I am a neonatal nurse practitioner, clinician scientist and a Full Professor at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, and hold cross-appointments in the Department of Pediatrics, and Psychology and Neuroscience. My Canada Foundation of Innovation-funded research lab, MOM-LINC(Mechanisms, Outcome, and Mobilization of Maternally-Led Interventions to Improve Newborn Care) is located at the IWK Health Centre.
The aim of my research program is to improve the way that healthcare is delivered to infants by enhancing maternal and family contributions as activeparticipants in their child’s care. Specifically, my research focuses on a) the examination of the effectiveness of maternal-led interventions to improve outcomesin at-risk newborns, primarily related to reducing pain-related stress b) a better understanding of the mechanisms and the efficacy of these interventions; and c)strategies to improve the uptake of these interventions and active engagement by both parents and health care providers; d) training and mentoring the nextgeneration of maternal child health pain researchers; and e) leadership and advocacy to raise awareness regarding the need for optimal pain care, most notablyin vulnerable populations, and across both low to middle income and high income settings.