None of us can be healthy unless all of us are healthy; this is the lesson of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the emphasis made in the book The Contagion Next Time by Sandro Galea. Marginalization, disparate socioeconomic status, and racism are factors underlying health inequality, which are embedded in global systems and ultimately contributed to the health crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Galea writes that the adversity of the pandemic has offered the world an opportunity to re-prioritize the political, economic, and administrative structures that support health. He suggests that the triumph of vaccines in the pandemic revealed our current, medicine-obsessed approach to health, reliant on systems designed to lavish money and focus on building better drugs and treatments while neglecting the socio-economic conditions which shape health. Through reimagining our society by building better housing, a fairer economy, accessible quality education, environmental cleanliness, social, economic, and racial justice, these conditions build a more cohesive and equitable vision for health, resilient to the threats on global health. This book calls for using the ingenuity, ambition, and collective effort that was applied to Covid-19 to reduce health inequality in order to prevent the outcomes of the next pandemic.
After more than twenty years of national leadership in supporting nursing students and newly graduated nurses through professional role transition, Nursing the Future (NTF) is concluding its current operational chapter.
Since 2004, NTF has served as a vital bridge for new nurses, educators, and leaders navigating the vulnerable early months of practice. Through evidence-based programming, national partnerships, and a commitment to building a safe “cul-de-sac” for early-career nurses, NTF has supported thousands across Canada in cultivating connection, confidence, and professional identity.
We extend deep gratitude to our partners, including the Canadian Nurses Foundation, the Canadian Nurses Association, the Canadian Nursing Students Association, provincial ministries, healthcare institutions, and countless contributors whose belief in transition-to-practice support made this work possible.
While formal operations conclude, the scholarship, curriculum, intellectual property, and program infrastructure developed over two decades remain intact and available for strategic partnership and collaboration. For further dialogue on potential collaborations, please contact Dr. Duchscher directly: newgraduates@nursingthefuture.ca
We welcome conversations with ministries, health regions, academic institutions, and professional associations interested in advancing initiatives such as:
The mission of healthy and supported professional role transition remains urgent. The work continues, sustained through scholarship, partnership, and shared commitment to the future of Canadian nursing.
With enduring gratitude,
Dr. Judy Duchscher - Founder & CEO, Nursing the Future
Kathryn Corneau - Program Director, Nursing the Future
For our FULL letter of Gratitude CLICK HERE
