In this role, she will advance evidence-based research to support the development of high-quality health services for Francophone communities in Ontario and across Canada. As the chairholder, Professor Lalonde will focus on researching ways to ensure that future generations of Francophone nurses are well-equipped with the skills needed to provide safe, ethical health care in Ontario.
With Ontario having the lowest nurse-to-population ratio in Canada and an urgent need for 25,000 more nurses, the outlook for Francophones in the province is especially concerning. This research chair’s program has several key goals, including understanding how the next generation of Francophone nurses is preparing for and transitioning into practice. The research aims to identify practical solutions to challenges such as language barriers and limited French-language resources, focusing particularly on the experiences of nurses taking exams like the NCLEX-RN, which often fail to reflect the specific needs of Ontario’s Francophone community.
“The research program will focus on the barriers and supports that new Francophone nursing graduates encounter as they transition into the profession," said Lalonde. "The goal is to address these challenges to improve their integration and ensure their long-term employment in Ontario’s Francophone health-care facilities.”
A career dedicated to research in nursing
Michelle Lalonde is an associate professor at the University of Ottawa's School of Nursing within the Faculty of Health Sciences. She leads research in the Francophone health component of the Centre for Research on Health and Nursing (CRHN). A registered nurse, her clinical expertise includes general surgery and emergency trauma care, and she is a member of the National Emergency Nurses Association of Canada.
Since 2017, Lalonde has been affiliated with the Institut du Savoir Montfort, where she began as a researcher and was promoted to senior affiliated researcher in 2022. She also served as the scientific director for the 8th International Congress of Francophone Nurses (SIDIIEF – Secrétariat international des infirmières et infirmiers de l’espace francophone) when it was hosted by Montfort Hospital in 2022. This congress, which focused on the role of nursing knowledge in advancing health, brought together nearly 1,500 health-care professionals from about 30 Francophone countries.
For several years, Professor Lalonde has researched health-care services, with a focus on the preparation and transition of nursing students into the profession. Her approach emphasizes applying research findings through advisory committees. The College of Nurses of Ontario and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing frequently seek her expertise. As Ontario faces a significant shortage of Francophone nurses, her research program has a major impact not only in Ontario but also across Canada and other French-speaking countries.
This joint chair is part of the University of Ottawa’s Collège des chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone (CCRMF). As such, it will foster scientific collaboration with other chairholders, expanding its influence and supporting French-language research at the University of Ottawa.