Dr. Megan Aston
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
Postpartum health. I worked as a Public Health Nurse and then began my research as a PhD student in the 1990s. Examining global injustices and the social construction of mothering led to a program of research that focused on the empowerment of mothers/parents.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I have been doing this work for 30 years, working with a wonderful team of researchers in Canada as well as extending research into Tanzania. Our biggest findings have been identifying how mothering is socially constructed and how mothers use their agency and power to access information and support as they challenge oppressive everyday practices.
Why do you do the work you do?
Mothering/parenting in the first 6-12 months is difficult and is often invisible. I want the voices and experiences of parents’ to be heard so that significant changes can be made to better support parents.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
Canada and the globe need to provide more accessible supports and services to mothers/parents.
Why do you do the work you do?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a researcher is utilizing and mobilizing our research to create innovations that are responsive to the findings. A large component of our program of research is focused on proposing and implementing creative solutions to the issues identified.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
I would like to see more recognition for the power of qualitative research in terms of not only understanding human experiences, but also in providing direction for creative and innovative solutions in healthcare.
Dr. Sheri Price
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
I have always been interested in understanding how best to support nurses and other health professionals in providing quality care to patients, families and communities.My research utilizes the narratives of health care professionals, and the populations they serve, to better understand the health care and health service delivery experience. As someone who has been in the role of both patient and practitioner, I recognize the power of stories to understand and make sense of our experiences.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I have been asking questions my entire life, but formally conducting research for the last 20 years. One consistent theme across all of my studies has been that the participant stories and narratives provide great insight into creative solutions and promising practices that can lead to better healthcare, improved service delivery and enhanced teamwork and work environments.
Why do you do the work you do?
To close the health equity gap especially for those communities that are rendered vulnerable.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
Create a more just society, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Dr. Josephine Etowa
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
My main areas are inequities in health and healthcare including community health nursing, perinatal health, HIV, COVID-19, African Caribbean and Black health, nurses work life. Qualitative research methodology, Participatory Action Research (PAR).
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I have been doing this work for over 35 years. One of my big findings is that racism is a wicked determinant of health requiring multiple level and structural interventions.
Dr. Phillip Joy
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
My main areas are queer studies, nutrition, and arts-based methods. Exploring these area are passions that stem from my own personal experiences.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I have been doing this work for about 5 or 6 years now. There are so many interesting findings it would be hard to pick the biggest. I'll let the folks out there read my work and decide :)
Why do you do the work you do?
I support my community but it's also a lot of fun.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
More acceptance and compassion within society.
Why do you do the work you do?
Women’s and maternal health care is very important but is not always prioritized or approached in ways that are useful and meaningful to patients. I love that, as a nurse, I can be involved in both clinical and research work because, to me, that is an important part of how I may ‘bridge the gap’ and improve care.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
It is not only important to talk about postpartum sexual health more, but differently. It is a topic that remains quite taboo and invisible, though the more we are able to hear and acknowledge different experiences and perspectives, the more we will be able to feel connected through our own experiences and to shift current norms and assumptions. Having information about what to expect, resources, tools, etc. is a great place to start! Access to care, such as pelvic floor physiotherapy, is also essential.
Dr. Rachel Ollivier
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
My PhD research focused on exploring sexual health after birth. This topic was a great intersection between my interests in maternal health and women’s reproductive health/gynecology. Upon reviewing the existing research, I found that it was an area that had not been well explored (especially from a non-physical focus) though was something I believed was very important to postpartum health and wellbeing.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I have been involved in nursing research, primarily as a graduate student, since 2016. The biggest finding from my PhD research was that sexual health after birth is highly individual and is not always a linear ‘path’- there are emotional, mental, physical, and relational components involved and they are all important!
Why do you do the work you do?
I think of myself first and foremost as a teacher, and I love education. It’s really important to me to participate in education research so we can continue to learn more about how to best educate future health professionals. The other thing is, I actually really love theory. One of my favourite things is to think about how we can use theory as a tool to guide us to think differently about big challenges.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
I think that we’ve spent so much time social distancing lately, that everyone is ready to get back together, face to face. Web-based videoconferencing, though, has it’s silver linings! I’d love for us to pause and really think critically about the positive sides of connecting via technologies. Hybrid approaches will be really important in the future!
Dr. Anna MacLeod
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
I work mainly in the field of medical education, so preparing doctors for their eventual practice. I’m really interested in why we teach the way we do, and the tools we use in education.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I’ve been doing this for a little over a decade now. My biggest finding is that “things” matter. And, I mean things as in objects—everything form screens, cameras, microphones, cellphones, stethoscopes, simulation manikins—all the things! When we study education, we tend to focus on the people, and that’s really important, of course! But things also make a difference. They’re not neutral or unimportant. So, for example, when you introduce a camera into a learning space, it influences the ways in which people engage and participate. If we really want to understand how people learn, we need to think about things, like technologies, in the learning environment, too.
Why do you do the work you do?
1. To highlight the unique skills that public health nurses who work in home visitation programs use to promote family health outcomes 2) To better understand how nurses can support families to create safe, nurturing environments in which to raise their children; 3) To change our health care system to one that is trauma-and violence-informed -so that when individuals are seeking care and are at their most vulnerable states -that our systems do not cause harm or re-traumatization.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
Systems where families who are struggling to parent -could access services that feel safe and are not punitive.
Dr. Susan Jack
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
Evaluating the impact that public health nursing interventions can have on improving the health and life course of mothers and their children. I am also interested in documenting “how” public health nurses “nurse” – and exploring the tacit knowledge that underpins nurses’ work with families.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
Over 20 years! That when public health nurses prioritize creating care environments, including therapeutic relationships, that are physically and emotionally safe for families – that creates a foundation of trust that facilitates health promotion work.
Why do you do the work you do?
I want to see new mothers and families feel supported and valued and see ourselves as health care providers better equipped to walk alongside families in our practice.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
Our health and social service systems continue to be siloed and problem oriented. I hope to see this shift toward being integrated and building on strengths. I would also like to see policies across sectors being more supportive of family well-being.
Dr. Lenora Marcellus
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
Supporting mothers, babies, and families to be healthy and thriving, particularly in different contexts of adversity. I have had the opportunity to conduct research related to pregnancy and early parenting within contexts of adolescence and early adulthood, substance use, and premature birth.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I started practicing in a neonatal intensive care setting over 35 years ago. Over the years and across many practice and research contexts, I have been privileged to note the strengths that people bring to their daily lives that we often underestimate as health care providers.
Why do you do the work you do?
I do this work to help shed light on the needs of families. Their struggles are often invisible. As a health promotor, I believe in preventing health challenges before they begin; a great way to do this is starting with young families!
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
We need health and social supports to recognize and address the needs of new parents. As we’ve seen throughout this pandemic, parents (especially moms), suffer greatly in times of civil unrest. With our changing climate, these instances will only increase in intensity and severity (storms, drought, wildfires, food shortages, etc.). We need to ensure parents are getting a variety of secure supports throughout the postpartum period to enable families to stay healthy and happy.
Kathryn Stone
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
I’ve recently completed my masters in health promotion, where my main focus was on climate change. I’ve since been working on the Virtual Village Project as the research coordinator. My undergraduate degree got me interested in health equity, which is so broad but so important.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
Although I’ve only been with the MUMs team for a year, my biggest finding has been realizing just how tough the postpartum period can be for new parents, especially during the pandemic. Before working on the Virtual Village, I had no idea how much support parents need and how dire it can be when supports aren’t there.
Why do you do the work you do?
I want my research to play a part in all new parents to being supported to hold their baby in skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth and during any painful procedures throughout infancy. I also want families to be supported in feeding and caring for their new baby. It’s my hope that the work I am doing contributes to the recognition of the powerful role of parents as partners in the health care of their children.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
Empowered families demanding evidence-informed care for themselves and their newborns. Adequately resourced and informed health and social care systems that have the capacity to truly lead and support family-integrated, evidence-informed perinatal care.
Dr. Britney Benoit
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
My research is centered on improving maternal and infant health care and outcomes by supporting parent-led interventions, such as breastfeeding and parent-infant skin-to-skin contact, as part of newborn care. Studies that I have ongoing are focused on parent-led interventions for pain management and fostering supportive environments for breastfeeding.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
I have been doing work in this area for 12 years. My biggest finding is that during painful procedures, the best place for baby to be is breastfeeding or in skin-to-skin contact with their parent. Breastfeeding and skin-to-skin = less pain!
Why do you do the work you do?
Mental health and maternal health have been always the issues I like the most but I found them not properly covered. Moreover, I want to be a nurse who has both a research and clinical point of view, I believe I can contribute more to the health system and society in this way.
What needs doing/what change do you wish to see?
Increasing the awareness about maternal and child health in both the health care system and social construction is the thing I wish for the most. I think by enhanced knowledge and awareness the postpartum period and the whole motherhood would be passed with less stress and issues.
Masoumeh Gholampourch
What's your main field of research, and what got you interested in it?
I have been working as a nurse in Iran for 6 years and during my working experience with a variety of patients especially pregnant or new parents I got interested in mental health and especially Postpartum depression. I felt like I need to apply my empirical experiences to research. I am in the first year of my master of science in nursing degree in Dalhousie and I will work on partners and postpartum depression.
How long have you been doing this work, and what's your biggest finding?
From a clinical aspect, it has been 6 years but regarding research, I am a beginner in research but I found the research the missing part of my career that I have always pursued. I just started to work as a research assistant for Professor Aston with Virtual Village and I know I am going to learn and experience a lot.
There are no upcoming events at this time.