Rose Faratro, Celine D’Gama, Daniella Arustei, Eduardo Magtoto, Kalaivani Renganathan,  Stella Fung, University Health Network

It is my great pleasure to nominate the Home Hemodialysis Nursing Team at the University Health Network for the Hospital News Nursing Hero Awards. This team exemplifies the highest standard of nursing—merging expert clinical care with compassion, innovation, and advocacy for medically complex patients. Their unwavering dedication empowers patients to thrive independently at home while receiving life-sustaining dialysis therapy.

The nurses are leaders in patient education, recruitment, and training, offering comprehensive and personalized support throughout the dialysis journey. This nursing team enhances every aspect of patient and family care, creating seamless, human-centered journeys that prioritize the individual at every step. Their ability to problem-solve and adapt treatments to unique patient needs is extraordinary. Aligning with UHN strategic priorities, they are able to turn the possible into reality through care, education, and research, leading with innovation, and pushing past boundaries.
Example: They co-developed an adapted home nocturnal hemodialysis plan for a patient with epidermolysis bullosa, an extremely rare skin condition (Faratro & Chan, 2023).

Their contributions go far beyond bedside care. They are active researchers and co-authors on numerous peer-reviewed publications that have shaped national and international best practices in home dialysis. Their work has included:

• Designing a simulation-based education model to enhance patient readiness during training (Chan et al., 2015).
• Evaluating the use of vascular access audits to prevent complications and infections in the home setting (Dhruve et al., 2019; Rousseau-Gagnon et al., 2016).
• Addressing barriers to self-cannulation, a key skill for home dialysis patients, through structured training and support (Ward et al., 2018).
• Developing practical innovations, such as a venous line clamp prototype, to enhance patient safety (Kennedy et al., 2019).
• Leading a nurse-administered vascular access surveillance initiative, significantly improving quality and safety (Dhruve et al., 2019).

Their commitment to academic excellence is also seen in their exploration of resource utilization and backup care for patients, reinforcing the need for comprehensive, community-based dialysis support systems (Kennedy et al., 2020).

Patients frequently describe their nurses as heroes — not only for their technical expertise, but for their empathy, advocacy, and life-changing support. Embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion across their patient population while creating a respectful and valued environment for all. The nursing team has not only helped patients survive, but truly thrive at home.

It is with full confidence and deep admiration that I nominate the Home Hemodialysis Nursing Team for this recognition. They are trailblazers, educators, caregivers, and heroes in every sense of the word!