Research in Nursing

The goal of her research is to reduce stigma of dementia and improve equitable access to health and support services to enhance rural aging. Her research expertise include dementia, rural health, gerontology, stigma, ageism, social media, health policy, and age-friendly environments.

Dr. Bacsu has published 23 peer-reviewed journal articles, five book chapters, presented at 57 national and international conferences, and delivered 25 community workshops. Through her work at the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU), she has helped write and prepare 26 national and provincial level grants with 18 being successful and worth $4,809,835.

Dr. Bacsu has been a Research Associate with SPHERU since 2009, and a board member with the Canadian Rural Health Research Society since 2011. Prior to this, she was a senior communications manager for the provincial government, a television segment host, and co-owned a family medicine clinic. Recently, she co-produced a podcast series with the Gerontological Society of America where she hosted episodes on stigma of dementia and rural aging.

Dr. Fehr’s research, consulting, and teaching interests developed from over 30 years of nursing practice, starting as a Street Nurse in Calgary before moving north as a Community Health Nurse in the Northwest Territories with several communities (Norman Wells, Behchokǫ̀, K'asho Got'ine, Délįne, Sachs Harbour, and Tuktoyaktuk). She maintained a casual nurse position from 1993-2014 at Royal Inland Hospital, giving her a vast range of nursing experience (maternity health, child health, women’s health, family health, and medical/surgical nursing).

Dr. Fehr’s long-standing professional efforts have been committed to retaining new nurses and graduating successful students with strong relational practice skills, as the practice of quality nursing directly relates to promoting patient safety. In the last five years, she has risen to be a leading national anti-bullying consultant and educator, using cognitive rehearsal training strategies with students and new graduate nurses in healthcare, in part sponsored by two modest WorkSafeBC Innovation at Work grants. Dr. Fehr has delivered dozens of workshops, mini-lectures, and presentations, often in collaboration with a recently retired TRU faculty, Ms. Michelle Seibel. Collaboratively, this dubbed Anti-bullying League, features the Fehr & Seibel, Stop, Reflect, and Respond (SRR)Model as a first-response strategy to manage workplace bullies.

More recently, Dr. Fehr’s research portfolio has grown to examine a novel way to tackle the drug poisoning crisis, which remains one of the direst health crises of our times. Through a modest Ministry of Health (BC) grant and in collaboration with the UBC-O psychology department, Dr. Fehr is a primary investigator in understanding how cannabis may be a harm reduction approach, both in and out of recovery programs, in order to save lives. Central to the tenants of harm reduction is the idea of meeting people where they are at, which includes the idea that, “not everyone is ready for complete abstinence from substance use.” With four related publications in review, Dr. Fehr and her research team are exploring how non-abstinence care models can engage and retain more people in treatment.

Dr. Fehr considers herself an early researcher and has published seven peer-reviewed journal articles, five manuscripts under review, and several working manuscripts. She has over 25 refereed conference presentations and proceedings, been awarded eight grants (worth over $160,000.00), conducted 16 research media interviews, been an invited speaker and panelist 15 times, and has conducted at least 19 invited workshops. With her local community at heart, Dr. Fehr has hosted and co-organized three successful community forums with TRU to engage educators, students, and working healthcare professionals interested in medicinal cannabis in the healthcare sector. Dr. Fehr looks forward to many more years of research that is community driven and looking forward to ongoing interdisciplinary relationships that involve discovery that impacts and generates solutions in public policy and decision-making.

Rhonda’s teaching interests include professional practice, health promotion and nursing lab practice. She teaches across all three nursing and healthcare programs offered through the WL nursing programs (HCA, PN, BScN). As a result, her academic interests, research and dissemination includes blended learning pedagogies, Indigenization of curricula, and interprofessional collaborative learning strategies.

Rhonda’s scholarship focuses on classroom teaching pedagogies and utilization of hybrid and high flex learning modalities. Working on a small campus that serves a region that is bigger than the province of Nova Scotia, using hybrid models to bring education to remote and rural learners is a fierce passion.

Recent scholarly dissemination includes Indigenization of a small campus (Coyote), interdisciplinary mentorship of students across programs, interdisciplinary grief & loss simulation, and using a hybrid model during instructional skills workshops (ISW).

Her research to date (funded by SSHRC) continues with a population health lens and with approaches to use different sources of evidence through health equity approaches, the social determinants of health, intersectionality, and the effectiveness of interventions to improve refugee health. There is imperativeness in identifying diverse patterns of health and equitable health services access. Moreover, it is about giving voice to underserved populations–and to reveal how identity constructs of race, class and gender shape access to resources, and social services.

Recognizing that dissemination of research findings is the most important avenue to make an impact on the life of migrants, she has exerted great efforts to publish through presentations, nationally, internationally, and through multiple publications (30+). Funded by CIHR she has experience with knowledge synthesis and building a clear evidence base eliciting understanding of factors generating disparities and to improve culturally based competency of providing perinatal healthcare services. She has received Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Comprehensive Systematic Review Training, JBI Centre for Evidence informed Nursing Health Care, University of Victoria.

Dr O’Mahony strongly acknowledges the importance to include/mentor undergraduate and graduate students in her research. She is especially keen to work with students to provide training in community-based research.

Interests

Primary areas of interest are musculoskeletal health (rheumatology and orthopaedic), nurse practitioner clinical practice and scholarship, and research as described below.

Research Interests

He is a quantitative research methodologist. His research interests are in questionnaire and instrument development, web-based survey research and the application of technology to patient care. He continues to be involved in research with his colleagues in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary and mentors colleagues at TRU. He is an active member of a rheumatology research group in the Division of Rheumatology, University of Calgary.

Employment history

Dr. Jim Rankin was a professor on the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary for over 35 years. During part of his tenure at Calgary he served as Associate Dean for undergraduate programs for 5 years. He joined the School of Nursing at TRU in 2023. He is a full professor (teaching) at TRU and is the MNNP program coordinator. He is also full professor emeritus at the University of Calgary.

He worked in the Gaza Strip on two occasions in the 1990s as part of a Canadian International Development Grant (CIDA). He taught courses in nursing and rehabilitation with a focus on brain and spinal cord injuries. He also consulted with orthopaedic surgeons and health care providers at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

He has been practicing as a Nurse Practitioner since 2002. Jim had a busy clinical practice commitment in rheumatology in Calgary. He is currently in NP practice in virtual and actual clinical environments in collaboration with a hip and knee orthopaedic surgeon.

Publications

He has published over 70 refereed articles, several book chapters and over 110 paper and poster presentations at national and international conferences. He has published co-authored articles with his PhD and NP students.

Examples of publications:

Heikel, A.R., Rankin, J.A. & Then, K.L. (2023). Intimate Partner Violence: A Practice Development Issue for Orthopaedic Nurses. International Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing. 48 Online February 2023. Link

1. Sloss, S., Dhiman, K,. Zafar, S., Hartfeld, N.M.S., Lacaille, D., Then, K.L., Li, L.C., Barnabe, C., Hazelwood, G.S., Rankin, J.A., Hall, M., Marshall, D., English, K., Tsui, K., MacMullan, P., Homik, J., Mosher, D., & Barber, C.E.H. (June 2022). Development and testing of the rheumatoid arthritis quality of care survey. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism 54. /doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2022.152002
2. Reay, G., Rankin, J.A., Dobson, C. & Campbell, K. (2022). Mass casualty triage for the Emergency Department using the RATE protocol: Validation and results of a quasi-experiment. International Emergency Nursing, March, 61. DOI:10.1016/j.ienj.2021.101124.
3. Barber, C.E.H., Lacaille, D., Hall, M., Bohm, V., Li, L. C., Barnabe, C.C.M., Rankin, J. A., Hazlewood, G.S., Marshall, D., MacMullan, P., Mosher, D.P., Homik, J., English, K., Tsui, K., & Then, K. L. (2021). Strategies for Developing and Implementing a Rheumatoid Arthritis Healthcare Quality Framework: A Thematic Analysis of Perspectives from Arthritis Stakeholders. BMJ Open 11(3): e043759, 2021 03 05.
4. Barber, C.E.H., Lacaille, D., Hall, M., Bohm, V., Li, L.C., Barnabe, C., Hazelwood, G.S., Marshall, D.A., Rankin, J.A., Tsui, K., English, K., MacMullan, P., Homik, J., Mosher, D., & Then, K.L. (2021). Priorities for High Quality Care in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results of Patient, Health Professional, and Policymaker Perspectives. Journal of Rheumatology. 48(4), 486-494. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.201044
5. *Fichadiya, P., Then, K.L., & Rankin, J.A. (2021). The Impact of Nurse Practitioners on Health Outcomes in Outpatient Heart Failure Management: A Systematic Review. Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. 31(2), 20-27.
6. Jones, A.L., Rankin, J.A. & Then, K.L. (2020). Drug Overdose, Loss of Consciousness and Compartment Syndrome: A Life-Threatening Combination. Journal of Emergency Nursing Journal, (46)3, 294-301.
7. Then, K.L., & Rankin, J.A., & Ali, E. (2014). Focus group research: what is it and how can it be used? Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 24(1):16-22.
8. Reay, G. & Rankin, J.A. (2013). The application of theory to triage decision making. International Emergency Nursing. International Journal of Emergency Nursing. 21(2):97-102.
9. Rankin, J.A., Then. K.L. & Atack, L. (2013). Can emergency nurses’ triage skills be improved through online learning? Results of an experiment. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 39(1): 20-26.

Most recently, with his co-authors, he has submitted manuscripts on a triage decision-making tool he co-developed, delirium in surgical patients, validity of a self-assessment tool for patients with RA and text-messaging support for rheumatoid arthritis care.

Courses taught

Jim has taught theory courses in the BN, Post-Diploma BN, NP, MN and PhD programs at Calgary. In the MNNP program he taught in the Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology and Advanced Health Assessment courses. He taught master’s level and PhD level quantitative research methods. He has been involved in curriculum development for undergraduate, master’s, NP and PhD programs.

At Calgary he clinically and academically supervised over 100 NP students, as well as MN Course-Based, MN Thesis and PhD students.

He is teaching the Clinical Reasoning in Advanced Health Assessment course in the MNNP program at TRU and is involved in curricular development for several courses in the MNNP program.

Timetable

Jim may be contacted by email Monday – Friday 0830 -1630. In person or virtual meetings by appointment.

Life interests

Outside of work, Jim enjoys reading, listening to music, hiking, golfing and swimming. He has a busy family life with his four active grandchildren.

Interests

Nursing and health care:

• Community Health and Nursing
• Indigenous Health and Nursing
• Community Health Nursing Education
• Nursing Leadership and Governance

Research interests

• Community Health Nursing
• Indigenous Health Nursing
• School Health
• Home Care
• Institutional Ethnography

Employment history

Thompson Rivers University
School of Nursing
September 2013 to Present

Health Canada, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, BC Region, Transfer Nursing Team
* Transfer Nursing Management and Practice Consultant

Thompson Rivers University
*School of Nursing Sessional Instructor

Interior Health Authority
* Public Health Nurse
* Family Health Program Leader-Prevention Services

Xaxli'p First Nation
* Community Health Nurse

Northern Health Authority
* Program Manager Public Health Nursing
* Injury Prevention Coordinator
* Public Health Nurse

Publications

• Schofield, R., Chircop, A., Currie, G., Foster, S., Hamilton, J., Kall, D., LuctkarFlude, M., Riselli, D. M., Oke, S., Ryan, M. M., Sanders, T., Tam, S., & Tyerman, J. (2023). Developing simulation games to advance public health nursing competence in baccalaureate education. Public Health Nursing, 40, 288-297. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13163
• Contandriopoulos, D., Stajduhar, K., Sanders, T., Carrier, A., Bitschy, A., & Funk, L. (). A realist review of the home care literature and its blind spots. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, https://doi-org.ezproxy.tru.ca/10.1111/jep.13627, 1-10.
• Stajduhar, K., & Sanders, T. (, July 1). COVID-19 shows support for home care long overdue. Vancouver Sun. Also published: July 6, 2020 Quoi Media; July 8, 2020 The Hill Times, July 8, 2020 Ottawa Life Magazine, July 8, 2020 The Good Man Project, July 27, 2020 Policy Options Politiques, August 20, 2020 The Canadian Business Journal.
• Sanders, T., O'Mahony, J., Duncan, S., Mahara, S., Pitman, V., Ringstad, K., & Weatherman K. (). Opening the doors for school health An exploration of Public Health Nurses' capacities to engage in comprehensive school health programs. Public Health Nursing, 36 (3), 348-356.
• Duncan, S., & Sanders, T. (). Community health nursing. In M. Buck, L. Ferguson, L. Yiu & L. L. Stamler (Eds.), Fundamentals of Canadian Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice (4th ed., pp 246-261). Toronto, ON: Pearson.
• Sanders, T. (, October). Enhancing community health nursing education through the use of the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice. UBC MScN Major Paper.

Presentations (a selection of professional presentations):

• Sanders, T., & Duncan, S. (, June). The social relations of home care nursing work. International Collaboration for Community Health Nursing Research Conference. Virtual Conference hosted by Linnaeuous University, Sweden.
• Sanders, T. (, June). Mapping The Social Relations of Home Care Nursing Work Research in Progress. Canadian Doctoral Nursing Network Conference. Virtual Conference hosted by University of Regina, SK.
• Sanders, T. (). Valuing Prevention. Valuing what didn't happen: How does the valuing of absence influence our understanding of the role of nurses in prevention? International Philosophy of Nursing Conference, Victoria BC.
• O'Mahony, J., Duncan, S., Mahara, S., Pitman, V., Ringstad, K., Sanders, T., Stade, S.,& Weatherman, K.,

Courses taught

• BScN Program Year Lead
• Student Advisor & Practice Placement Coordinator Semester BScN Program
• Coordinator, Aboriginal Pathways to Health Careers Program
• NURS Health & Healing VII, Promoting Community and Society Health
• NURS Nursing Practice VI, Promoting Health of Communities and Society
• NURS Nursing Practice VIII, Transitioning to BScN Graduate
• NURS Professional Practice V, Leadership in Nursing
• NURS Nursing Practice VII, Community Health Nursing Practice
• NURS Health and Healing I, Living Health
• NURS Nursing Practice V, School Health
• NURS Professional Practice I, Foundations to the Discipline of Nursing
• NURS Nursing Practice IV, Introduction to Community Health
• CPE III Consolidated Practice
• NURS Nursing Practice VI, Nurses Influencing Change
• NURS Nursing Practice IV, Child Health
• NURS /284 Lab

Her career has included senior Nursing leadership positions in Professional practice and Quality Improvement. She has served on the board of Registered Nurses Association of Ontario; Lambda Pi Chapter for Sigma Theta Tau International; Belmont House (Senior Retirement and Nursing Home); and Aurat Health Services (nonprofit serving South Asian women and men) and an executive member for the Academy of Chief Executive Nurses (ACEN) prior to its integration with Canadian Nurses Association Leadership Academy.

Dr. Srivastava is recognized nationally and internationally for her leadership in cultural competence, bridging academia and practice environments, and translating vision into action. She is the author and editor for The Health Care Professional’s Guide to Cultural Competence (2nd edition, 2022), and has written several book chapters and articles on topics of cultural identity, religion, ethics, and family-centered care. Her research focuses on organizational enablers to foster cultural competence and anti-racism; teaching pedagogies for diversity and equity; inclusive leadership; and strengthening nursing practice through leadership, mentorship, and technology.

Dr. Srivastava completed a bachelor’s in nursing (BN) (with honors) from Dalhousie University (1981); Masters of Science in Nursing (MScN) (1986) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (2008) from the University of Toronto.

On a personal note, Rani identifies as an immigrant, South Asian parent, and many familial roles within an extended family network, with a deep love for her family, culture, traditions, and religion.

Education

• 2021-2022: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mitacs Accelerate Intern, University of British Columbia, Canada
  Project: TrustSphere: An Integrated Secure Digital Health Platform
• 2013-2020: Ph.D. in Nursing, University of Calgary , Canada
  Dissertation title: CoDevelopment of an e-Resource to Support Parents' Search for Mobile Apps.
• 2010-2013: Master of Nursing, University of Calgary, Canada
  Thesis title: Amputation Associated Stressors and Couple's Adjustment
• 2002-2004: Post RN BScN, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
• 1996-1999: Diploma in Nursing, Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Publications

• Virani, A., Duffett-Leger, L. & Letourneau, N. (2021). Parents' use of mobile applications in the first year of parenthood: A narrative review of the literature. Health Technology.
• Virani, A., Duffett-Leger, L. & Letourneau, N. (2021). Co-designing an e-resource to support parents??? search for mobile apps. Health Technology, 5(10).
• Virani, A., Duffett-Leger, L. & Letourneau, N. (2020). Parents' perspective of parenting app use. Journal of Informatics Nursing, 5(1). 8-18. Featured as Continuing Nursing Education article
• Virani, A., Duffett-Leger, L., & Letourneau, N. (2019). Parenting apps review: In search of good quality apps. mHealth 5(44) 1-15.
• Virani, A., Werunga, J., Ewashan, C. & Green, T. (2015). Caring for patients with limb amputation. Nursing Standard, 30(6), 51-60. ???Invited publication and was selected as a Continuing Professional Development article.
• Bright, K., Brockway, M., Carrera, G., Kathol, B., Keys, E., Moules, J.,???Virani, A. (2015). Out of order: To Debbie and Dave, Chris and Bill, MJ and John. Journal of Applied Hermeneutics.
• Virani, A. (2015). Stroke Risk calculator app. Emergency nurse, 23(1), 14.
• Virani, A. (2014). Stroke patient app. Nursing Standard, 29(3), 33.
• Virani, A., Green, T., & Turin, T. (2014). Phantom limb pain: A nursing perspective. Nursing Standard, 29(1), 45-50.
• Virani, A. & Green, T. (2012). Amputation-associated stressors and dyadic adjustment. (Master???s thesis). University of Calgary
• Virani, A. (2004, April 22-28). Beyond the taboos. The Review, Dawn.

Conference presentations/posters

• Virani, et al. (2022). Healthcare providers' perspectives on TrustSphere: An Integrated Secure Digital Health Platform. 15th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes. Paris, France
• Pinkney, Virani, et al. (2022). Evaluating the Feasibility and Benefit of TrustSphere: A Novel Digital Health Solution for Children Living with Type 1 Diabetes. 15th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes.France
• Virani, et al. (2021). Co-designing an e-Resource to Support Parent???s Mobile Applications Search. Seventieth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Virani, et al. Review and Evaluation of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Parents. (2019) American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition: 2019 Council on Clinical Information Technology (COCIT). Louisiana, United States
• Virani, et al. Parents??? Mobile Applications Searching Behaviors: A Focus Group Study. (2019) Canadian Nursing Informatics Association Conference 2019, University of New Brunswick
• Virani, et al. Developing an Online Resource to Support Parents??? Information-Seeking with Mobile Applications (apps). (2018) Peer Beyond Graduate Research Symposium, University of Calgary
• Virani, et al. Developing an Online Resource to Support Parents??? Information-Seeking with Mobile Applications (apps). (2018) Peer Beyond Graduate Research Symposium, University of Calgary
• Virani, et al. Mobile Applications for Stroke: Review of Apps Targeting Health Care Professionals and General Population. (2015) European Stroke Conference 2015, Vienna, Austria
• Virani, et al. Use of Mobile Application in Stroke Prevention. (2014) Fourth International Conference on Health, Wellness and Society, University of British Columbia
• Virani, et al. Amputation-Associated Stressors and Dyadic Adjustment. (2012) 26th Margaret Scott Wright Research Day: Making a Difference: Nursing Research in Action. University of Calgary

Employment history

• 2008-2022: Alberta health services, Calgary, Canada (RN: Medicine, Cardiac Surgery, and Neurosciences)
• 2021-2022: University of British Columbia (Research Fellow)
• 2012-2015 & 2020-2022: University of Calgary, Canada (Instructor, Research assistant)
• 2016: Columbia College, Calgary, Canada (Nursing instructor)
• 2011-2013: Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada (Clinical Instructor)
• 2006-2008: Neuropil Hospital, Dubai, UAE (RN: ICU)
• 2004 -2006: Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan (Nursing instructor)
• 1999 -2002: Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan (RN: Post-Anesthesia Care Unit)

Courses taught

• NURS 6500: Advanced Practice Internship (Fall 2023)
• NURS 3380: Consolidated Practice Experience 3 (Spring 2023)
• NURS 2830: Health & Promotion 4: Health Transition (Winter 2023)
• HLSC 4650: Health Science 4: Pathophysiology 3 (Fall 2022 and 2023)
• NURS 4740: Health Promotion 8: Health Transitions (Fall 2022 and 2023)
• NURS 1214: Professional Practice I
• NURS 2114: Professional Practice II
• NURS 3104: Professional Practice III
• NURS 4112: Integrated Professional Practice
• NURS 499 Integrating Nursing Roles and Practices IV
• NURS 497: The Science of Health IV: People Experiencing Chronic Health Challenges
• NURS 495: The Discipline and Profession of Nursing IV: Understanding the Challenges of Leadership and Systems of Care
• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Introduction to Health Research Methods
• CPNP 117: Pharmacology
• Community Health Nursing - II
• Adult Health Nursing - II
• Pharmacology - II
• Introduction to Computers Course
• Teaching -Learning Course

Professional affiliations

• College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta
• British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives