• Our Voices, Our Stories: A National Exchange on Humanizing Trauma-Informed Wound Care (SSHRC Connection Grant, 2021 – present)

This project employs digital storytelling to humanize wound care, amplifying the voices of over 25 individuals with chronic wounds. Their stories, hosted on the Wounds Canada website, raise awareness about systemic challenges. This initiative also included Canada’s first patient journey virtual conference and developed infographics and social media campaigns to disseminate key insights.

• Digital Storytelling: A Tool for Promoting Critical Reflection and Trauma-Informed Care

(SSHRC Insight Development Grant, 2023- Present)

This project investigates how DST fosters critical reflection and trauma-informed care among healthcare professionals. It also examines the emotional and psychological impacts on storytellers, healthcare providers, and policymakers. To date, three webinars have been hosted where attendees listened to DST from the first SSHRC-funded project. Of the 205 attendees, 44 completed surveys, providing valuable insights. On February 29, 2025, we will host another webinar and a focus group, engaging 7–10 patients and caregiver partners and 7–10 healthcare professionals, administrators, and policymakers. The focus group will explore the emotional impact of storytelling and its value as an educational tool to prepare future healthcare professionals and inform health policy.

• Our Voices, Our Stories: An Action-Oriented Outreach Webinar Series

(SSHRC Connection Grant, 2024 – present)

Building on earlier projects, this initiative introduces webinars to foster collaboration among healthcare providers, researchers, and patients. Guided by Paulo Freire’s reflective-action framework, the project adopts an innovative approach by involving webinar attendees in a participatory process. Participants listen to DST from the first SSHRC-funded project and co-create a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, promoting equity and inclusivity in chronic wound care.

Collaborative Research Partnerships

Our collaboration with National and International researchers include the following key projects: 

• Reimagining Diabetes Self-Management Education for Seniors in Rural Ontario (CIHR-funded, Co-PI: Dr. Pilar Camargo-Plazas, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada).

• Advanced Wound Care in Northern Ontario First Nations Communities (CIHR-funded, Co-Investigator: Dr. Paul Gratzer, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scocia, Canada).

• Chronic Condition Management and AI in Nursing Education (CNPQ-Funded, CO-PIs: Drs. Viviana M. da silva and Manuela Coelho  – Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza,  Brazil)