June 15, 2020
Sonia Acorn - A Timeline of Career
April 3, 1939 Born Sonia Griffin, Webster's Corner, PEI
1957 Graduated St. Joseph's Convent and Notre Dame Academy, Charlottetown
1960 Nursing Diploma, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Boston | Nursing in New York City
1964 Bachelor of Nursing, McGill University | Road trip with a classmate, Boston to San Francisco | Nursing
1966 Nursing Instructor, Hillsborough Hospital, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Director of Nursing, Hillsborough Hospital
Director, Staff Development and Training, PEI Civil Service Commission
1972 MSc (Nursing) Boston University | President of the Association of Nurses for PEI | Board Member of Canadian Nurses Association
1982 Instructor, University of Alberta, Edmonton
1987 PhD (Nursing) University of Utah
1989 Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, UBC
1994 Associate Professor, School of Nursing, UBC
1999 Professor, School of Nursing, UBC
2000 Interim Director, School of Nursing, UBC
2005 Professor Emerita, School of Nursing, UBC
June 14, 2020 Died, Vancouver, BC
Sonia Acorn served as an acting director at the school for a year. Her research included the impact of chronic conditions on individuals and families, specifically the impact of brain injuries on families, as well as health systems research. She also developed with colleagues the country's first education and support manual for family caregivers of head injury survivors. "We have the technology to keep people alive, but where is the support for quality of life in the long-term" Sonia Acorn asked, in a Ubyssey article from 1992. At the time of her death, Sonia Acorn was an active professor emerita, a fixture at annual events, and a staunch supporter of the school. She will be missed.
