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Cystic Fibrosis Canada proudly recognizes Paula Barrett with the Multidisciplinary Award for Nursing, honouring her remarkable 37‑year career dedicated to improving the lives of people living with cystic fibrosis. Paula, the Cystic Fibrosis Nurse Coordinator at IWK Health Centre, began working in CF in 1989, but her connection to the disease reaches back even further, shaped by childhood experiences that ultimately led her into nursing and into a lifelong calling.
Paula’s interest in cystic fibrosis started at a young age. She remembers bringing homework to a classmate often home sick with CF, and later learning a close high school friend lived with the disease as well. That same year, her youngest brother was diagnosed at age 11. Those experiences and the time she spent in hospital supporting him, sparked her passion for paediatric respiratory care.
“Every day brings a new challenge,” she shares. “I like learning, and this job gives me that every single day.”
Winning CF Canada’s Multidisciplinary Award is both a personal honour and a celebration of her clinic’s collective achievements. The recognition arrived in the same year her clinic was ranked #1 in Canada for lung function, a milestone she proudly attributes to strong teamwork. “It felt like perfect timing,” Paula says. “The award is meaningful, but so much of it reflects the incredible team I work with.”
The award is especially meaningful because it is peer‑driven. Colleagues nominate one another, and the national CF nursing community votes, making it a recognition rooted in respect and shared experience.
Over nearly four decades, Paula has faced difficult moments, but she emphasizes that she has never faced them alone. Support from her colleagues, leadership, and the broader hospital system has helped her navigate challenging family dynamics and rare but complex situations. “With the support of the team, even hard situations become learning experiences,” she says. “And those lessons help future patients and staff.”
Her advice for nurses entering the CF field today? Listen to families. Parents know their children best, and collaboration is essential. “You’ll learn as much from families as you teach,” she says.
For Paula, the most rewarding part of her career has been watching children grow into adults, celebrating milestones, starting families of their own, and returning to share those moments with the team that cared for them. “CF care is a community,” she reflects. “It’s like one big family.”
