Karin Olson, RN, PhD

Email

kolson@ualberta.ca

Degrees

• PhD (Educational Psychology), University of Alberta (1990)
• MHSc (Health Promotion), University of Toronto (1981)
• BScN, University of Alberta (1976)

My research program has two dimensions: clinical research and qualitative methods development. My clinical research is focused on cancer-related fatigue and can be distinguished from others in symptom management by my focus on: fatigue as a stress response, similarities and differences in fatigue in various ill and non-ill populations, the social construction of symptom experience, relationships among fatigue and other symptoms, and the prevention and early detection of fatigue. I have defined fatigue as a marker for the inability to adapt to stressors. In the Edmonton Fatigue Framework, I have proposed that among individuals with cancer the stressors include disease processes and treatments that reduce adaptive capacity. My work on methods development research has examined how local research-related beliefs and values are reflected in research practices such as ethics review procedures and how these variations influence research outcomes. My other methods development research interests include external validity in qualitative research, and the use of structural equation modeling to study symptom clusters.

My clinical teaching is in chronic illness, with a focus on cancer and palliative care. I also teach undergraduate and graduate courses in research methods.