Who we are - founding members
The University Of Ottawa School Of Nursing is pleased to announce the development of the Nursing Palliative Care Research and Education Unit – NPCREU. The goal of the NPCREU is to provide leadership, mentorship and support for professors and graduate students pursuing excellence in palliative care research and education.
Dr. Susan Brajtman RN PhD
Dr. Susan Brajtman is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing in the University of Ottawa. She is a graduate of the Royal Victoria Hospital School of Nursing, McGill University, and De Montfort University in England. From 1984 till 2002 she lived in Israel, and her clinical experience involved both community health nursing (on a kibbutz) and clinical and administrative experience in palliative care as the head nurse of the Palliative Care Unit in Jerusalem, Israel. Her research interests include end-of-life delirium, enhancing education in end-of- life care, and interprofessional education and practice.
Dr. Frances Fothergill-Bourbonnais RN PhD
Dr. Frances Fothergill-Bourbonnais is a full professor in the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa. She joined the University in 1976 and teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The focus of her teaching has been in the area of life threatening and complex health problems such as trauma and HIV/AIDS and the requirements for palliative care. Her research interests include pain and symptom assessment for patients with cancer, projects related to patients with HIV/AIDS such as the experience of pain and managing multiple drug therapies as well as various aspects of critical care nursing. She has also conducted studies examining learning needs of nursing students and teachers.
Dr. Christine McPherson RN PhD
Dr. McPherson is a health psychologist and registered nurse who acquired her Ph.D. from the Institute of Palliative Care and Policy at King's College, London (UK). She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing where she teaches research methods at the undergraduate, Post-RN and graduate levels. Dr. McPherson is involved in student supervision at the doctoral and masters level. Her main research interests include symptom perception by family caregivers involved in symptom assessment and management, or the evaluation of care. In addition to psychosocial issues faced by individuals with advanced disease, she is currently engaged in funded research projects examining patients’ feelings of being a burden to others.
Valerie Fiset RN MScN
Valerie Fiset completed her undergraduate degree in nursing at Queen’s University, and her Master of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Ottawa. For her Master's thesis she developed and evaluated a decision aid for patients with advanced lung cancer making the decision about chemotherapy. She has held positions in advanced practice nursing, management, education and research. She is now a full-time faculty member at Algonquin College, teaching and coordinating in the Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program with the University of Ottawa. Her interests include decision support, palliative care nursing and nursing education.
Diane Alain RN MEd
Diane Alain received her nursing diploma from the University of Montreal and worked in a University Hospital in Montréal. She taught at University of Montréal, Algonquin College, La Cité collégiale and in the collaborative program with the University of Ottawa. She supervises students in nursing in a great number of clinical areas mainly in perinatality, medicine cardiac-renal, thoracic surgery and in oncology. She received her Masters in Education degree from the University of Québec in Outaouais. Her research interests involve collaboration between the teacher and the student in the learning experience, and nursing education in end-of -life care. She is now engaged in Ph D to research the impact of simulation on the learning of the student in Nursing.
Kelly Kilgour, RN, MSc.N, CHPCN(C)
Kelly Kilgour is a clinical instructor in the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa. She has received her Nursing Diploma (British Columbia Institute of Technology), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (University of Victoria), Master of Science in Nursing (University of Ottawa) and Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Nursing certificates. She worked in orthopedics and community health prior to completing a palliative care nursing fellowship at the Élisabeth Bruyère Continuing Care Organization. For her Master’s thesis, she explored family caregivers’ transitional experiences of admitting a family member from home to the palliative care unit. Her research interests include family caregiving, palliative care, nursing education, interprofessional education and practice, and program development.
David Wright RN MSc(A), PhD(c)
David Wright is a palliative care nurse at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec and a doctoral candidate in the School of Nursing at the University of Ottawa. He completed a master’s degree in nursing from McGill University and currently holds a faculty lecturer appointment there, teaching in the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. David is also currently a part-time professor at University of Ottawa. He completed a studentship in palliative care research through the CIHR/NCIC Strategic Training Program in Palliative Care Research (2007-2009) and currently holds a doctoral training award from FRSQ. Areas of specific interest to David’s research and scholarly activity include mental health at the end of life, relational ethics, and interpretive studies of nursing practice.