Community of Practice
Our Mission and Philosophy
To turn to a loved one for support when you're ill is to act out a core human instinct.
Our team believes that engaging a patient's family in their care is key to the recovery of acutely ill patients. Emerging evidence demonstrates that this “MERGE-ing” of family into patient care measurably improves outcomes for the patient, their family, and the healthcare system as a whole. This principle is what we champion as Family-Centered Care.
Our team is dedicated to championing the adoption and consistent practice of this philosophy across acute care settings in Canada and internationally. We strive to be catalysts in transforming healthcare environments to fully embrace and facilitate the vital partnership between patients, their families, and the care team.
Meet our team
Dr. Karen Benzies, BsN, MN, PhD, RN
Dr. Benzies, a Professor of Nursing and Director of Social Innovation, University of Calgary, has attained over $35 million in research funding and published over 180 articles. Benzies designs, evaluates, and mobilizes interventions to improve parental, child, and health system outcomes including (1) parenting education and mentorship during the transition from pregnancy to early parenthood to reduce postnatal depression, (2) two-generation programs for families experiencing adversity to improve school readiness, and (3) integrating families into the care of their critically ill newborn in the neonatal ICU.
Chinedu Diribe, MBBS
Dr. Diribe is the Project Specialist for the study evaluating family integrated care for general inpatient pediatrics at the University of Calgary. Trained clinically as a physician, Mr. Diribe has found his passion in management of clinical and health services research projects. He has a proven track record in leading multi-disciplinary and cross-functional teams, managing complex multi-site clinical research projects, and engaging diverse stakeholders across healthcare, academic, and government sectors.
Anmol Shahid, PhD
Dr. Shahid, a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Calgary, is focused on co-designing and implementing interventions to enhance the role of family to improve outcomes for critically ill patients, their families, and the health system. Her research reflects Shahid’s dedication to translational research and quality improvement in clinical practice.
Allie Reimer
Allie Reimer is a third-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student at the University of Calgary, majoring in Health & Society with a concentration in Psychology. She joined the team as a summer research student in May 2025 and continues to work with the team through her course-based research practicum. Allie is leading a systematic review exploring the effects of Family-Centered Care interventions on healthcare providers to inform the team’s inpatient pediatrics project. She is also contributing to the foundational work and research to support the implementation of Alberta FICare in adult ICUs. Outside of her research, Allie enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and baking.
Diya Sharma
Diya Sharma is a second-year Health Sciences student specializing in Child Health at McMaster University in Ontario. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Diya was excited to return last summer and contribute to research there. She joined the Benzies Lab in May 2025 and now continues her involvement remotely. As part of a larger adaptation of Alberta FICare into Adult ICUs, Diya’s primary project investigates the burden of patient and family-centered care research initiatives on Adult ICU staff. She also supports the team’s inpatient pediatrics project. Diya is passionate about children’s health outcomes and in the future, hopes to work in fields that improve them.
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Our team's work
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