I am an associate professor and the assistant director for undergraduate programs at the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa. Prior to joining the faculty, I worked in psychiatric emergency services at The Ottawa Hospital. My research program is rooted in my clinical experiences, reflective of a pragmatic approach, and aimed at answering questions that are meaningful for health-care providers, patients, and families. I believe that thoughtful consideration of existing evidence, through knowledge synthesis and triangulation of findings garnered from qualitative and quantitative studies, is critical when addressing practice problems. Although translating evidence into practice is a complex process, it can be facilitated by actively involving practice, patient, and family partners in research, and I work with knowledge users and stakeholders to design, execute, and disseminate my studies. The overarching purpose of my research is to advance knowledge of health-care access, delivery, and utilization. Although these topics cut across all health-care sectors, I have focused primarily on mental health care. The three interconnected objectives are:
- To understand experiences of seeking, receiving, or providing health care;
- To develop and test strategies for improving access, delivery, and utilization of health care;
- To promote evidence-informed nursing education to support optimal delivery of care.