I received my BN from Memorial University of Newfoundland, my MN from Dalhousie University, and my PhD from University of Toronto. My clinical expertise is in the areas of high-risk neonatal, pediatric nursing, and family-nurse relational practice. I have held positions as a staff nurse in a Lev...
I received my BN from Memorial University of Newfoundland, my MN from Dalhousie University, and my PhD from University of Toronto. My clinical expertise is in the areas of high-risk neonatal, pediatric nursing, and family-nurse relational practice. I have held positions as a staff nurse in a Level II - III Special Neonatal Care Unit, as a nursing instructor in the areas of pediatrics, maternal-newborn, and neonatal nursing, as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in various acute and sub-acute pediatric health care settings.
The major foci of my program of research is to develop and nurture a innovative program of research, which is oriented in Pierre Bourdieu’s Logic of Practice (Bourdieu, 1990, 1991; Swartz, 1997) that: 1) critically examines the specific mechanisms by which “place” affects health and how it influences parent-health care provider relational care practices, specifically communication and decision making practices, for children with complex health care needs across the continuum of care, and 2) identifies and strengthens causal inferences, particular to “place” that leads to identifying potential avenues for intervention. This new knowledge will inform clinical practice guidelines, parent-health care provider partnerships and education, future research queries, and health policy for this unique population of children and their families.
I have received funds over the past 12 years from national funding agencies and foundations to support the above research interests. I am committed to ensuring that families of children with complex health care needs receive respectful and supportive care to ensure they receive the information they need to make important decision related to their child’s health care.