MEET THE DEANS

This is Nursing in Action –at the forefront of innovations in mental health research

Around the world and here at home, the impact of a global pandemic on our mental health has been immense. While nurses and health care providers continue to face the challenges of burnout from a resourcestrapped health care system, and society as a whole is still reeling from living with uncertainty, researchers at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing have continued to excel as leaders in their fields of expertise, particularly in their efforts to address mental health.

In addition to understanding the impact of mental health challenges among various populations from youth to young adults and beyond, Bloomberg Nursing faculty are also exploring innovative and timely interventions to address mental health concerns with a goal of improving lives and our health care system.

You will find in our 2022 Research Report, nursing perspectives on research that are often overlooked, like the quality of palliative care for pediatric patients, the lack of research in student and youth mental health on an international scale, and the need for fundamental changes to the nursing workforce, to address the significant toll of burnout.

For over a century Bloomberg Nursing has been a leader in nursing research because we do not shy away from the hard questions, we meet them and set out to solve them, boldly. As we emerge from this tumultuous time, our faculty will continue to position themselves at the forefront of ground-breaking and collaborative research that drives improvements in patient care and health outcomes, as we look to shape the future of nursing together.

Linda Johnston

PhD, FEANS, FCAHS, FAAN Dean and Professor

Kelly Metcalfe

PhD, FAAN, FCAHS Associate Dean, Research & External Relations

We are helping to shape the future of nursing.

ASSOCIATE DEAN’S MESSAGE

At the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, a driving force behind our innovative research, is a goal to improve health care and the lives of our patients. Our commitment to this goal, in particular in the area of mental health, is noteworthy.

For over two years, each of us has felt the difficult weight of the global pandemic, and there is no escaping the fact that mental health has become one of the greatest challenges facing society and the nursing workforce today.

In our 2022 Research Report, we are highlighting our world-leading research on mental health led by faculty members and students, who seek to bring to the forefront the often understudied and overlooked perspectives of various patient populations, including nurses themselves. As leaders, with expertise across the health care spectrum, Bloomberg nursing faculty and students are actively seeking bold solutions to some of health care’s most complex challenges, including mental health, both here in Canada and around the world.

Our faculty members are striving to understand the mental health challenges facing society today, and to develop solutions; from using technology to analyze and improve sleep in children with life-limiting diseases, to providing a voice for nurses who are suffering the consequences of relentless waves of an infectious disease, to leading the University of Toronto’s Student Youth and Mental Health Research Initiative. Our report brings into focus the importance of a nursing perspective and the impact that Bloomberg Nursing research is having on improving mental health and patient outcomes across the health care system, shaping the future of nursing for the next generation.