TouchPoints

Navigating the Tempest: Nursing Practice During COVID=19 The afternoon symposium explored the impacts of COVID-19 on nursing practice. This year, it was recorded via the online meeting platform, Zoom, and was able to be shared with healthcare practitioners beyond the normal scope. “There is probably very little disagreement that the COVID-19 pandemic turned into almost this global crisis in which nursing played a very important role both in terms of responding to it and also leading it.” Moderator Dr. Farinaz Havaei Assistant Professor “A take away [as] we move into…read more

Nursing Leadership in the English NHS: Influencing Diversity, COVID-19, and Me The UBC School of Nursing was pleased to have virtually hosted Yvonne Coghill as the keynote speaker for the 2020 Marion Woodward Lecture. Ms. Coghill is the Director of the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) Implementation in the British National Health Service (NHS) and deputy president of the Royal College of Nursing in the United Kingdom. In her presentation, she described race equality in the English NHS and strategies for improving allyship in the workplace. Ms. Coghill spoke about challenges…read more

Five New Assistant Professors and Two New Lecturers Assistant Professor Kristen Haase, BN, MA, PhD Kristen Haase comes to UBC from the University of Saskatchewan, where she was an Assistant Professor. She has a PhD in nursing (Ottawa) and a research program that focuses on the supportive and self-management needs of older adults with cancer. Through her program of research Kristen has an interest in using patient- and community-engaged approaches to highlight the unique and often complex needs of older adults with cancer and their caregivers when managing the acute…read more

The Birth of the Canadian Academy of Nursing Until this year, Canadian nurses interested in an opportunity to engage with leading scholars across domains of practice, teaching, policy, research and scholarship had to look outside Canadian borders or beyond nursing. Some became Fellows of the prestigious American Academy of Nursing or engaged with interdisciplinary academies such as the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. This year, 2020, was designated by the World Health Assembly as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. And, in Canada, this year saw the…read more

Faculty Jennifer Baumbusch | CIHR Canada Research Chair, Sex and Gender Science—Jennifer’s research over four years will advance gender-based research methods to optimize supports to ensure the highest quality of life for community-dwelling people living with dementia (PMAD) and their family caregivers. | Recipient of the Editorial Board Member Award from the International Journal of Older People Nursing. Helen Brown | Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat—New Frontiers in Research award for “Developing a Peer Mentorship Program to Foster Health and Social Equity for Indigenous Peoples in Criminal Justice Contexts.” Wendy Hall…read more

Three Alumni Retrace Their Careers Born in Kenya, Shelina Rajan was raised partly in Mombasa and partly in Vancouver. Her parents, Hussein and Amina Bhimji came to Canada in 1974 to provide a better educational opportunity for their two daughters, even though it meant leaving behind a comfortable life, all their relatives, and everything familiar. Shelina was driven to make the most of this sacrifice and chose to pursue nursing as a field where she could make the most significant difference. She received her Nursing Diploma from BC Institute of…read more

2020 Symposium Embodying the theme of this year’s Graduate Student Nurses Association (GSNA) Symposium, the organizers of the 2020 event took the annual symposium online for the first time, with great success. The Building and Being Health Leaders morning panel featured Dr. Barb Astle, Dr. Laura Housden, Dr. Cecilia Jevitt, and PhD student Wil Harding. Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc moderated and facilitated a question period. Keynote speakers were Agnes Black of Providence Health Care’s Professional Practice Office, and Emma Garrod, a Clinical Nurse Educator who recently completed her Master’s degree at…read more

Nursing Education in Pandemic Mode The nursing profession shines bright during health crises: student nurses working in facilities during the pandemic can reduce strain on full-time nurses. At the outset of the pandemic, our School, as part of the Nursing Education Council British Columbia, worked with other Schools of Nursing in the province to communicate with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, the Public Health Officer (PHO), and the Ministry of Health. Their goal, early on, was to confirm the importance of maintaining the education of nursing students….read more

Indigenous Advisory Circle The School of Nursing Indigenous Cultural Safety Strategic Initiatives Committee (ICSSI), co-chaired by Dr. Margaret Moss and Dr. Helen Brown, invited several participants within and beyond the School of Nursing to join UBC Nursing’s first Indigenous Advisory Circle (IAC). The IAC will work with ICSSI to advise across curricula, academic programs, research, faculty learning and external partnerships. The Circle includes a nursing leader in First Nations Health, three Indigenous graduate students, one MSN-NP UBC Alumni, and four Elders who have long-standing and new relationships with our school….read more

A Timeline MAY 25     Global protests erupt, supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and spotlighting systemic racism particularly in law enforcement, health care, and academia. JUNE 8      Director Elizabeth Saewyc releases a Statement Against Racism on behalf of the School. JUNE          Members of the School of Nursing convene a town hall to discuss anti-racism. The Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF) is created OCT/NOV   The ARTF organizes several deep discussion groups to address key questions and follows up with facilitators to begin developing a report and recommendations. NOV 30     In Plain Sight:…read more