Dr. Joanne Jepson Fellowship

The Dr. Joanne Jepson Fellowship was established in 2024 through the generous bequest of Dr. Joanne Jepson, MD CM 1959. Dr. Jepson was a respected oncologist who excelled as a medical student at McGill in the 1950s and later served as an assistant professor of research medicine from 1963 to 1970. Over the last decade, she donated to McGill over 300 works of art collected on her travels, which are now displayed in buildings across campus. The bequest in her will also allowed for the creation of a new medical professorship to promote advances in global health and infectious diseases.

Learn more about Dr. Jepson's passion for the arts and sciences.

2025-2026 Scholars

Emily Delisle, Physical & Occupational Therapy

Emily is a first-year Master’s student in Physical Therapy at McGill University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Université de Montréal, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a specialization in Kinesiology and Applied Physiology from Concordia University, which she completed with distinction.

Emily is deeply committed to having a meaningful and impactful role in physiotherapy and patient care. She believes in the importance of forming strong therapeutic relationships with her patients and is passionate about empowering them throughout their rehabilitation journey. Her approach to care is grounded in empathy, collaboration, and a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of others.

A proud member of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Emily was recently granted official Indigenous status and has taken thoughtful, intentional steps to reconnect with her cultural heritage. She approaches this journey with openness, humility, and determination. Emily is particularly passionate about ensuring that all patients, including Indigenous individuals, receive equitable and culturally sensitive care.

Receiving the prestigious Joanne Jepson Fellowship Award has significantly eased the financial burden of her studies. It has allowed Emily to dedicate more time and energy to both her academic goals and her personal journey of cultural reconnection. She is deeply grateful for this support and the opportunities it provides.

---

Lynn Konwaia’tanón:we’s Jacobs, Natural Resource Sciences

Lynn is Kanienkehá:ka of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy on her father’s side and mixed settler ancestry on her mother’s side. She lives in her home community of Kahnawà:ke where she spent more than two decades working on land and water stewardship initiatives, including habitat monitoring, mapping, protection and restoration, contaminated sites assessments, and Indigenous environmental justice issues. Lynn holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science in Ecology from the University of Guelph and a Master of Environment and Management from Royal Roads University.

She was honoured to use her training in both Western science and Indigenous science to serve as Director of Environment Protection with the Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office, Director of Programs with the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, and Policy Advisor with Indigenous Leadership Initiative, before embarking on her PhD journey in 2024. Her research in the Natural Resource Sciences Department at McGill is focused on plastics and colonialism, impacts at all stages of the plastic lifecycle to Indigenous Peoples, and Indigenous science and solutions from local to global levels.

Lynn participates as an Indigenous delegate at international meetings on issues related to chemicals, waste, and plastic pollution, where she works with other Indigenous delegates to elevate Indigenous science, the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in multilateral environmental agreements and processes.

Lynn is grateful to be awarded the Dr. Joanne Jepson Fellowship to support her doctoral research.

---

Geneviève Nantel, Quantitative Life Sciences

Geneviève Nantel is a first-year PhD student in the Quantitative Life Sciences program at McGill University. She holds a degree in Computer Engineering from McGill and brings over a decade of experience in software development and applied AI. Her return to academia marks a purposeful shift—toward research at the intersection of life sciences, data science, and social impact, with a focus on improving health systems through computational innovation.

Born in New Brunswick and raised in Québec, Geneviève is a proud Métis woman of Mi’kmaq and Algonquin descent. She draws strength from her family’s traditions. Her family has long been involved in cultural and development projects with Native Nations across Canada—an ongoing commitment that continues to shape her values and inspire her dedication to inclusive, community-rooted research.

She is honored and grateful to receive the Dr. Joanne Jepson Fellowship, which supports her transition from industry to research and enables her to pursue work grounded in social purpose and community impact.

 

2024-2025 Scholars

Erin Patton, Nursing

As a Mohawk nurse from Kahnawà:ke, Erin hopes to bring a unique perspective to health and healthcare. She has vision for improving access to quality culturally safe care in her own community and empower those caring for Indigenous clients. She began her career in Obstetrics and newborn care at the McGill University Health Centre. Erin is proud of her Mohawk heritage; she is able to eloquently express her wariness of being seen as a spokesperson for Indigeneity and she continues to learn to navigate these moments while respecting her boundaries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Erin decided to work at the Kateri Memorial Hospital Center to service her community.

Erin Patton feels a strong sense of purpose as a nurse. The Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program will be a stepping stone to fulfill her dream to become a primary care nurse practitioner with a focus on young families in her own community and other First Nations communities. She is engaged in lifelong learning; she has completed the training to become an international board certified lactation consultant. She is committed to continue to develop the services and resources for her community. Erin has been in multiple leadership roles during her undergraduate studies and in her careersuch as preceptorship while working towards ensuring the functioning of the clinic at Kateri Memorial Hospital. Erin is excited to start her graduate studies at the Ingram School of Nursing, and she feels that building her competencies through further education will feed her deep curiosity in learning, but also be of important value for her clients and community.

---

Hannah Potter, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Hannah Potter is a proud Métis woman from Winnipeg, proudly located on Treaty 1 Territory. She is a first-year MSc student in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University. In the spring of 2024, she graduated from the University of Manitoba with an honours degree in linguistics. During her undergraduate years, Hannah studied child language development, communication disorders, and anatomy related to speech and hearing. Hannah’s passion for positively impacting people’s lives inspired her to want to become a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Witnessing firsthand the barriers that Indigenous Peoples and people with disabilities face, she is motivated to create a diverse and inclusive environment in the healthcare profession.

Hannah is deeply honoured to have been awarded the Dr. Joanne Jepson Fellowship and is looking forward to her new journey as a MSc student at McGill.

---

Nevada Mogan, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Nevada Mogan is a first-year master’s student in Speech-Language Pathology at McGill University. She completed an Advanced Bachelor of Arts with distinction at the University of Manitoba, majoring in Linguistics with a minor in Psychology. During her undergraduate studies she spent two years as a research assistant for New York University’s Motor Speech Lab, contributing to a treatment study on Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Nevada is deeply honored and grateful to the Dr. Joanne Jepson Fellowship which will allow her the opportunity to seek out further research opportunities while supporting her as an incoming clinician.

---

Noah Kakekaspan, Physics

Noah (he/him) is a Swampy Cree, theoretical nuclear physicist from Washaho (Fort Severn) Cree Nation in Northern Ontario. Noah is a PhD student from McGill University's Physics Department, where his research aims to study the dynamics of nuclei deformed in their ground state by colliding the deformed nuclei with other hadrons at modern collider energies. Noah also provides physics outreach to Indigenous youth in Quebec by introducing astronomy and optics through astronomical imaging workshops and laser workshops.