Award Description

The Chapman Harm Reduction Scholarship, with a value of $1,000, will be awarded to a practicing nurse or nursing student who has demonstrated commitment to a career focus on harm reduction in the field of addictions and mental health.  Applicants may be a student enrolled in a nursing program, or a practicing nurse enrolled in an educational program at a recognized institution.

Origin

The Chapman Harm Reduction Scholarship was established by Dr. Leigh Chapman in 2024 in honour of her brother Brad Chapman, who died from complications of an overdose in August 2015. 

Honoree Background

Brad Chapman’s death changed Leigh Chapman’s career as a nurse and in fact, affected her whole life.  The loss of her older brother, and the circumstances around Brad’s death, led Leigh to switch the focus of her nursing career towards caring for people who use drugs and those experiencing homelessness.  The Coroner’s Inquest into Brad’s death in 2018 resulted in 55 recommendations that supported the adoption of harm reduction strategies and practices in Ontario.