Tsunma Jamyang Donma, RP, CRPO, is a certified clinical chaplain and pastoral counselor based in Toronto, Canada. She serves as Lead for Spiritual & Religious Care and The Mindfulness Project at The Hospital for Sick Children, while also being an ordained Buddhist nun. In her role, she provides ongoing support to patients, families, and staff, and remains available on call across the hospital when needed. Tsunma is also an active supporting participant on the Pediatric Advanced Care Team at SickKids.
Raised in the Anglican Christian faith, she later took ordination as a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana tradition. With more than 25 years of experience, Tsunma offers a rich background in meditation, mindfulness, Buddhist philosophy, contemplative bedside care, and Tibetan yoga. She is frequently invited to bring a therapeutic presence to children and their families, helping them find calm in challenging circumstances through contemplative bedside support. Her work includes consultation, meditation, compassion and loving-kindness practices, as well as clinical hypnosis.
With support from senior administration, Tsunma leads a hospital-wide initiative known as The Mindfulness Project. The initiative includes a dedicated website with resources for staff, an annual Mindfulness Month, Mindfulness & Compassion Rounds, the Compassion Champion Program, and ongoing mindfulness sessions for staff, along with bedside care for families at SickKids. It also provides presentations and trainings from qualified facilitators experienced in applied mindfulness in healthcare, as well as a bi-annual Mindfulness Research Symposium.
Tsunma is a founding member of the Riwoche Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Toronto and also serves as an instructor for Samye Institute and Samye Hermitage in Cooperstown, NY.
She has studied and practiced with masters including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khen Rinpoche Sonam Tobgyal, Roshi Joan Halifax, Jetsunmma Tenzin Palmo, Ven Dhyani Ywahoo, His Eminence Chokling Rinpoche, and Kyabgon Phakchok Rinpoche.