Two College of Nursing faculty members recently secured prestigious awards from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.
Dr. Roberta Woodgate, distinguished professor and Canada Research Chair in child and family engagement in health research and healthcare received a CASN Research Excellence award.
Woodgate has been involved in the procurement of over $46,000,000 in research grant funding since her faculty appointment in 2000. She has been a leader in engaging children and families in research, applying innovative approaches that amplify the voices of children and families most affected by the research. She has embraced a human rights-based approach that views the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental human right and promotes children’s right to participate and freely express their opinions and experiences, in accordance with their evolving capacities.
She is passionate about sharing her research findings, having published over 150 peer-reviewed scholarly research articles, and delivering hundreds of peer reviewed papers at scientific meetings. Woodgate has developed innovative knowledge translation and exchange approaches to disseminate her work, partnering with youth and their families to ensure their voices are presented in authentic accessible ways. She has developed a reputation as a world class leader in child health and patient engagement and is highly sought out and valued for her expert contributions in research, service delivery and policy development at local, national, and internationals levels.
Dr. Christina West, associate professor, is the CASN recipient for the Excellence in Nursing Education for tenured faculty.
Since joining UM in 2013, West has obtained over $1 million in research funding, published 17 peer-reviewed publications, given 13 oral conference presentations, 10 poster presentations and 24 invited presentations.
West has also led several initiatives which have involved reciprocal mentorship of graduate students within an intensive, experiential learning process at international qualitative health research conferences. She is passionate about mentoring students as future researchers and has demonstrated a commitment to this through these initiatives, as well as by supporting students in leading research studies associated with these initiatives.
Due to her strength as a qualitative researcher, she teaches Advanced Philosophy for Nursing Science, Qualitative Research Methods, and Evidence Informed Practice at the masters and doctoral level. West works to integrate equity, diversity and inclusion in her teaching, which has included Indigenous knowledge, Black feminist literature and critical race theory.