René Lapierre, Coordinator of the Paramedic program at Collège Boréal Receives the Léonce-Seguin Memorial Award

2010-05-17

Sudbury – As part of the launch of National Emergency Medical Services Week taking place from May 16 to May 22, the City of Greater Sudbury has awarded the Léonce-Seguin Memorial Award to René Lapierre, coordinator of the Paramedic program at Collège Boréal. This award is presented annually to an emergency medical services provider who has demonstrated a commitment to furthering his knowledge and skills through continued education and progressively responsible positions in the field of frontline emergency care.

“I am very honoured to receive this award” comments René Lapierre. “The field of paramedic and emergency care requires a constant renewal of your skills and knowledge. Not only is it important for the quality and effectiveness of the care out in the field, but also for my personal ability to offer the best possible learning experience for my students enrolled in the Paramedic program at Collège Boréal.”

The Léonce-Seguin Memorial Award has been presented annually since 2006 to honour the memory of Léonce Seguin, a Greater Sudbury Paramedic who succumbed to cancer at the age of 34. Before his illness, Mr. Seguin dreamed of returning to school in the hope of becoming a doctor.

This is the second time in five years that a Collège Boréal faculty member has been honoured. In 2008, Luc Simard, also a professor in the Paramedic program received this award of distinction.

In order to improve his skills and share his knowledge, it is worth noting that René Lapierre is one of only two Canadians (the other Lise Bonin, a Nursing professor at Collège Boréal) to have studied at the University of Miami International Academy for Clinical Simulation and Research.  Equipped with this knowledge and skills, Mr. Lapierre and Ms. Bonin organize interdisciplinary simulations which provide students from the many disciplines in Health and Human Services with a rich learning experience while they acquire sustainable skills in the provision of emergency care.
  
“Promoting knowledge and a vibrant culture”
This is Collège Boréal’s vision, a French-language institution of postsecondary and skills training, established in 1995, which contributes to the growth and development of communities in Northern and Central-South-western Ontario. Having attained the highest graduation rate for the last 8 years and, for the 7th time in 11 years, the highest graduate satisfaction rate among the 24 community colleges in Ontario, Collège Boréal encourages the values of humanism, excellence and inclusion as well as an active awareness of environmental issues that affect our society. Collège Boréal is the first education sector representative officially designated by the government of Ontario under the French Language Services Act.

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For more information:
Benoît Clément
Manager, Strategic Communications
Collège Boréal
705-560-6673, extension 1235
benoit.clement@borealc.on.ca