Mohawk College has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship (QES) by the Rideau Hall Foundation. This marks the first year colleges have been eligible for the program, and Mohawk is proud to be among the recipients.
The college will receive $200,000 from the Rideau Hall Foundation to administer the project entitled, "Empowering Future Healthcare Leaders: Pediatric Echo Training in Urban and Rural Guyana." This project is part of the broader QES program that will fund $6.2 million in international collaborative projects at 22 Canadian universities and colleges. All projects will focus on the adaptation, response and resilience to a changing climate.
Mohawk's QES project aims to build healthcare capacity in the critically under-resourced field of pediatric echocardiography in Guyana, where currently there are no cardiac sonographers trained in pediatric sonography. The absence of these professionals creates significant gaps in care putting the lives of many children in Guyana at risk. The project's objective is to equip local healthcare providers with diagnostic imaging skills for early detection and management of critical illness in infants and children in rural and urban communities.
"This recognition by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship program is a testament to Mohawk College's commitment to global engagement and innovation. By addressing critical healthcare gaps in Guyana, this project will not only transform lives abroad but will also enrich the experiences of our students, faculty and staff," said Thea Laidman, Associate Vice President, International. "It offers unique opportunities for learning, collaboration, and leadership, showcasing the profound impact that international partnerships can have on the Mohawk College community and beyond."
This project represents a collaboration between Mohawk College, the Institute for Health Sciences Education in Guyana and the University of Guyana. The project will offer intensive short-term training in Canada for 16 students to earn a micro-credential over the Spring/Summer term beginning in 2025 and lasting until 2028.
Faculty members from Mohawk's Institute of Applied Health Sciences will lead the academic programming and will be supported by the college's International Department in managing the project. The International team will also provide access to leadership activities such as a mentorship programs, simulation-based training, community engagement and networking to enhance the students' time in Canada.
"We're proud to be part of a project that leverages Mohawk College's strength and expertise in medical imaging to build critical healthcare capacity in Guyana," said Wendy Lawson, Associate Vice President and Dean School of Health. "The intensive training these healthcare professionals receive will improve patient care and ultimately lead to better outcomes for pediatric patients and their families."
The QES program, led by the Rideau Hall Foundation in collaboration with Universities Canada was established in 2012. To date, the scholarship has been awarded to more than 2,600 scholars from Canada and around the world. With this new round of funding, the QES program has now provided support for 134 international projects in over 80 countries, making it Canada's premier academic program for global leadership, collaboration, and multidisciplinary learning.
To learn more about the program, visit: queenelizabethscholars.ca
