Message from the Dean

Nursing is one of the most trusted professions in the world, and in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary, we strive to not only uphold that, but also to advance the profession in all domains. Whether you are considering joining us for an undergraduate or graduate degree, nursing education and research are the backbone of all that we do. 

Our new strategic plan for 2024-2030, Toward Tomorrow, outlines not only our teaching and research priorities for the next six years, but also emphasizes our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA), our dedication to mental health and wellness, and our foundational commitment to truth and reconciliation. Our dedication extends beyond compliance and tokenism: the new BScN curriculum (September 2024) incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, being, and connection throughout all years; our NP Mental Health and Wellness Clinic is in place to serve the unique needs of nursing students, faculty, and staff; and EDIA principles are evident in all we do.

In our faculty, we focus on health-care innovation, new ideas, and embrace the University of Calgary’s motto to “Start Something.” The Health Systems Transformation Initiative (The HIVE) is the Faculty of Nursing’s approach at solving health-care problems by connecting academic-research-practice professionals across disciplines and organizations, fostering innovation and the implementation and generation of research at, for, and by the bedside, and transforming health-care delivery and workplace settings in the health-care system. 

The Faculty of Nursing has taken great strides since 2021 to address the rural and remote nursing shortage in Alberta. Together with our health care and rural partners, we are educating nursing students in their own communities across Alberta – a “grow your own” approach to addressing the severe nursing shortage in rural communities. This successful initiative has provided a blueprint for other provinces to address their own rural and remote nursing shortages and shows our commitment to not only to health care in Alberta, but in Canada and beyond. 

As interim dean, I am exceptionally proud of all we do here in the Faculty of Nursing. I have been a nurse since 1998 and with the faculty since 2013; our team of faculty and staff are dedicated to the profession of nursing and the field of health care. Whether you are considering joining us as a student, staff or faculty member, looking to reconnect as an alumnus, or engaging as a current member of our community, I invite you to continue to explore nursing.