Salima Meherali, PhD

About

Degrees

•Postdoctoral fellowship, University of Alberta (2017)

•PhD (Nursing), University of Alberta (2016)

•MScN, Aga Khan university (2007)

•BScN, Aga Khan University (2002)

Selected Awards 

•Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta Postdoctoral Fellowship (2017)

•Sigma Theta Tau International, Mu Sigma Chapter Research Award (2014)

•Delta Kappa Gamma World Fellowship (2013)

•Aga Khan Foundation graduate Scholarship (2010)

---

Research

Dr. Meherali's research interests are in the area of migration and global child & adolescent health. Her research program comprises three areas of inquiry –immigrant adolescent/youth in Canada, sexual and reproductive health and rights and mental health of immigrant youth in Canada and in the developing world, and theorizing gender intersections within vulnerable populations. As a principal investigator, she has been involved in community-based participatory action research projects to actively engage with adolescents/youth to evaluate their mental health and sexual and reproductive health needs in Canada and in the global health context.  Dr. Meherali has a special interest in research synthesis, scaling up evidence-based interventions in community settings, and knowledge translation research.

SELECTED PROJECTS

2022-2023 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Funds for Innovation and Transformation (FIT)Combining Health Calendars and Cash: Building Formal Financial and Health Numeracy Among Poor Women in Northern Pakistan. Funding: Funds for Innovation and Transformation (FIT), $175,000. 

2021-2024 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Co-designing a mobile application with immigrant adolescents for better sexual and reproductive health. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Early Career Investigator Grants in Maternal, Reproductive, Child & Youth Health, $ 210,000 

2022-2024 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Wider impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of pregnant and parenting youth and their children in Canada. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), $ 308,500

2020-2021 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health in Low- and middle-income countries. Funding: Worldwide Universities Network Research Development Fund, $22,000.

2020-2023 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of South Asian Immigrant Adolescents: A Community-Based Participatory Research. Funding: Women and Children's Health Research Institute (WCHRI) Clinical/Community Research and Integration Support Program, $20,000.

2020-2021 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Mental Health of Children and Adolescents Amidst COVID-19 and Past Pandemics: A Rapid Systematic Review. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Operating Grant: Knowledge Synthesis: COVID-19 in Mental Health & Substance Use, $46,886.

2020-2023 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Girls empowerment through the Girls' voices curriculum in Pakistan. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Planning and Dissemination Grant, $20,000.

2020-2022 | Nominated Principal Investigator: Empowering Immigrant Adolescent Girls’ Through Girls’ Voices Curriculum: A Pilot Project. Funding: Endowment Fund for the Future: Support for the Advancement of Scholarship (EFF-SAS) Research Fund, $10,000.

2022-2026 | Co-Investigator: The CART "STORY" Project: Storytelling about Options and Reproductive access for Youth. Funding; CIHR Project Grant, $ 985,000

2020-2021 | Co-Investigator: Navigating Sexual and Reproductive Health Care in BC: Unmet needs of Migrant Youth. Funding: Vancouver Foundation System Change Grant, $10,000

2020-2024 | Co-Investigator: Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment (ACE) Intervention: Reducing HIV Stigma and Promoting Community Resilience Through Capacity Building. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant, $637,500.

2019-2024 | Co-Investigator: Culturally appropriate and safe assistance through home visitation for survivors of violence (CASA). Government of Alberta Women's Program and regional Operations Directorate, Department for Women and Gender Equality, $560,000

---

Teaching

I have international teaching experience. Before joining the University of Alberta I was a faculty member at Aga Khan University, School of Nursing and Midwifery. In the past, I have taught the following courses: Nursing Research, Advance Theoretical Concepts in Nursing, Health Assessment, and Acute Care Nursing.  



I am currently accepting graduate students with interests in child and adolescent health. I am especially seeking master's students who wish to complete a thesis and doctoral students to support my program of research. Students will have the opportunity to work with interdisciplinary research teams on a diverse range of projects. Interested individuals can contact me directly at her University of Alberta email.

INT D 408 - Interprofessional Health Education Elective

Application of interprofessional competencies within a specific health care context. Content topics vary from year to year. Topics announced prior to registration period. The student's transcript carries title descriptive of content. May be repeated. Prerequisite or corequisite: INT D 403, or equivalent introductory interprofessional health education course, or approval of Health Sciences Education and Research Commons, Health Sciences Council. (Offered jointly by the following faculties: Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences; Medicine and Dentistry; Nursing; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation; and Rehabilitation Medicine.) [Health Sciences Council].

---

NURS 578 - Knowledge Synthesis

Examine the methods used to conduct various types of systematically conducted literature review or syntheses. Applying key steps for systematically conducting selected types of literature reviews, and the benefits and challenges associated with each of these approaches. Challenges, debates, and issues in evidence-based/evidence informed practice and policy will be addressed.

---

NURS 598 - Translating Knowledge

Examine use of knowledge in diverse settings, by different stakeholders, and for various types of decision-making. Explore evidence-based decisions, guidelines, policies and procedures; quality improvement, and knowledge translation strategies.

---

NURS 609 - Synthesizing Knowledge

The objective of this course is to provide students with the knowledge, methodological skills, and guidance through all steps of an appropriate systematic literature review for the dissertation project. Emphasis is placed on examining the methods of conducting comprehensive syntheses of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research evidence. Challenges, debates, and issues in evidence-based/evidence-informed practice and policy will be addressed.

---

Browse more courses taught by Salima Meherali

Benoit, J., Louie-Poon, S., Kauser, S., & Meherali, S.

JMIR pediatrics and parenting. 2022 October; 5 (4) 10.2196/33826

---

3. Meherali, S., Louie-Poon, S., Idrees, S., Kauser, S., Scott, S., Salami, B., Vallianatos, H., Meherali, K., Patel, K., Suthar, P., Akbarzada, Z., Marcus, I., Khangura, M., & Mangat, A.

Frontiers in Reproductive Health. 2022 July; 4 10.3389/frph.2022.940979

---

10. Meherali, S., *Adewale, B.,*Ali, S, Lassi, Z., Salami, B., Richter, S., Okeke-Ihejirika, P., Ali, P., da Silva, K., Adjorlolo, S., Aziato, L., Kwankye, S.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021 December; 18 (24) 10.3390/ijerph182413221

---

Salima Meherali, Neelam Punjani, Samantha Louie-Poon, Komal Abdul Rahim, Jai K. Das, Rehana A. Salam & Zohra S. Lassi

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021 March;

---

Meherali, S., Salami, B., Okeke-Ihejirika, P., Vallianatos, H., & Stevens, G.

Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality. 2021 March;

---

Meherali, S., Campbell, A., Featherstone, R., Hartling, L., & Scott, S.

Patient Education and Counselling. 2021 March;

---

Meherali, S., Hartling, L., & Scott, S.

Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Formative Research. 2021 January; 5 (1)

---

Meherali, S., Punjani, N., & Mevawala, A.

Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2020 December;