Pronouns: She / Her
Immigrant Health; Black Peoples Health; African Immigrants; Temporary Foreign Workers; Immigrant Mental Health; Immigrant Child and Youth Health
Degrees
Selected Awards and Distinctions
Biography
I am an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. I joined the Faculty in January 2014 as an Assistant Professor. I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Windsor, Master of Nursing from the University of Toronto, and PhD from the University of Toronto. My doctoral research was on the migration of Philippine-educated nurses to Ontario through the Live-in Caregiver Program. I also completed the Ontario Training Centre in Health Service and Policy Research Collaborative Program, the International Nursing PhD Program, and the Critical Qualitative Health Research Certificate Program. Prior to my academic career, I was a pediatric oncology nurse and subsequently an interprofessional educator at the New Immigrant Support Network of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
My research program focuses on policies and practices shaping migrants’ health. I have been involved in about 80 funded research projects. I am the lead on around 30 of these projects with funding from national and international agencies. I have led research projects on vaccine confidence among Black Canadians, COVID 19 disinformation among Black Canadians, African immigrant child health, immigrant mental health, access to healthcare for immigrant children, Black youth mental health, international nurse migration, immigrant child mental health, the experiences of live-in caregivers and care recipients, the experiences of temporary foreign workers, internally displaced people, and parenting practices of African immigrants. I have around 80 published scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals (with another 15 under review), 2 book chapters, and 8 reports. I am on the editorial board of Nursing Inquiry and Qualitative Health Research Journal, a guest editor for International Journal of Environmental and Public Health Research and Regional Climate Change Journal. I am working on a book on the links between migration and climate change. I am associate editor for the Canadian Medical Association Journal and also on the advisory board of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Institutes for Human Development, Child and Youth Health.
My research has led to several positive policy and program initiatives, including the establishment of a Black mental health clinic by Africa Center. I have provided consultations to local, provincial, and national policymakers to improve outcomes for immigrants and racialized communities. I founded and currently lead the African Child and Youth Migration Network of 30 scholars from 4 continents focused on improving the wellbeing of African children and youths globally. In 2020, I founded the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program at the University of Alberta. The first University-based interdisciplinary mentorship program for Black youths in Western Canada, which seeks to empower Black youths socially and economically so they can contribute meaningfully to Canadian society. I am a community-engaged researcher who is involved and have volunteered for several community organizations, and have delivered several engagement sessions to immigrant communities. In 2017, I organized the first research stakeholder engagement day for African immigrants in Alberta. In 2015/2016, I was a collaborating researcher at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and have presented to international policymakers (including representatives of United Nations, International Organization for Migration, World Health Organization) on migration and precarity. I have collaborated with individuals across diverse health and social science disciplines and have been engaged in research with researchers from various countries.
I represent the University of Alberta on the steering committee of the Worldwide Universities Network Global Africa Group. I am involved in several community volunteer initiatives, including serving as a public member on the Council of the Alberta College of Social Worker, the Public Health Agency of Canada Working Group on the Mental Health of Black Canadian, Board of the Black Physicians Association of Alberta, and Board of the Black Opportunities Fund. Previously, I was a Board Member for Africa Center, Edmonton Local Immigrant Partnership, National Association of Nigerian Nurses of North America, International Nursing Interest Group of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Montage Support Services (for adults with developmental disabilities), and Project Esperance (an 88 unit-apartment complex for abused women and children in Toronto). I have been a grant reviewer for several organizations, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, Bell Lets Talk, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, Edmonton Community Foundation, United Kingdom Medical Research Council, Canadian Institute for Health Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Alberta Health Services Strategic Clinical Network, Women and Children’s Health Research Institute, Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and Alberta Innovates Health Solution.
In addition to my research, advocacy, and community engagement, I teach courses on immigrant health, health policy, community health, global health and program planning and evaluation. I have a solid track record of training students. I have trained over 80 students as graduate students and research assistants, many of whom have received awards, including the Canadian Vanier Graduate Scholarship Award and the International Development Research Center Doctoral Award.
I have received several awards for research excellence and community engagement: 100 Accomplished Black Women in Canada; Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Emerging Nurse Researcher of the Year Award; College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA) Award for Nursing Excellence; and, Alberta Avenue Edmonton Top 40 under 40. In 2020, I received the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, one of the highest international research awards in nursing.
I am the principal investigator for the Health and Immigration Policies and Practices (HIPP) Research Program. My current program of research seeks to bridge the gaps between immigration policy and health policy and practices. Although I am largely a qualitative researcher, I employ diverse methodological approaches. I have conducted studies using case study methodology, critical ethnography, participatory action research, quantitative analysis of large data sets, metasynthesis, and scoping reviews. My research is largely situated within the critical social paradigm. In the past, I have used transnationalism, transnational feminist, intersectionality, and postcolonial feminist lens in my research projects. My current research is in the following areas:
I am particularly interested in how the intersection of gender, race, class, nationality and immigration status influence the health of vulnerable migrant groups in Canada as well as the policy and practice implications. To effectively tackle the complex issues related to migration and health, I often work within interprofessional teams. In the past, I have collaborated with individuals with background in women's studies, education, political science, anthropology, sociology, social policy, pediatrics, epidemiology, public health, dentistry, demography, and statistics as well as immigrant health and social service agencies. I am currently leading a network of researchers from twelve countries focused on African child and youth well being in the context of migration and displacement. In addition, I have an interest in global health research, especially in West Africa.
Current Funded Research Projects
In the past, I have taught the following courses: graduate course on "Migration and Health in the Canadian Context"; graduate course on "International and Intercultural Perspective on Health"' graduate course on "Public Policy and Nursing Leadership"; graduate course on "Program Planning"; undergraduate interprofessional course on "Interprofessional Team Development: Immigrant Health"; an undergraduate course on "Community Health Nursing".
I am currently recruiting mentors for the Black youth mentorship program. Please email bymp@ualberta.ca if you would like to be a mentor.
I am only accepting strong students working in the area of immigrant health or Black peoples health.
Examine the ways that nurses gain and leverage power to impact health systems and health care practices. Explore local, national, and global health issues through the lens of power, influence, and policy development. Emphasis will be placed on organizational, regulatory, and policy contexts for nursing practice and health issues as they relate to health equity, inclusivity, health promotion, and health outcomes.