecosystem,” she says. “That sense of purpose is what drives us.”
Their work is setting a new standard for mood disorder treatment, making care innovative, accessible, and grounded in compassion
Congratulations to the Mood Disorders Program Psychiatrists on winning the Innovation and Discovery Award.
