Kip Bonnell

Dr. Jill Bruneau, Assistant Professor and Nurse Practitioner Program Coordinator at the Faculty of Nursing, was named a Charter Fellow of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada—one of the highest honours in the profession—this past weekend.

Recognized at the 2025 NPAC-AIIPC National Conference in Toronto, she also shared her knowledge and expertise as a committee member of the Hypertension Canada Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypertension in Primary Care, and as a Board Director with Hypertension Canada, by presenting the process of developing these new patient-centred interprofessional guidelines to be released in the spring 2025.

A nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of cardiovascular experience and as an NP educator for over 15 years, Dr. Bruneau has been a driving force in modernizing NP education in Newfoundland and Labrador. She led the redevelopment of Memorial’s Master of Science in Nursing, NP Option, and the Post Master’s NP Graduate Diploma to align with new national entry-level competencies, ensuring graduates are equipped to meet the evolving needs of our healthcare system—whether in primary health care, acute care settings, or rural and remote communities.

Dr. Bruneau’s research and clinical contributions—to improving access to cardiovascular screening and identifying cardiac risk factors earlier in the lifespan and engaging underserved populations (e.g., women, young people with mental health issues)—reflect the powerful and wide-reaching role NPs play.

With over 250 nurse practitioners now practicing throughout Newfoundland and Labrador—many of them Memorial graduates—this work is transforming healthcare access and outcomes in the province and beyond.

Her recognition comes alongside recent national honours awarded to Memorial alumni Jennifer Richard and Kirk Dawe, both ICU NPs and recipients of the NPAC Award of Excellence.

If you’re a registered nurse ready to take the next step, Dr. Bruneau’s leadership shows what’s possible. Nurse practitioners are highly skilled, trusted professionals who assess, diagnose, treat, and manage care across the lifespan. Their path begins with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, builds through clinical experience, and continues through graduate-level NP education at Memorial—where future leaders are already in the making.

Learn more about graduate nursing programs at Memorial: https://www.mun.ca/become/graduate/programs-and-courses/nursing/