UBC Students Shine at Nursing History Conference
A group of UBC students, alumni, and faculty traveled to Toronto at the end of May for the annual conference of the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing (CAHN) conference. The conference, “Nursing Humanities and Historical Imaginations: Exploring the Context and Politics of Nursing Across Time, Place and Medium,” was co-organized by Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek (Assistant Professor, UBC Nursing and President of CAHN) and Dr. Kathryn (Kate) McPherson (Interim Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University).
UBC attendees included: Mohadeseh Saki (PhD Nursing student), Jessica Casey (UBC MA graduate), Alistair White (UBC MSN graduate), Kyra Philbert (UBC MSN graduate), Sarina Abedi Cham Heidari (UBC MSN graduate), Crystal Point (UBC MSN graduate), Sara Daigle-Stevens (UBC MSN student), SherylMarie Zentner (BSN Student Career and Academic Advisor), Lydia Wytenbroek (UBC Nursing) and Geertje Boschma (UBC Nursing).
Below you can learn more about the students’ presentations, their reflections on the conference and photos from the event!
(L to R: Kyra Philbert, Mohadeseh Saki, Crystal Point, Dr. Geertje Boschma, Sarina Abedi Cham Heidari, Alistair White, Jessica Casey, Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek)
Sarina Abedi Cham Heidari (MSN ’26)
A New Beat: Cardiac Care Nursing at Vancouver General Hospital, 1955-1959
Supervisor: Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek
The history of specialty nursing care in Canada is understudied. Scholars have explored the histories of intensive care nursing and cancer care nursing in Canada, but there are no studies that explore the history of cardiac care as a nursing specialty. My project explores the history of cardiac care nursing at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) from 1955 to 1959. During this period, specialized cardiac nursing training programs were established, and cardiac nursing emerged as a distinct specialty. I draw on extensive primary sources from Vancouver City Archives and the VGH School of Nursing Alumnae Association Archives. In addition, I reviewed publications in The Canadian Nurse between 1955 and 1959. In 1957, the heart-lung machine made open-heart surgery possible, creating a demand for nurses who had specialized knowledge in ECG measurement and cardiac monitoring. This led to the development of specialized training programs for nurses. My work highlights how nurses at Vancouver General Hospital played a vital role in advancing cardiac care. It fills a gap in history by emphasizing nurses’ vital role, often overlooked in literature focused mainly on physicians, in improving heart surgery outcomes and patient recovery.
Sarina Abedi Cham Heidari:
“I had the opportunity to present my recent project and receive feedback from faculty members and students. I was impressed by their thoughtful comments and suggestions, which encouraged me to become more involved in research projects in the future. I was very nervous about presenting in front of an audience. However, I wanted to challenge myself, face my fear, and gain experience presenting my work. As I practiced and presented a few times beforehand, I became more comfortable and confident. On the day of the presentation, everything went according to plan, and I received encouraging feedback from the audience. I was able to answer their questions and engage in meaningful discussions. In the end, I overcame my fear and felt proud of myself. I am very grateful for the opportunity to present my project to fellow historians. One of the highlights of the conference was listening to the research projects presented by other faculty members and students. It gave me new perspectives, helped me build connections, and inspired ideas for future research projects. The conference strengthened my interest in research and motivated me to continue exploring opportunities in this area.”
Alistair White (MSN ’25)
Public Health Nursing in the Yukon, 1945-1967
Supervisor: Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek
This paper explores the development of public health nursing in the Yukon Territory between 1945 and 1967. This period was marked by significant social and political changes in the Yukon, including a rapid increase of the white settler population, the expansion of the modern Canadian welfare state, and the continued colonization of Northern Indigenous communities. Public health nurses played a pivotal role in these processes, but their contributions are underrepresented in the history of nursing. Drawing on archival records, government reports, autobiographies, and oral histories, this study examines the evolution of public health nursing within this historical moment. I will argue that public health nurses inhabited a complex position in the development of Yukon health services. Nurses were essential in public health efforts to control communicable diseases and reduce infant mortality, but in doing so contributed to a deepening of colonialism. Public health nurses sought professional independence and autonomy through northern practice yet were heavily scrutinized by their employers who routinely dismissed nurses’ concerns. By situating nurses within the broader context of northern development, this study offers a nuanced understanding of the ambiguities of public health nursing in the Yukon.
Alistair White:
“A highlight of the conference for me was seeing presentations from international researchers, including one on pediatric nursing in Germany, which definitely stood out. I didn’t realize how diverse the nursing experience could be, and it was a unique opportunity to connect with scholars I would otherwise never meet.”
Jessica Casey (MA ’26)
Inventing “Arctic Hysteria”
Supervisor: Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek
My study explores the evolution of “arctic hysteria” from 1894, when the term was first used by a white settler to describe the “erratic” behavior of Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic, to the 1990s, when the American Psychological Association and World Health Organization designated “arctic hysteria” as an official diagnostic classification. Throughout the twentieth century, American and Canadian academics allied with colonizing state authorities to compile indirect observations from settler explorers, perform unethical studies, and publish their conclusions. This research included physician-ethnographer Edward Foulks’ fieldwork in Alaska in 1969. These cross-disciplinary efforts to invent a disorder exclusive to Arctic Indigenous Peoples were successful, and the classification persisted in mainstream literature until the 2010s. In this presentation, I will offer a critical review of the research supporting the formal medicalization of “arctic hysteria.” Drawing on writings and field reports from settler scientists from 1969-1972, I will argue that these scientists constructed “natural” racial and cultural hierarchies that acted as an organizing principle across their research. Though their conclusions lack scientific merit, “arctic hysteria” offers a valuable historical case study on the impacts of race science on scientific rigor in medical research.
Jessica won the Vicky Bach Award for the best student paper presented at the conference!
Mohadeseh Saki (MSN ’25, current PhD Nursing student)
From Fellowship to Leadership: Iranian Nurses on the Move
Supervisor: Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek
This presentation examines the professional journeys of four Iranian nurses who received Rockefeller Foundation (RF) fellowships to pursue advanced nursing training in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. I analyze how these nurses used international education to develop new forms of professional authority and leadership within Iran’s nursing sector. Upon returning to Iran, two of the RF nurse fellows, Taliah Agah and Parichehr Parvaresh, assumed nursing leadership positions, and Fatemeh Salsali became the Chief Nurse of the newly established nursing division within the Ministry of Health. She was the first nurse and the first woman to hold a position in government. Despite their significant contributions to the establishment of nursing infrastructure in Iran, these nurses have largely remained absent from Iranian and global historiography, reflecting the broader marginalization of Middle Eastern nurses in transnational health histories. Drawing on individual fellowship files from the Rockefeller Foundation Archives, this presentation considers the professional journeys of these nurses in relation to the broader sociopolitical context of postwar modernization in Iran and the country’s relationship with the United States. I argue that RF fellowships were pivotal to the development of nursing leadership in Iran. These fellowships enabled Iranian nurses to assume administrative positions that were previously dominated by American nurses. Simultaneously, the RF’s philanthropic activities exemplified broader United States soft-power strategies, serving to extend American influence while strategically countering the spread of communist ideologies throughout Iran during the Cold War.
Mohadeseh Saki:
“One of the highlights of the conference was the opportunity to learn about the history of nursing from different parts of the world. Hearing presentations on Germany, Brazil, and the Middle East offered unique perspectives on how nursing developed within different cultural, social, and political contexts. I found it fascinating to see both the common challenges and the distinct experiences that have shaped the profession across different regions. It was inspiring to see how these different stories contribute to our understanding of the profession today. Another highlight was seeing the creative and innovative ways historians conduct research, including the diverse methods and sources they use to explore and tell nursing histories.”
Sara Daigle-Stevens (current MSN student)
What Does Cultural Safety Mean Now?
This abstract leaves me asking how Ramsden defined “cultural safety,” because the rest of the abstract flows from that and the definition given is limited. I would also ask what “using a reflexive and historical approach” means, since it seems very general. However, this presentation focuses on an issue of importance to Indigenous peoples and I would like to hear more. Cultural safety, developed by Māori nurse Irihapeti Ramsden, emerged as a response to the witnessed imbalance of colonial power and inequity in healthcare in Aotearoa. Ramsden asked nurses to reflect on how history, racism, and power shape care [1]. Today, cultural safety appears in nursing education, policy, and professional standards, but its meaning is not always clear. This paper asks: what does cultural safety mean now? Using a reflexive and historical approach, this presentation aims to examine how cultural safety has changed as it has become more widely embedded within healthcare systems, and the tension between cultural safety as an ethical practice and its application as a standardized requirement. This presentation intends to reflect on what cultural safety ask of nurses now. Indigenous people and other equity-deserving groups continue to experience racism and discrimination, respectively, in healthcare. At times, cultural safety is reduced to a one-time training and a checkbox, potentially eroding meaning and purpose. By approaching cultural safety as a practice, an ongoing responsibility, rather than an endpoint, this presentation aims to inspire nurses to reflect on their power, their role, and their accountability in care today.
Sara Daigle-Stevens:
“Attending this conference for the first time was a wonderful knowledge exchange opportunity. I didn’t realize that we would have colleagues coming from the United States and I felt very inspired listening to their stories and experiences as it relates to nursing history. This could be my own ignorance showing, but I was surprised to learn so much about nursing history that has occurred so far across the globe. There was so much going on, but I was particularly inspired to hear about Christine Fiddler’s doctoral work (she is exploring Indigenous understandings of health and healing as practiced by the Nehiyaw (Cree) peoples living in northwest central Saskatchewan from 1921 to the 1970s), the history of a North Korean nurse, as well as learning more about the history of healthcare as it relates to the Philippines, Palestine and Brazil. I would be remiss not to include my interest regarding “arctic hysteria.” I appreciate how warm and welcoming the environment of this conference was – it was an intimate gathering of passionate nursing historians. In addition to what I’ve already shared, I shared these words in a journal posting recently regarding the conference: “I was inspired and uplifted to document my experiences so far, and continue to do so. We have so much to learn from our histories, and through that knowledge, we can learn how to improve things especially through iterative processes. I am inspired by all the people I met at the conference this past weekend. I was fortunate to also make connections with some kindred spirits. Really hoping to foster these sparks of inspiration and joy and continue on my thesis onwards.” It was really such an honour and privilege to be able to attend this conference as I begin to dive into my master’s thesis, and to join on my birthday! It was a gift to be able to learn from others and to leave inspired and energized. Thank you CAHN and everyone who made it possible to join, and including Lydia!”
Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek & Kyra Philbert (MSN’23)
Nurses and Pageantry: Performing the Past, Performing Profession
In the twentieth century, historical pageants were a common spectacle at nursing ceremonies and conferences. Student and graduate nurses enacted the history of the nursing profession by dressing-up as historical characters from nursing’s past. Nursing leaders utilized these pageants to construct and perpetuate an interpretation of the past that was intended to uphold ideas about the “ideal” nurse as white, feminine and heterosexual. Although these pageants were designed to entertain the audience, they had a propagandist dimension. Using articles in the Canadian Nurse, along with nursing school records, this paper will consider the use of nursing pageants in upholding white privilege. We argue that these pageants were used to celebrate a particular version of nursing’s past, inculcate professional identity and uphold white privilege within the nursing profession.
Kyra Philbert: Third time’s a charm!
“I really enjoyed CAHN this year, since I have attended twice before, I appreciated seeing some friendly faces and meeting some new ones. I particular enjoyed spending time with my condisciples and hearing more about their exciting work. CAHN is a fun conference because it is a mix of historians, nurses and the elusive nurse-historian. Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek, one such nurse-historian (and my former MSN supervisor), and I did a presentation about pageants in nursing. Today, pageants gives “toddlers and tiaras” but a century ago, they were a popular form of public entertainment about history. So popular indeed that newspapers warned of ”pageantitis”. So be warned: history is gripping and contagious!
CAHN you join us next year?
I hope so!”
They keynote panel, sponsored by Associated Medical Services (AMS), addressed Indigenous history, nursing and health. It featured panelists Christine Fiddler and Crystal Point.
Crystal Point (MSN ’26)
Supervisor: Dr. Helen Brown
Crystal played the video she narrated on Indigenous Nursing Leaders: https://youtu.be/V7lNpPvQGRo?si=vzBaWdIN8au3hwH_
Crystal reflected on participating in the creation of the film and her own journey as an Indigenous nurse leader.
Crystal Point:
“The conference was such a memorable experience! I absolutely loved the opportunity to travel to Toronto for the first time & be a part of such a moving & interesting conference around nursing history! I was excited and honoured to share the digital mural project we worked on together. And share how it has impacted me in terms of personal, professional & academic lens. Highlights include: Seeing familiar faces in a new town across the country! As well as listening to the amazing presentations and the wealth of knowledge shared.”
SherylMarie Zentner & Michelle Danda
Migrant Histories, Colonial Legacies: Filipino Nurses, Canadian Health Care, and Imagining Anti-Racist Futures
This presentation examines the history of Filipino nursing as a transnational, colonial, and racialized project, and considers how these histories shape contemporary imaginaries of nursing, justice, and responsibility in Canada, with a particular focus on Filipino nurses in British Columbia from 1970–2010. Drawing on the origins of Filipino nursing education under United States colonial rule, the paper traces how curricula, language, and ideals of “good” nursing were designed to produce mobile, exportable workers for imperial and later global labour markets, and how these dynamics informed migration streams to British Columbia’s hospitals and long-term care sectors.
The analysis will be grounded in a range of historical sources, including newspaper and popular media accounts, community and ethnic press, union and hospital newsletters, policy and immigration documents, archival photographs, and, where available, oral histories and community-based narratives. Focus will be placed to how Filipino nurses’ work and lives in British Columbia were represented, remembered, or rendered invisible across these media between 1970 and 2010. Themes of deskilling, credentialing barriers, racialized division of labour, care chain economies, and everyday acts of resistance and solidarity within workplaces and communities will be explored.
Situated within nursing humanities and historical imaginations, the presentation invites reflection on how colonial and migratory histories unsettle dominant narratives of Canadian nursing, and how historical consciousness can open space for imagining anti-racist, justice-oriented futures in nursing practice, education, and collective memory.
Photos
UBC students and conference attendees navigate the TTC!
UBC students and conference attendees enjoy dinner out in Toronto!
Dr. Kate McPherson & Dr. Sioban Nelson discuss the history of nursing
Sarina Abedi Cham Heidari discusses her research with Dr. Alice Baumgart
