Lori Zozzolotto, BScN, RN, NSWOC

Lori Zozzolotto has been a Registered Nurse for over 17 years. During that time, she has been an advocate for nurses and for better patient outcomes, focusing on the importance of diversity in the provision of care in the Canadian healthcare system.

Lori volunteers in many capacities to champion the cause of diversity in nursing: she  is the chair of the Black Nurses Leading Change (BNLC), a special interest group of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO); she is the Development Officer of the Ontario Black Nurses Network (OBNN), and teaches Conflict Management in their Black Nurses Leadership Institute; she is a member of the Diversity Task for the national Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence (NSWOC) organization, and she sits on the executive of the LGBTQ+ Employment Resource Group at the global medical products and technologies company where she works.

In 2023 Lori received the RNAO Award of Merit for her outstanding contributions to RNAO and the nursing profession in Ontario. And in that same year she  received the Carmen Moodie Award from the OBNN for her contributions to the organization and for making an impact in the nursing community.

In 2024 she was named among Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch by the Canadian International Black Women of Excellence (CIBWE). Lori  received the Mohawk College Alumni of Distinction Award in Health Sciences, as well as being nominated for the 2024 Ontario Premier’s Award for an Outstanding Ontario College Graduate.

Lori’s efforts focus on making people aware of the need for diversity, acknowledging its importance, and encouraging people to embrace diversity to create a better world for everyone.