Cates Bayabay, RN and UBC Master of Health Leadership and Policy alum, has been elected as a board member to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA).
June 19, 2026
On June 18, 2026, the CNA announced its new executive following the 2026 election. Ms. Bayabay was among the four new board members chosen.
As an MHLP student at UBC, Ms. Bayabay continued working on contract-basis with the Government of Nunavut while also raising a young family. Dedicated to lifelong learning, Ms. Bayabay was grateful that the MHLP program gave her the opportunity "to connect with people outside my current social network and learn different perspectives of the world" even from remote locations such as Rankin Inlet.
During her time at UBC, Ms. Bayabay was widely involved in efforts to challenge racism in our school, the profession and society. She served as the Chair of the Student Anti-Racism Committee from 2021 to 2025 and raised awareness about students’ experiences navigating racism in educational and practice settings. She was also involved in projects that addressed racism through research.
Ms. Bayabay worked closely with Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek for more than two years as a team member on the Untelling Nursing History project, which involved creating an interactive nursing history website and a series of nursing history videos. Funded by UBC Nursing’s Anti-Racism Committee, the project centered the stories and experiences of BIPOC nurses, and Ms. Bayabay took the lead on developing a video that showcased Indigenous nursing leaders. Through that project, Dr. Wytenbroek notes, "I observed Cates’ commitment to listening and learning from Indigenous Elders and nurses and to advancing the work of reconciliation." As part of her experience at UBC, Ms. Bayabay is particularly proud of her work completed as part of the Untelling Nursing History project, as well as working as part of the IDEALab team with Dr. Lillian Hung.
Ms. Bayabay has a deep commitment to advancing rural health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she pioneered the Virtual Public Health Nurse pilot program that provided virtual monitoring and contact training to remote, northern Inuit communities. She currently serves as the Director of Health Programs with the Government of Nunavut, where she oversees the operations and policy for remote health centres. Through this work, Ms. Bayabay demonstrates her deep support for health access in rural settings. In April 2026, Ms. Bayabay published an article in Canadian Nurse on nursing in remote and rural communities, using her own experience as a rural health nurse to promote the idea that as highly visible health care professionals, nurses must be highly accountable to the communities they serve. She states:
Once people learned what my purpose was in the community, they began to open up and I started hearing their stories … being highly visible made me highly accountable and it pushed me to hold my responsibilities with care and keep them grounded in the wellness of the community.
Ms. Bayabay cares about the communities she serves and argues that rural and remote nurses must “hold their power with care.” Her willingness to centre the voices of IBPOC nurses, to advocate for patients, to expand her horizons and to challenge the status quo are qualities that will serve her well in her new role.
We wish her an easy transition into membership on the board, and ongoing success as she continues to discover and develop the myriad opportunities open to those in the nursing profession.
The highly visible nurse: why nursing in remote and rural communities is distinct
(Canadian Nurse)
CNA announces new president, president-elect, vice president, and board members
