MEET OUR 2026 HEART
MONTH AMBASSADOR
Bonnie Bowes is the Vice President, Quality, Risk and Health Information and Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She is also the clinical lead of the pioneering One Million Canadian Hearts initiative.
A Hallmark Initiative of the Heart Institute’s newly launched strategic plan, Your Heart. Your Institute. Our Future – Together. One Million Canadian Hearts has set an impressive goal of screening one million Canadians for cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Thanks to your support during February is Heart Month, we can continue to offer innovative care when patients need it most.
Q&A With Bonnie Bowes, RN, MHSc, CCN(C) our 2026 Ambassador
Please tell us more about One Million Canadian Hearts!
One Million Canadian Hearts is focused on preventing heart disease by screening early, identifying risk factors and intervening swiftly. Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in Canada and too often, it is only revealed through a life-altering or fatal cardiac event.
This initiative presents a unique opportunity to take the Heart Institute’s expertise and knowledge directly to the community and apply it before people become patients.
We want to eliminate risk factors to help prevent heart disease from ever occurring and work to create healthier communities.
What does it mean to you to be our 2026 Heart Month Ambassador?
Being named the 2026 Heart Month Ambassador for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute is an incredible honour and a heartfelt responsibility. As Canada’s foremost cardiovascular centre, the Heart Institute represents innovation, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to saving lives.
I’m proud to stand alongside this exceptional team to raise awareness, promote prevention, and champion heart health across our communities. Together, we’ll ignite conversations, share powerful stories, and empower Canadians to take their heart health to heart
Why is community support so critical for continued excellence at the Ottawa Heart Institute?
What I love about the Heart Institute is that everybody has a universal purpose of striving to provide better cardiac care for our patients and beyond. Our work, including One Million Canadian Hearts, would simply not be possible without the ongoing generosity of our caring community.
As the clinical lead of this project, I am most excited about going out into the community to connect with people who might not have access to the care they need. By moving outside our community, throughout Canada, the Heart Institute will be further established on the map as the Canadian expert in heart disease while offering the healthcare system a welcome reprieve from soaring acute care costs. This project will also fuel transformative research to help uncover the realities of heart disease.
There is a lot to celebrate but also much work to be done. Thank you for your support and belief in our mission.
Donate today. Our sponsors and community match champions will amplify and match your gift.