Patrick Chiu, PhD, RN

Area of Study / Keywords

Professional Regulation Health Workforce Nursing Policy Policy Advocacy

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About

Patrick Chiu is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. His scholarly work and teaching are centred on health professions regulation, the health workforce, nursing policy, and global health. As a Certified Global Nurse Consultant, he is regularly consulted by professional nursing associations, regulatory bodies, and governments for his strategic expertise in workforce policy, professional practice, and regulatory policy. His contributions span multiple leadership roles at both global and national levels. Internationally, he has served as a United Nations (Economic and Social Council) Liaison for Sigma Nursing and currently sits on the International Council of Nurses’ Regulatory Oversight Group, where he provides strategic guidance on the organization’s global regulatory agenda. Nationally, he contributes to the advancement of nursing leadership and policy as Vice-President of the Canadian Nurses Association, and a member of the Editorial Advisory Boards for the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership and the Canadian Nurse digital journal. He also serves as Co-Lead for Governance and Regulation at the Canadian Health Workforce Network, shaping national dialogue and policy on health workforce issues.

Education and Training

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Alberta (2022)
• Master of Public Health (MPH), Simon Fraser University (2016)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN),  McMaster University (2012)

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Research

Dr. Chiu’s research program, 'Strengthening the Health Workforce through Advocacy, Regulation, and Professional Practice' (SHARP), focuses on generating evidence to transform how the health workforce is regulated, organized, and empowered — ultimately advancing health system sustainability, quality of care, and health equity. Drawing on literature reviews and environmental scans, policy analysis, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, his research centers on three interconnected pillars: policy advocacy, professional regulation, and professional practice. His work aims to contribute to evidence-informed decision-making and advance the development of a skilled, adaptable, and mobile health workforce in the public interest. He is particularly interested in integrating global and interdisciplinary perspectives into his research and establishing research-practice-policy partnerships to strengthen knowledge development and mobilization.

Funded Research by Year 

2026-2027 | Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI). A Review of Regulatory Guidance on Nurses’ Integration of Complementary and Alternative Health Care in Nursing Practice.  SSHRC Institutional Grant – Explore, $3,460.

2026-2027 | Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI). Mapping Complementary and Alternative Health Care in Canadian Nursing: A Scoping Review. SSHRC Institutional Grant – Explore, $3,460.

2025-2027  | Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI). A Balancing Act: Compassionate Professional Regulation, Professional Well-being and Public Safety. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Insight Development Grant, $67,897.

2025-2027 | Co-Investigator (Co-I). Strengthening Team-Based Care: Optimizing the Scope of Practice of Primary Care Nurses (Scope PC-N). Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant, $665,550.

2024-2025 | Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI). An Environmental Scan of Canadian Nursing Regulators’ Continuing Competence Programs. Endowment Fund for the Future: Support for the Advancement of Scholarship (EFF-SAS), Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, $4,395.

2024-2027 | Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI). Advancing Equitable and Ethical Regulatory Policy: Evaluating Licensure Pathways for Internationally Educated Nurses in Canada. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation Team Grant, $743,370.

2024-2027 | Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI). Evidence Support and Knowledge Mobilization (ESKM) Hub. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Strengthening the Health Workforce for System Transformation Team Grant, $362,157. 

2024-2025 | Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI). Co-creating a Pan-Canadian Nursing Regulation Research Agenda to Achieve the Quadruple Aim and Health Equity. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Planning and Dissemination Grant, $10,000.

2024-2025 | Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI).  Strengthening the Canadian Oncology Nursing Workforce to Support the Acceleration of Genomics-Informed Oncology Health Services. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Planning and Dissemination Grant, $14,892.50. 

2023-2024 | Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI). Developing Strategic Directions for Genomics-Informed Nursing: A Pan-Canadian Approach for Education, Policy, Research, and Practice.  Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Planning and Dissemination Grant, $14,913. 

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Teaching

Dr. Chiu teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels:

• NURS 205: Innovation, Leadership, Policy, and Health Care Organizations
• NURS 425: Nursing Leadership in a Focus Area
• NURS 569: Nursing Power and Policy in Health Care Leadership
• NURS 597: Understanding Complex Systems

Undergraduate and graduate students interested in professional regulation, policy advocacy, health workforce and global health topics can contact Dr. Chiu to explore opportunities for potential supervision and assistantships. Please include a copy of your CV, a brief description of your interests, and project ideas in your email. 

NURS 569 - Nursing Power and Policy in Health Care Leadership

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.

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NURS 597 - Understanding Complex Systems

Explore the complex nature of nursing practice in the context of evolving social, technological, economic, environmental, political, and legal landscapes. Emphasis is placed on the complexity of relationships within and between systems locally, nationally, and globally.

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Browse more courses taught by Patrick Chiu

Natalie J. Thiessen, Patrick Chiu, Rio Li, Geetanjali Sharma, Kathleen Leslie

Healthcare Management Forum. 2026 September; 10.1177/08404704261470452

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Patrick Chiu, Natalie J. Thiessen, Nasrin Alostaz, Rio Li, Apple Hermosisima, Sioban Nelson, Ivy Bourgeault, Bukola Salami, Damilola Iduye, Houssem Eddine Ben-Ahmed, Jelena Atanackovic, Geetanjali Sharma, Rani Srivastava, Kathleen Leslie

Health Policy. 2026 July; 10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105708

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Hawkins, JE., Chiu, P., Mumba, MN., Gray, SE

AJN, American Journal of Nursing. 2026 April; 10.1097/ajn.0000000000000270

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Chiu, P., Thiessen, N., Adams, TL., Wenghofer, EF,M Myles, S., Leslie, K.,& Bourgeault, IL

Journal of Nursing Regulation. 2026 February; 10.1016/j.jnr.2026.02.004

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Chiu, P., Alnoor, M., Shakeel, Z., Leslie, K.

Journal of Nursing Regulation. 2026 February; 10.1016/j.jnr.2026.01.002

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Chiu, P., & Leslie, K.

Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership. 2026 January; 10.12927/cjnl.2026.27791

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Chiu, P., Leslie, K., Myles, S., Ben-Ahmed, H.E. & Jang, G.

Journal of Nursing Regulation. 2025 September; 10.1016/j.jnr.2025.09.001

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Chiu, P., Thiessen, N., Iduye, D., Louie-Poon, S., Kung, JY., Leslie, K.

SSM - Health Systems. 2025 July; 10.1016/j.ssmhs.2025.100108

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Chiu, P., Alostaz, N., Hermosisima, A., Li, R., Ben-Ahmed, H.E., Atanackovic, J., Iduye, D., Thiessen, N., Salami, B., Leslie, K

Journal of Nursing Regulation. 2025 June; 10.1016/j.jnr.2025.06.004

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Chiu, P., Thiessen, N.J., Idrees, S., Leslie, k., Kung, JY.

PLOS One. 2025 May; 10.1371/journal.pone.0323716

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Chiu, P., Leslie, K., Jang, G., Adams, T., Thiessen, N., Kung, JY

PLOS ONE. 2025 March; 10.1371/journal.pone.0319507

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Hawkins, JE., Chiu, P., Mumba, MN., Gray, S., Hawkins, RJ.

AJN, American Journal of Nursing. 2025 February; 125 (2):22-29 10.1097/AJN.0000000000000004

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Hawkins, J.E., Chiu, P., Mumba, M.N., Gray., S.E., Hawkins, R.J.

American Journal of Nursing. 2024 June; 10.1097/01.naj.0001025184.93381.68

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Leslie, K., Myles, S., Alraja, A., Chiu, P., Schiller, CJ ., Nelson, S., & Adams, T.L.

PLOS ONE. 2024 May; 10.1371/journal.pone.0303192

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Chiu, P

Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership. 2023 April; 36 (1):8-15 10.12927/cjnl.2023.27127

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Chiu, P., Thorne, S., Schick-Makaroff, K. & Cummings G.G.

Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2023 March; 79 (8):2967-2979 10.1111/jan.15625

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Chiu, P., Thorne, S., Schick-Makaroff, K., & Cummings, G.

Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2022 October; 78 (12):4034-4041 10.1111/jan.15456

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Chiu, P., Cummings, G., Thorne, S., & Schick-Makaroff, K.

Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice. 2021 November; 22 (4):271-291 10.1177/15271544211050611

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