Working with me

Across all levels of collaboration and supervision, I encourage applicants from underrepresented groups in nursing research and academia to apply to work with me.

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I welcome inquiries from health authorities, health systems stakeholders, NGOs, communities/community-organizations, and industry interested in health equity and health technologies to email me, if you would like to work together.

 

Postdocs/Visiting Scholars: Local and remote collaborations are welcomed, please email me.

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Graduate students

Applying to pursue graduate studies is not a decision to take lightly. Preparing a strong graduate application package takes time and initial relationship building with your potential supervisor, with whom you would be working with for a number of years.

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As a general guide, I do not entertain supervision inquiries made within 1 month of the application deadline.

This does not allow sufficient time to conduct an interview, prepare a strong application package, and organize funding. I do not agree to supervise students without an interview. Please note that admission decisions are not made before seeing your application in the system.

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I am keen to mentor and support high-calibre thesis-stream Masters and PhD students who have a strong interest in research in the field of nursing and health informatics. I am able to supervise graduate students via the UBC Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) Global Studies Stream or the UBCO School of Nursing graduate programs. Please familiarize yourself with your program of interest and corresponding admission requirements.

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Students may apply to work in the context of my funded research projects - funded positions will be advertised on this website. 

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Students who secure independent funding (for example, through scholarships or awards) may propose research projects that focus on my areas of expertise (digital health equity, health informatics, artificial intelligence).

 

Prospective Masters Students: Thesis-stream students are encouraged to contact me if you plan to name me as a supervisor on your application. I will usually have an interview with promising candidates. 

 

Prospective PhD Students

• You should have a foundational understanding of nursing/health informatics (courses or work experience), already obtained a Master’s degree in nursing, health informatics, or a related field, and published at least one peer-reviewed paper in a health informatics journal.

• Prospective students who do not meet the above requirements will need to complete preparatory work prior to starting their program (e.g., diploma, course, or MOOCs in health/nursing informatics will be considered).

• I will interview promising candidates.

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Graduate student funding

• Effective September 2023, all eligible full-time current or incoming UBC students (domestic and international) in PhD programs of the Okanagan campus will be provided with a minimum funding package equal to $22,000 for each of the first four years of a PhD. Please see the UBC website for details.

• Students funded through my grants are typically funded as graduate research assistants, working 8-12 hrs/week.

• Regardless of funding status, all graduate students are expected to apply for additional funding awards over the course of their program.

• I am happy to support additional and self-funding arrangements (for Masters thesis-stream students) and to help students develop studentships applications to funding bodies (e.g. CIHR, SSHRC, Canadian Nurses Foundation, Sigma Theta, Tau). A list of funding opportunities compiled by UBCO College of Graduate Studies can be found on their website.

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Undergraduate RAs/Interns

I encourage UBCO Nursing students who are interested in completing a Y4 research preceptorship to contact me.

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I occasionally offer funded research internships, work study, or co-op positions to undergraduate students.

Undergraduate students looking to gain research experience as a volunteer RA are welcome to email me, but please note that positions are limited.

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Regardless of position, if you want to work with me as a trainee, please make sure to include the following in your email (no more than 2 paragraphs):

• ​a short description of the project you are interested in and how your background aligns with the project aims OR (for self-funded students) the research question(s) you are interested in and how these align with my expertise, and a brief note about how you plan to fund your studies

• your background in health or nursing informatics, including supporting publication/written documents (required for PhD applicants)

• copies of unofficial transcripts (please self-assess your transcripts against the published requirements for admission to the UBC College of Graduate Studies - only students achieving first class standing will be considered)

• your CV and copy of a recent publication or other writing sample where you made a major contribution

• please put "[HIE!Lab]" in your subject line, to help me notice your email and show that you read through this website

• Due to the large number of emails I receive, supervision inquiries that do not follow the above instructions may not receive a response.​​

• I strongly encourage all potential grad students to watch Dr. Sarah Nadi's excellent video on preparing a graduate school application and contacting potential supervisors BEFORE contacting me (or any other potential supervisors).

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