Current Positions

Canadian Research Chair (Tier 1) in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare
Distinguished Professor, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba (UofM)
Nil Appointment, Max Rady College of Medicine for the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, UofM
Investigator, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (ENRRICH)

Education

2001 Doctor of Philosophy: Interdisciplinary (Sociology, Psychology, Nursing), University of Manitoba
1993 Master of Nursing, University of Manitoba
1989 Bachelor of Nursing, University of Manitoba

Research Focus

I hold a Tier 1 Canadian Research Chair in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare. My research program, IN•GAUGE, seeks to improve the ways in which children (includes youth) and families participate in health research. I research the perspectives and lived experiences of children and youth across a wide range of health conditions (e.g., mental illnesses, complex care needs and conditions, chronic illnesses), as well as various communities (e.g., Indigenous youth and their families and newcomer families). I utilize innovative and arts-based research methods for knowledge production and translation. I embrace a human rights-based approach that views the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental human right and promotes young people’s right to participate and freely express their opinions and experiences, in accordance with their evolving capacities. I partner with young people and their families to ensure their voices are presented in authentic accessible ways.

Research Interests

-Lived experiences of children and youth with health and social inequities, such as chronic illness and
disabilities, respite care, mental health and well-being, young newcomers and social connectedness
-Child, youth and family engagement in healthcare and health research
-Innovative research methods and knowledge mobilization involving children and youth
-Integrated KTE