Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Robyn Stremler appointed dean of Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:02:12 +0000

Robyn Stremler appointed dean of Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 04/22/2024 - 11:02

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(photo by Rebecca Biason)

Rebecca Biason

Topic

Our Community

Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Subheadline

Professor Stremler is internationally recognized for her research in infant and adolescent sleep

Professor Robyn Stremler, a renowned nursing researcher, will become the next dean of the ��Ƶ’s Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing following an extensive international search.

Stremler, who is currently the acting dean for the faculty, will serve a five-year term that begins May 15, 2024 and extends until June 30, 2029.

“As a Bloomberg Nursing alumni and faculty member, I am honoured to serve as dean and I am extremely proud to be a part of such a diverse community of students, faculty, staff and alumni who consistently strive for excellence and innovation in nursing research, education and practice,” says Stremler. “We are the top-ranked school of nursing in Canada, and I look forward to seeing our growth and progress ahead as we continue to inspire and educate future nurse leaders.”

Stremler will be replacing former dean Linda Johnston, who completed a 10-year term and led the faculty through many developments including the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnston was committed to initiatives that supported the values of the faculty including the creation of the Doctor of Nursing program and the establishment of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenous Reconciliation Committee.

“I want to thank Linda Johnston for her immense contributions to Bloomberg Nursing in her time as dean,” says Stremler. “Her leadership and advocacy has positioned the faculty for continued success and elevated its reputation as a leading academic and research institution.”

An adjunct scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children, Stremler is an accomplished clinician and researcher who is internationally recognized for her ground-breaking research in infant and adolescent sleep.

Her research program, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), focuses on improvements in pediatric and adolescent sleep quality and sleep promotion using digital and wearable technological interventions. Some of her recent research includes a team grant with the Sleep Research Consortium to examine sleep equity and intersectional theoretical frameworks to optimize sleep health for all Canadians.

For her distinguished scholarly contributions, Stremler has earned prestigious fellowships from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Nursing, and awards for leadership in research excellence from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation and Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, among others.

“I am delighted that Professor Stremler has been named as the new dean of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing,” said Trevor Young, U of T's vice-president and provost. “Professor Stremler is a dedicated clinician and researcher who is passionate about the nursing profession and about providing our students with the skills and resources they need. A committed educator and mentor, she has been an active leader in the faculty since 2015, and has been a tremendous force in supporting the professional development of students at all levels, as well as front-line nurses.”

Stremler served as director of the PhD program at Bloomberg Nursing from 2015 to 2018, and in 2023 served as the associate dean, academic. She is credited for being intentional and committed to the betterment of nursing education through curriculum improvements and collaboration with key partners in nursing education including the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN). Her ability to build strong relationships with students across undergraduate and graduate programs has been deemed instrumental to sustaining a strong sense of community and focus on equity.

Bloomberg Nursing is home to leading nurse scientists and has graduated more than 11,000 alumni at the top of their fields, many of whom actively work with partners from around the world to improve quality of life and treatment options for populations across the life span.

Stremler’s appointment as dean comes at a time when the nursing profession is undergoing significant change as it tackles challenges of retention, recruitment and equitable access to health care.

Stremler says she’s looking forward to expanding the faculty’s investment in future nurse leaders who will improve health care and health systems worldwide. “Bloomberg Nursing has always been a leader in cutting-edge research and innovation exploring the relevant healthcare challenges of our time, which includes our ability to sustain a healthy and engaged nursing workforce,” she says.

“Our commitment to nursing excellence will continue to be centered around the dismantling of barriers to equitable access to care, and an evidence-based approach to ensuring the voices of nurses are at the forefront of health system change.”

U of T report explores workers’ experience in the global gig economy

noreen.rasbach — Wed, 23 May 2018 15:32:55 +0000

U of T report explores workers’ experience in the global gig economy

noreen.rasbach Wed, 05/23/2018 - 11:32

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(photo by Lorenzo Cafaro via Pexels)

Lindsay Curtis

Nicole Bodnar

Topic

Global Lens

Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Employment

Health

Research & Innovation

Subheadline

Rise in temporary contract work and income insecurity has far-reaching health implications

A report by ��Ƶ researchers exploring the rapidly growing gig economy reveals new insights and a deeper understanding of how online platform-mediated work has the potential to transform the future of work and health in Canada and internationally.

“Gig work presents potential opportunities and vulnerabilities for workers, but little is known about their experience in this new labour market,” said Principal Investigator Denise Gastaldo, associate professor at U of T’s Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and director of the Centre for Critical Qualitative Health Research at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

In the context of the rise of digital platform businesses, “gigs” are short-term, temporary contracts that are typically low paid and provide no training, health, or retirement benefits. More and more Canadians are participating in the gig economy, a trend with significant health implications, especially related to precarious work and income insecurity – major predictors of disease.

According to the recently published report, Towards an Understanding of Workers in the Global Gig Economy, measuring the size of the gig economy is challenging because the work is largely invisible and not captured by existing labour market statistics and economic indicators. What is known is the number of people in Toronto who describe their job as “temporary” grew by 40 per cent between 1997 and 2013.

“Studies show the tension between opportunity and vulnerability for workers, but too little is known about how these advantages and disadvantages are experienced differently across demographics and regions,” said Uttam Bajwa, lead author of the report and research associate with Dalla Lana's office of global public health education and training.

This shift in the workforce and structure of employment has major implications for the Canadian and global economy. Global and country-level policies have not kept pace with the “gigification” of the labour market, leaving gig workers excluded from existing skills development, health and social protection policies, all of which are designed for the traditional labour market.

Although the stereotype of the typical gig worker is that they are young, white, and male, this too is changing quickly. Groups associated with precarious work, such as women, immigrants, youth and older workers, are also participating. Gig work also has major implications for the socio-economic well-being of workers.

Read the report

“Gig workers share occupational vulnerabilities and aspects of precarity (e.g. income insecurity) with other workers, but they must also contend with platform-based vulnerabilities, such as social isolation, platform businesses’ control of pricing and workflow, and work-related stress due to surveillance,” said Bajwa.

The report provides frameworks for approaching gig worker vulnerabilities, underscores the importance of exploring the knowledge gaps, and the need for further research on the social, economic, and health implications of gig work.

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The research was also supported with in-kind contributions from U of T's Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Revisiting Catalonia: Two U of T experts debate the region's crisis

ullahnor — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Revisiting Catalonia: Two U of T experts debate the region's crisis

ullahnor Wed, 11/15/2017 - 00:00

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Catalonia's independence supporters march Nov. 11 in Barcelona. They were protesting the arrests and detentions of the deposed Catalan government (photo by Etienne De Malglaive/Getty Images)

Noreen Ahmed-Ullah

Topic

Global Lens

Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Elections in late December will now determine the fate of a restive Catalonia.

After the region's vote for independence last month, the Spanish prime minister imposed direct rule, deposed the regional Catalan government and dismissed its parliament. Since then, the Catalan premier has taken flight to Belgium, and his ministers were recently jailed without bail.

The Spanish government called the December election, even as the two leading pro-independence parties have failed to unite on a single ticket.

U of T News spoke with two university experts – both originally from the area – who sit on polar ends of the debate.

One's a secessionist. Carles Muntaner, a social epidemiologist and professor at U of T's Faculty of Nursing and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, is Catalan. He has been advising the Catalan parliament on health issues for a number of years.

The other supports a unified Spain. Francisco Beltran, is a lecturer in political science at the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs. He was born in eastern Spain but taught for a time at a Catalan university.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (second from right) and the president of the Popular Party of Catalonia at a rally on Nov. 12 in Barcelona. Rajoy was in Barcelona urging nationalists to come out and vote in the upcoming regional elections Dec. 21 (photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Spain's crackdown

What's taking place in Catalonia should be of interest to the world, said Muntaner.

“I think that all democracies in the world, and in particular in the EU zone, should be very worried about what is happening in Catalonia. The ministers' jailing is major anti-democratic aggression by the Spanish government against the Catalan people.”

But Beltran says the arrests and judge's rulings are within the bounds of the constitution.

“The rulings are legally flawless; the actions proportional to the alleged crimes, which would certainly prompt the same reaction in any other European country,” Beltran said.

“It is worth noting that the Catalan parliament passed laws whose goals were to allow for a binding referendum on secession to take place, to abolish the constitution in Catalonia, and to proclaim independence from Spain. They did so disregarding the parliamentary rights of the opposition parties, the parliament’s rules, the opinion of its own legal department and the previous resolutions of the constitutional court, which had ruled such initiatives illegal. In sum, the Catalan government and its parliament attempted to overthrow the constitutional order. That, in Spain and in any other liberal democracies, is called a coup d’état.”

The EU's role

The region’s deposed premier Carles Puigdemont and four of his former cabinet ministers have gone into self-imposed exile in Belgium.

Muntaner says Puigdemont left the region because if he were detained in Spain, “he would not have the chance to a fair trial.” The EU is trying to pressure the Belgian government to turn over the Catalan premier and his ministers to Spain. But Muntaner said he's optimistic the Belgian prime minister will deny the request.

Beltran says it's not up to the Belgian, Spanish or EU leaders to decide. The European arrest warrant mechanism guarantees that the only ones participating in the process are the judges, he said.

“Since mutual recognition is a key principle of judicial co-operation in Europe, it will be difficult for Mr. Puigdemont to avoid being turned over to Spain at some point to face trial there,” Beltran said.

The threat

With the Spanish government deploying more than 10,000 additional paramilitary police, Muntaner said residents like his mother recall a similar scene under fascism.

“On a personal note, my mother, who saw her family broken apart by Franco, and who fought against fascism all her life, now finds herself worrying again about the Spanish military,” he said. “Helicopters are flying menacingly over her house in Barcelona.”

While there has been some violence and verbal abuse directed towards the politicians and individuals who are opposed to secession, Beltran said, “the predicted massive civil resistance ... has not materialized, as Catalans go about their daily lives as usual.”

Muntaner points to a demonstration in Barcelona this past weekened in support of freeing Catalan government officials that he says shows the continued support for independence.

Next steps

This past weekend – a day after the Barcelona protest by secessionists – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy visited Barcelona, his first visit to the region since imposing direct rule. He urged Spanish nationalists to mobilize Catalans to vote next month and return the region to “normality.”

The Catalan push for independence, the sixth such attempt since the 1600s, has divided both Spain and the Catalonia region itself. The Catalan premier's party has failed to agree on a united ticket with another secessionist party, making it difficult for the pro-independence camp.

Muntaner said the elections are illegal, but he predicts another victory for independence.

The latest polls have shown a rise in support for independence, but secessionist parties could lose if nationalists turn out in large numbers.

“After the enforcement of Article 155 [Spain's emergency powers] and the actions by the judges, even if the pro-secession parties obtain a majority in the parliament, they will not be able now to overstep the limits set by the constitution. That means we are not likely to see any political push for secession in the near future,” Beltran said.

Cancer doesn't have to be your inheritance

ullahnor — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 18:25:33 +0000

Cancer doesn't have to be your inheritance

ullahnor Thu, 04/13/2017 - 14:25

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Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing professor Kelly Metcalfe's research focuses on identifying the two main breast cancer genes

Katherine Fernandez-Blance

Author legacy

Katherine Fernandez-Blance

Topic

Breaking Research

Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Breast Cancer

Subheadline

U of T researchers are global leaders in preventing and treating genetic cancers

Professor Kelly Metcalfe, of U of T’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, is leading the charge against hereditary breast and ovarian cancers by helping establish the standard protocol for addressing cancers associated with BRCA gene mutations.

Women with these mutations are at far higher risk for breast cancer, and if they do develop cancer, it appears at an earlier age and is more aggressive than sporadic forms of the disease. Metcalfe has shown that surgical interventions for women with BRCA mutations can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by 90 per cent and increase cancer survival by 50 per cent.

“Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 can save lives,” says Metcalfe. “I want women to have this genetic information so they are in a position to prevent a cancer before it happens or receive personalized cancer treatment to reduce their risk of dying.”

Metcalfe holds the Bloomberg Professorship in Cancer Genetics at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, which is ranked No. 6 in the world. She spoke with U of T News about her research.

What is your area of research?

It’s mainly focused on the two main breast cancer genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2.

How do we identify people who are at higher risk of developing breast cancer, [and] once we identity them, how do we prevent breast cancer from ever happening. How do we target their treatment so they have the highest chance of surviving the disease?

I’m very committed to ensuring women have the most up-to-date information so they can make a decision that’s going to be the best for them.

What’s the importance of knowing if you have the breast cancer genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2?

When it comes to breast cancer diagnoses, most women don’t know if they have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. This is valuable information to have to help women best evaluate their surgical options and improve their survival rates.

With the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, the most aggressive type of breast cancer surgery – a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts) – is often the best approach as it reduces the risk of dying by about half. This is different than in women without a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, where there is no survival advantage associated with a bilateral mastectomy compared to breast conserving surgery.

Genetic test results typically take a long time to come back – up to months – so even if a woman was tested at the time of her breast cancer diagnosis, she wouldn’t know the results before she had to decide on the surgery. I wanted to change this because with current genetic technology we can offer these tests much faster.

As part of a study, we’re [doing genetic] testing on 1,000 women at the time of breast cancer diagnosis. We give them their genetic test results back within 10 business days, prior to them having their surgery, and then we’re evaluating whether they change their surgical decisions based on their results.

To date, we’ve tested just over 700 women. The preliminary results show that women use their genetic information to make surgical decisions. The uptake of bilateral mastectomy is over 90 per cent for those women who have the BRCA mutation.

Does having genetic tests done at the time of diagnosis cause even more stress for the patient?

I was concerned that may be the case so we are evaluating that as part of the study.

To date, the results have suggested that those identified with a BRCA mutation are no different in any type of psychological measure – anxiety, depression, cancer-related distress. It isn’t adding an increased burden to what they are already experiencing as a result of their breast cancer diagnosis.

Women want this kind of information. When the study comes to an end, we will try to ensure that we can integrate this type of service into clinical care so that women can continue to benefit from fast genetic test results.

How is genetic testing for breast cancer genes currently being done?

In Ontario – and it’s very similar across all provinces in Canada – there are very strict criteria as to who can have genetic testing for the two main breast cancer genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2. This is mainly based on personal and family history of cancer.

Do I think they’re perfect? No. Are we missing people who have these genetic mutations based on this criteria? Absolutely.

For example, we did a large study a few years back with the Jewish population. We know BRCA mutations are more frequent in this population. We offered free genetic testing to 6,000 Jewish women [in Ontario], and we were able to identify women with the BRCA mutation before cancer happened.

We also found the majority of the women we identified with the BRCA mutation would not have met [standard] criteria for testing in the province. Based on that, we know we’re missing people who have these genetic mutations.

We want to change this and are currently offering a study where we provide genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 to any Canadian over the age of 25 for a very low cost. It is important to evaluate providing population based genetic testing, even to people without a family history of cancer. We think that every Canadian should have access to this test if they want the information. Anyone can sign up for the study at thescreenproject.ca.

What’s next for you in your research?

In the last 20 years, my research has contributed to what we know about the clinical implications of having a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2.

However, there are newer cancer causing genes that we know less about. One example is PALB2. Women are having genetic testing for this gene in addition to others, and we really don’t know what to tell them if they get a positive result. I want to change that. I want to be able to tell a woman with a PALB2 mutation what she should do to maximize her chance of not getting or dying of breast cancer.

What kind of feedback have you received about your research?

A big part of what I do is translate our research findings for the research, medical and patient communities.

[These patients] are very engaged in research because this is a genetic mutation that gets passed down from generation to generation. Many of the women that we see also have a very significant family history. They’ve seen many of the women in their family develop and die of cancer.

I try to ensure the research is translated to the patient so they know the latest research that’s happening, which many of them have contributed to.

We organize a biannual event where we invite all the people who have contributed to our research, and we share the most recent findings with them. I’m very focused on trying to get that research back to the patient.

Here in Canada and also throughout the world, there are many different patient conferences where I try to go and share some of the research findings.

How has the Faculty of Nursing supported your research?

I’ve been very fortunate. I have a professorship now from the Faculty of Nursing from the Bloomberg donation that supports my research financially so I’m able to do research without having to worry all the time about applying for external research funding.

Research at the ��Ƶ is a big part of what we do as professors. My goal is to not only conduct world leading research in the area of cancer genetics, but also to translate the research findings so that patients all over the world can benefit from this research. U of T provides valuable resources to enable me to do this.

What would you like others to take away from your research?

Genetic testing for cancer-causing genes can benefit those with and without cancer. I think it’s important for people to know that these genes do exist. We can test for them, and if we do find that there is a problem or a genetic mutation, we can do something about it. I believe genetic testing should be available to every person who wants the information, and I think that we are slowly making our way there.

Kelly Metcalfe is a professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and a scientist at the Women’s College Research Institute at Women’s College Hospital. Her cancer research and clinical work is just one example of extraordinary impact at U of T. Learn more at utoronto.ca