Sally Smith Chair

Dr. Shahirose Sadrudin Premji appointed as Sally Smith Chair, School of Nursing

Dean Jane Philpott and Dr. Erna Snelgrove-Clarke are pleased to announce that Teri Shearer, Interim Provost and Principal (Academic) at Queen’s University, has appointed Dr. Shahirose Sadrudin Premji as Sally Smith Chair in Nursing. Dr. Premji’s five-year term began on January 1, 2023.

Read the full announcement here

The Sally Smith Chair in Nursing was created as part of a $10-million donation to Queen’s by A. Britton Smith, a continuing supporter of the university. The chair is named after his wife Edith “Sally” (Carruthers) Smith, who died in June 2012 after a courageous battle with cancer. The funding also helped create the Smith Chair in Surgical Research and the Britton Smith Chair in Surgery, as well as to support the revitalization of Richardson Stadium. It represents the largest donation to the School of Nursing in its 74-year history.

Dr. VanDenKerkhof says the establishment of the chair, to which she was appointed in early June, is a big step for the School of Nursing and will also help boost the university’s reputation in the field.

“It’s a huge honour for me and I am very lucky but I also feel that this is such a gift for the School of Nursing because it’s the first chair ever here,” she says.

"Chair a first for School of Nursing" Queen's Gazette, December 5, 2019

Representing the largest donation to the School of Nursing in its 73-year history, the Sally Smith Chair in Nursing is named for Mr. Smith’s teenage sweetheart and later his wife of 68 years, Edith “Sally” (Carruthers) Smith. She died in June 2012 after a courageous battle with cancer.

"A. Britton Smith donates $10 million to Queen's" Queen's Gazette, September 12, 2014

“I have great respect for what Queen’s does for the City of Kingston — it is the heart and soul of the city. I do a lot of business in cities with universities, and none of them compare to the spirit of Queen’s,” [Smith] said.

"Faculty of Health Sciences receives $9 million shot" The Journal, October 9, 2014

Dr. Shahirose Sadrudin Premji appointed as Sally Smith Chair, School of Nursing

Sally Smith Chair History