Judith Coulson, Sandra Merklinger, and Vanessa Wright, have each joined the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing in the role of Assistant Professor Teaching Stream, bringing with them years of clinical experience as nurse practitioners, and a unique focus on advocating for primary care access.
Judith Coulson, who has been an NP for 24 years, has spent most of her career working in primary care with vulnerable populations, including low-income communities, immigrants, and refugees, with a particular focus on women’s health. She notes there is an incredible need to advocate for appropriate provisions of care in these communities and has worked to address issues of stigma while promoting greater awareness of health care options.
In addition to her clinical work, Coulson recently taught as an adjunct lecturer at Bloomberg Nursing. As a faculty member, Coulson will be teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the program and the students, and doing a deeper dive into the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapeutics courses I will be teaching,” says Coulson. “I believe my experience as an NP caring for all age groups with a wide range of clinical conditions will be an asset to the students, especially those in the all-ages MN-NP program.”
Sandra Merklinger has been with the Faculty of Nursing as an instructor in the Master of Nursing Nurse-Practitioner (MN-NP) program and teaches in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. As an Assistant Professor Teaching Stream, she will also assume the new role of NP residency and program coordinator for the (MN-NP) program.
“Although I have been teaching at Bloomberg Nursing for over 20 years, I’m thrilled to now be stepping into a full-time role as NP Program Coordinator. This is an exciting time for our program as we continue transitioning toward an integrated, all-ages, all-settings NP curriculum,” says Merklinger. “I’m especially looking forward to supporting our students, faculty, and instructional assistants as we introduce innovative teaching approaches, like Practice-Based Learning, that reflect the realities of clinical practice and foster deeper engagement.”
Merklinger has had many years of clinical experience as an NP for pediatric populations, and she is an alumna of the both the BScN, MN programs at Bloomberg Nursing. She completed her PhD with the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. As a researcher, Merklinger has focused on improving surgical outcomes for infants born with complex cardiac conditions and has contributed to the development of post-operative protocols for managing chylothorax and post-pericardiotomy syndrome. Her current scholarly work centres on advancing teaching approaches that balance academic rigor with manageable workload for both students and instructors. She is also actively involved in developing mentorship initiatives that foster long-term success for NP students as they prepare for practice in diverse and evolving healthcare settings.
Vanessa Wright has previously taught as an adjunct lecturer at Bloomberg Nursing, and has recently graduated from Bloomberg Nursing with her Doctor of Nursing degree, part of the first cohort to graduate from this new degree program.
Wright has over 20 years of experience as an NP, researcher, and educator, working across primary, acute and public health care settings, particularly with newcomers to Canada. Her doctoral research was focused on cross sector integrated care and organizational learning.
“We’re in a time that necessitates us to learn from and collaborate with each other when it comes to primary care and community health delivery. There is incredible potential within this space to advance our own understanding of primary care nursing and build capacity for team-based care through inter-faculty collaboration,” says Wright. “I look forward to learning with the students and building interest in an area that is primed for nursing engagement.”