Six areas of excellence have been identified in which the School has strong faculty expertise and consolidated research activities that create synergy and foster collaboration. To learn more click on the area icons to the left. A list of potential supervisors to contact is found under each area.

Applicants to the M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs declare their intentions to focus within one of the following six areas of excellence. Students in the Graduate Program have available to them the educational, research and clinical resources of the Faculty of Health Sciences and the services of the Hamilton-Wentworth health care community.

Our research focuses on health outcomes, patterns of health determinants, policies and interventions. Examples of topics may include the impact of socio‐economic status, the environment, culture, and gender on health and quality of life. Nursing studies examining the impact of globalization are also included.

Our research focuses on the study of interventions, relationships and interactions that foster a sense of belonging, well‐being, and coherence. This field includes the study of traditional or alternative nursing modalities in periods of illness and crisis, and the role of spirituality in health.

Health services research is a multidisciplinary field of inquiry, both basic and applied, that examines access to, and the use, costs, quality, delivery, organization, financing, and outcomes of health care services to produce new knowledge about the structure, processes, and effects of health services for individuals and populations. New knowledge in relation to nursing services is our focus.

Health Policy Research which addresses the history, structure, theory and process of health policymaking to plan, implement, and evaluate policies. Topics may include the economic, ethical, and social implications of policy decisions, and may develop or assess strategies to effectively advocate for policy change. Effective policies are essential to quality nursing services.

Research in Leadership focuses on studying the identification and development of the skills and knowledge needed for leadership roles in nursing.

Complementary to nursing leadership (and management) is research in Practice which involves the study of relationships among advanced nursing practice, theory, and scholarly inquiry. Research may also focus on the development and evaluation of practice specialties with specific populations or settings (e.g., nurse practitioner) and knowledge exchange.

Our research focuses on the investigation of teaching‐learning modalities (e.g., self‐directed learning, technology) for enhancing nursing education as a practice discipline, the development of the knowledge base related to learning to nurse, and the evaluation of educational programs and strategies. Examples of topics may include inter‐professional learning, program evaluation, critical thinking, and reflective practice.