Academic Leadership Team

Dean

Dr. Laing has served as associate dean, undergraduate programs, in the Faculty of Nursing since 2018 and previously served as acting dean in the fall of 2023. Dr. Laing has been working in the field of pediatric oncology nursing for 25 years and holds a PhD as well as a Master of Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing, and Bachelor of Physical Education from UCalgary. 

Dr. Laing’s research is in the field of paediatric oncology, and, more recently, in undergraduate nursing program planning. Dr. Laing’s current research interests lie in lottery-based admission processes in undergraduate nursing education, and the role of technology for evaluation and clinical feedback. She is active at the local, national, and international levels of pediatric oncology nursing and undergraduate nursing education. 

Associate Dean, Innovation and Research

Tracie Risling RN, PhD is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean of Innovation and Research in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary. 

She is president-elect of the Canadian Nurses Association and the Past-President of the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association. A registered nurse for 20 years with a practice background in pediatric and public health nursing, Tracie has extensive nursing education experience teaching, conducting research and engaging in curriculum design and evaluation for both undergraduate and graduate programs. She also leads a patient-oriented program of health and nursing informatics research including study on artificial intelligence, social media, co-design, and the use of texting for wellness and workforce support. She is a passionate advocate for increased nursing engagement in the development, use, and evaluation of digital health solutions, which is reflected in her work with the new Doctor of Nursing program at the University of Calgary. Dr. Risling serves on the editorial boards of the Canadian Nurse online journal and the JMIR Nursing informatics journal.

Associate Dean Undergraduate Practice Education

Dave Patterson (he/him) completed his Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Nursing degrees here at the University of Calgary. His MN was focused on nursing education utilizing interprofessional education simulations, which led to certification as a Canadian Certified Simulation Nurse Educator.

Dave has taught at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Nursing since 2011. He is now an Assistant Professor (Teaching) after retiring from roles as both a Community Health Educator for the Calgary Zone Perinatal Education Program and a Level II NICU Nurse within Alberta Health Services. While working with students in congregate living facilities, Dave developed a passion for working with individuals experiencing dementia, their families, students, and staff to ensure respectful family-centred care is the standard of care.

Dave has taught throughout all terms of the undergraduate nursing curriculum, and his current focus is on transitioning from student to professional practice as a nurse.

Currently the Associate Dean - Undergraduate Practice Education, Dave also serves as President of the Alberta Gerontological Nurses Association.

Associate Dean, Graduate Programs

Dr. Cydnee Seneviratne completed a diploma in Nursing in 1991 and has established a distinguished academic career focused on nursing education, neuroscience nursing, and chronic stroke care. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Victoria in 1995 and a Master of Nursing from the University of Calgary in 1997. She completed her PhD at the University of Calgary in 2007, during which she was supported by a FUTURE Program for Cardiovascular Nurse Scientists Fellowship (a CIHR Strategic Training Program in Health Research). She subsequently undertook postdoctoral education (2008–2010) at the University of Calgary, funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Cydnee has held an academic appointment at the University of Calgary for 25 years, contributing to teaching across clinical, laboratory, and classroom settings, including pharmacology and pathophysiology, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She has experience in graduate education, including the supervision of master’s students in both course-based and thesis streams, and has contributed to the advancement of graduate curricula through graduate certificate curriculum development, evaluation, and program approval processes. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to strengthening graduate education and fostering excellence in advanced nursing scholarship.

Associate Dean, Indigenous Education

Dr. Michelle Scott Paul, Anaatsa'poopaki (Pretty Plume Woman)  was previously the Faculty of Nursing's Director of Indigenous Initiatives. She joined UCalgary Nursing after being the director, Indigenous Initiatives at St Mary’s University in Calgary for over eight years. Michelle is a proud L’nu (Mi’kmaw) and Irish/English woman whose ancestral home is Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). She grew up in Tkaronto (Toronto) where she received a BA in Sociology from UToronto and has called Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary) home for the past 23 years. She also completed her MEd at the University of Saskatchewan.

Michelle is committed to opening up spaces within the western academy to centre Indigenous voices and Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing - to bring community together to learn alongside each other at the fire of all our relations about the historical and ongoing legacy of colonization in the place we now know as Canada and to provide the space at this fire for people to begin to understand themselves, their world and the future they want to create together, in a good way, on the path of reconciliation. 

Assistant Dean, Mentorship for Research and Grant Success

Nicole Letourneau PhD RN FCAHS FAAN FCAN FRSC is a professor in the Faculty of Nursing and Cumming School of Medicine (Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Community Health Sciences) at the University of Calgary, where she holds the University of Calgary Research Excellence Chair in Parent and Child Health. 

She is Scientific Director of CIHR's National Health Research Training Plaform and Women's and Girls' Health Hub, called AVA (Alliance against Violence and Adversity), comprised of more than 200 academic and community partners across Canada, focused on implementation science training and knowledge mobilization to address violence and adversity affecting girls and women. She is also Director of RESOLVE (Research and Education for Solutions to Violence) Alberta. She is Principal Investigator (PI) of the Child Health Intervention and Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Studies Program, APrON, the Alberta pregnancy cohort of 2200 families funded for follow-up to 17 years of child age. She founded the ATTACH and VID-KIDS parenting programs.

She has attained $75 million CAD in research funding. In this capacity as assitant dean, her focus is on cultivating mentorship opportunities for new and early-career faculty members, graduate students, and post-doctoral trainees to enhance research excellence and funding within the Faculty of Nursing.  

Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Programs

Dr. Kara Sealock is a tenured Professor (Teaching) with over 17 years of experience in undergraduate and graduate nursing education. Throughout her career, she has taught a broad range of nursing courses and developed expertise in pathophysiology, pharmacology, clinical judgment, NCLEX preparation, curriculum development, and educational innovation. She has contributed to undergraduate curriculum development, academic program development, and educational leadership across the Faculty. 

In addition to her teaching, Dr. Sealock has held several leadership and service roles within nursing education. She previously served as Vice-Chair of the Nursing Education Program Approval Board (NEPAB) at CRNA, is Chief Editor of the Canadian Journal of Critical Care Nursing, serves on the TUCFA Board of Directors, and has authored and co-edited several Elsevier nursing textbooks. 

In her new leadership role, Dr. Sealock will work collaboratively with the Associate Deans of Undergraduate Programs and Undergraduate Practice Education to provide academic and operational leadership supporting faculty workload planning, faculty development, rural and community education, and curriculum quality. She looks forward to working with faculty, staff, students, and practice partners to strengthen undergraduate education and support student success.