Dave’s research activities are carefully designed and planned to support and disseminate research focused on nursing care at the intersection of health care and criminal justice within the psychiatric (especially forensic psychiatry) and public health sectors. Research results have served to inform health professionals, researchers, educators, students, and decision-makers about health care issues relevant to offenders and victims of criminal acts. Moving forward Dave will modify his previous research trajectory by including technology as a major component of all his public health projects. The next five years of his program of research will be dedicated to developing new knowledge about sexual health/risk/technology/violence and developing a highly innovative field of forensic nursing research exploring trauma.
Dave is well known in Canada and internationally for his ideas and work on the use of seclusion, mechanical restraints, and chemical restraints in psychiatry and his strong criticism of a number of public health policies.