Reproductive Justice Changemaker Award

Every year at our annual conference, Wellness Within recognizes a member of the community with the Reproductive Justice Changemaker Award.

Reproductive justice, developed by women of colour in the US and with long histories in Indigenous communities expands the legal framework of reproductive rights to examine the intersectional human rights and equity implications of reproductive decisions. This award seeks to recognize individuals who have exhibited a deep commitment to reproductive justice in their work: whether that be clinical, academic, political, community-based or artistic.

Nominees must be a Nova Scotia resident who has made a difference in the fields of reproductive health and justice. The successful applicant will share in our values as a feminist, anti-racist, anti-poverty, pro-2SLGBTQIA+, pro-inclusion organization. Wellness Within board members are not eligible.

Wellness Within is working for reproductive justice, prison abolition, and health equity in Nova Scotia, and it is our hope that the award will recognize the efforts of reproductive justice leaders and advocates in our communities. We ask for your support in sharing the request for nominations within your networks.

Nominations are closed for 2026.

Past Reproductive justice Changemaker Award Recipients:

  • Courtney Pennel, BSCN, RN, is a Mi’kmaw Registered Nurse, Indigenous health leader, educator, and graduate researcher from Wasoqopa’q First Nation, with more than a decade of experience across healthcare, nursing education, research, and community partnerships.

    She is excited to return to Tajikeimɨk | Mi’kmaw Health & Wellness as the L’nuey Midwifery Program Lead. Previously, she served as the Mi’kmaw Indigenous Nurse Education Specialist, supporting the L’nu Nursing Strategy and worked with students, nursing programs, and community partners to strengthen pathways for Mi’kmaw and Indigenous nurses.

    In her new role, she is shifting her focus toward maternal and child health and supporting the growth of Mi’kmaw midwifery in Nova Scotia through education, partnerships, and Mi’kmaw-led approaches to pregnancy, birth, and family care.

    Her background also includes pediatric nursing and Indigenous health leadership at IWK Health, where she supported children and families and contributed to organizational work in equity, reconciliation, and culturally responsive care. These experiences continue to shape her approach to bringing together clinical practice, education, research, and community priorities.

    She is completing her Master of Science in Nursing, with a thesis focused on cultural safety in healthcare. Her academic interests include Indigenous methodologies, Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing), cultural safety, and Indigenous nursing education.

    She is passionate about building relationships, creating meaningful opportunities for Indigenous learners and health professionals, and supporting healthcare environments where Indigenous people feel seen, respected, and valued.

    Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family, connecting with Community, and watching her son play sports. She is also a trained doula, and maternal and child health remains especially meaningful to her.

  • Sheila has worked with pregnant, birthing, and postpartum patients for over 20 years. This time spent working in health care illuminated to Sheila the care gaps that new parents face regarding infant feeding after hospital discharge.

    Sheila has been a key provider at the Halifax Primary Care Clinic, where she works to ensure access to publicly funded skilled lactation care for families in Central Zone. She leverages her experience to offer timely assessments and interventions for parent-infant dyads attending the HPCC clinic.

    Additionally, Sheila conducts a weekly infant feeding drop-in, which allows community members to have access to free breastfeeding care without needing a referral, a service that is generally costly to access once in the community. Sheila has seen hundreds of parent-infant dyads through the infant feeding drop-in alone. Sheila is passionate about advocating for publicly funded, equitable, skilled lactation support and is committed to promoting infant feeding assessment and approaches with her primary care colleagues.

    Thank you, Sheila, for playing a vital role in supporting parents in HRM in meeting their infant feeding goals!

  • A graduate of the Dalhousie University Master of Nursing Nurse Practitioner Program. Ateka was incarcerated for 2 months with her family when fleeing Afghanistan.

    Since coming to Canada as a refugee, she continues to advocate for her loved ones and community members. Despite ongoing challenges that come with speaking about sexual and reproductive health care, Ateka is a champion for reproductive healthcare and rights in the Afghan community. Her strength and compassion are an inspiration!

  • Dr Yoshida is the Family Medicine Co-Medical Director of the Reproductive Options and Services ROSE Clinic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    She has been providing safe and compassionate abortion care for over 20 years, having completed her training with Dr. Henry Morgentaler . This dedication to ensuring patients have autonomy over their bodies and lives is extraordinary. Dr. Yoshida is a force for innovation and expansion in access.

    In 2018, having worked hard to bring publicly funded medication abortion to the province, she founded the Nova Scotia Centralized Abortion Network. Nova Scotia is the only jurisdiction in Canada where people seeking abortions call one toll-free centralized referral line and are directly connected to providers across the province, allowing care close to home and through telemedicine. Dr. Yoshida mentors over 2 dozen medication abortion providers in the network, and always welcomes medical students, residents and new providers to learn from her.

    Alongside Dr Melissa Brooks, Dr Yoshida worked to eliminate the need of referrals for abortion in Nova Scotia, allowing patients to self-refer. She spearheaded a $50,000 campaign to purchase the clinic’s first onsite ultrasound machine, and led the successful effort to partner with the QE2 Foundation and the government of NS to ensure access to free long acting reversible contraception like IUDs and Nexplanon for all abortion patients.

    She was the first provider to perform an abortion on PEI when the service was re-instated in 2017. And from its beginning in 2020, Dr. Yoshida has served as core faculty in Dalhousie University’s Interprofessional Abortion and Contraception course, the only interprofessional stand alone course on family planning in the country.