Senator Norman Paterson Fellowship

As a three-year-old, talking to my grandfather about the flow of “good blood” and “bad blood” through the heart, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career related to science and health. Teaching complex health information, advocating for patients and families, and working in a fast-paced and hands-on environment were just a few of the diverse aspects of the Registered Nurse role that appealed to me. Throughout my career and education, I have been fortunate to have clinical experiences locally and abroad. Observing the various strategies that nurses use to engage patients and families in care across populations and practice settings has fueled my interest in exploring patient and family experiences within the healthcare system and their engagement in healthcare research, decisions, and evaluation.  

My introduction to health research came serendipitously as a volunteer assisting with maternal health research at a community social services agency during my Bachelor of Nursing program; this was my first experience witnessing how community engagement and mobilization could impact health outcomes. Volunteering on the project changed my perception of health research, the potential impact of nurses, and the career that I was entering – I was hooked! Currently, my doctoral research addresses a call-to-action by Alberta parents and involves co-developing a patient-reported experience measure to examine parents’ experiences with family-centered care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  

I am grateful to receive the Senator Norman Paterson Fellowship and sincerely thank the Canadian Nurses Foundation for supporting my doctoral research.