HSNS Scholars Award Recipient: Frank’s Journey 

Frank Day is a Dalhousie Tiger through and through. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, he pursued his undergraduate degree at Dalhousie in Neuroscience, with added certificates in Disability Management and in Neurotechnology and Innovation. He is in his second year pursuing a Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology and is in line to be treasurer of the student council next year.  

“It's been awesome,” Frank said of his experience at Dalhousie. “My professors and classmates have been amazing; everyone is supportive and encouraging. I’ve met people here who helped foster my love of the linguistics side of speech-language pathology.”    

Growing up, Frank spent a lot of time in and out of the healthcare system. Although some of his experiences were difficult, he knew from an early age that he wanted to be involved in healthcare and science. He saw how the healthcare system could improve and the difference a practitioner can make in someone’s life.   

Now, Frank is conducting research on the role of speech-language pathology in sexual health and intimacy. He has expressed a love for both the research and the patient-facing side of healthcare and hopes to kick off a career where he can do both. “I want to feel like I’m making a difference every day. You can certainly accomplish that with research, but you definitely see your impact working with patients,” he said. 

One thing for certain is he wants to dedicate his career to supporting underserved and underrepresented communities in healthcare. “It's hard to go into a space with such a power imbalance as a patient and a practitioner, and not see yourself represented,” he said. “We talk a lot about culturally inclusive care and patient-centred care. We can’t have that without having everyone represented in that care.” 

This dedication is one of the reasons Frank was an obvious match for the mission of the HSNS Scholars Endowment.  

The HSNS Board of Directors established the endowment in 2020 with a gift of $100,000 to Dalhousie University in honour of donations made to HSNS by patients and their families. The endowment provides for the HSNS Scholars Award which gives financial assistance to recipients from underrepresented communities enrolled in Dalhousie University’s Master of Science speech-language pathology and audiology programs. “Financing my studies was one of my biggest concerns,” Frank said. “This endowment from HSNS not only allowed me to focus more on my schooling, but also gave me more confidence that someone is investing in me.” 

After his time at Dalhousie, Frank hopes to move to a more rural part of the province where access to care is more difficult. He plans to continue being an advocate for accessibility and inclusion, not only for patient care, but also for those looking to enter the field of speech-language pathology like he did. “I almost can’t think of anything more important in healthcare,” he said. “You can be here, and you deserve to be here,” Frank said of underrepresented communities looking to study speech-language pathology. “There's so much you can offer this field.”