Heather Morris, PhD RN

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta

Pronouns: she/her

Contact

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta
Email
hmmorris@ualberta.ca

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Substance Use; Harm Reduction; Public Health Advocacy; Community Engagement


About

I am a registered nurse, having obtained my Bachelor of Nursing in 1991 from the University of Manitoba and Master of Nursing from the University of Alberta in 1997. Most recently I completed my PhD in Health Services & Policy Research at the School of Public Health, University of Alberta and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Family Medicine. While my clinical background includes acute care work in geriatric medicine/stroke rehabilitation and home care, the majority of my clinical experience is as a public health nurse in both rural and urban settings. 



Research

My research interests focus on substance use and harm reduction, public opinions of harm reduction, and health care service utilization by urban underserved people who use substances. My research program has also focused on how individuals and family members with lived and living experience engage in advocacy to shape drug policy reform in Canada. I have experience in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and prefer to utilize community-based participatory approaches in my work. I am a research scientist/affiliate with the Inner City Health and Wellness Program, Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton (https://www.ichwp.ca/) and have worked in partnership with a variety of community agencies/not-for-profit groups including Boyle Street Community Services and Moms Stop the Harm.

Announcements


I am currently accepting PhD students and MN students whose research interests closely align with my current program of research. If you are looking for a graduate supervisor in the Faculty of Nursing, please review my publications and email me an outline of your research topic as well as a copy of your CV.

Courses

NURS 323 - Community Nursing through the Lifespan

The course covers theories, ethics and evidence-informed approaches to community health nursing including primary health care, population health, health maintenance and promotion, and disease and injury prevention. It includes exploration of concepts of community- based assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation with community-as-client. The practicum portion of the course includes a variety of community settings. Nursing practice will include health assessment and interventions for clients throughout the lifespan and care continuum. Clinical hours listed are the total number of hours and will be offered over 6 weeks. Note: Available only to nursing students in the Collaborative/Honors Program or Bilingual Program. Prerequisites: NURS 216, NURS 224, and NURS 225.


NURS 433 - Community Nursing Through the Lifespan

The course covers theories, ethics and evidence-informed approaches to community health nursing including primary health care, population health, health maintenance and promotion, disease and injury prevention. It includes exploration of concepts of community- based assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation with community-as-client. The practicum portion of the course includes a variety of community settings. Nursing practice will include health assessment and interventions for clients throughout the lifespan and care continuum. Clinical hours listed are the total number of hours and will be offered over 3 weeks. Note: Available only to nursing students in the After Degree/After Degree Honors Program or RPN-BScN Program. Prerequisites: NURS 344, NURS 345, and NURS 416. Corequisite: NURS 431.


NURS 513 - Qualitative Research

The focus of this course is on qualitative research approaches and includes an introduction to the philosophical foundations of qualitative methods. Emphasis is placed on the selection of appropriate methods to answer research questions; on data collection, analysis and interpretation of results; and on the appraisal of qualitative research literature. Attention is also given to knowledge synthesis, mixed methods, ethics in research, and knowledge translation in advanced nursing practice.


NURS 687 - Advanced Principles and Practice of Qualitative Inquiry

This course provides an advanced examination of the theoretical reasoning, methods and research strategies of specific approaches within contemporary qualitative inquiry. Students explore the key ontological and epistemological foundations that underlie different theoretical orientations and how different approaches lead to differences in research methods and practices. Prerequisite: Graduate level research foundations or introductory qualitative research methods course.


Browse more courses taught by Heather Morris

Featured Publications

Morris, H., Wild, T., Cameron, Bwala, H., Koziel, J., Schulz, P., Kunyk, D., Bubela, T. & Hyshka, E.

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy. 2023 October; 10.1080/09687637.2023.2261615


Haines-Saah, R., Morris, H., Schulz, P., Jenkins, E. & Hyshka, E.

Drug and Alcohol Review. 2023 August; 10.1111/dar.13740


Morris, H., Bwala, H., Wesley, J. & Hyhska, E.

Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2023 January; 114 10.17269/s41997-022-00736-3


Salvallagio, G., Ferguson, L., Brooks, H., Campbell, S., Gladue, V., Hyhska, E., Lam, L., Morris, H., Nixon, L. & Springett, J.

Systematic Reviews. 2022 April; 11 (66) 10.1186/s13643-022-01938-z


Morris, H., Haines-Saah, R., Schulz, P., Jenkins, E., Hyshka, E.

Social Science & Medicine Qualitative Research in Health. 2021 December; 1 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2021.100011


Morris, H., Hyshka, E., Schulz, P., Jenkins, E., & Haines-Saah, R.

International Journal of Drug Policy. 2021 September; 31 (10) 10.1177/10497323211006383


Morris, H., Hagen L., Hyska, E. & Francescutti, L. H

Journal of Nursing Education. 2019 December; 58 (12) 10.3928/01484834-20191120-04