Over the past few months Bloomberg Nursing has welcomed three new teaching stream faculty members to our community. Each of them brings a wide range of expertise in nursing drawing on their previous clinical experiences as well as their own research in the field.
Summer Haddad an alumna of the Bloomberg Nursing PhD program, assumed her new position as Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in December 2023. Her clinical background in NICU nursing, and her previous practice at the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids), informed her PhD research which looked at the sleep and mental health outcomes of parents during their infant’s hospitalization in the NICU.
She has also been interested clinically in parents of preterm infants and the challenges they face in addition to parents of health term infants. Just after graduation, Haddad taught in the undergraduate nursing program at Toronto Metropolitan University, before making the decision to return to Bloomberg Nursing.
Haddad brings her clinical and research expertise to her teaching particularly in the Introduction to Nursing Care of Childbearing Persons and Families course where she says teaching students to engage with patients in advocacy is an important component of critical thinking in nursing practice.
“I always think about how we can facilitate and support excellence in student learning and I work to bring that forward into my classroom settings,” says Haddad. “Nursing practice is always changing, and it is important to think through practices and be critical. I want my students to always think about what the research says and ask is this evidence-informed practice.”
Jana Lok rejoined Bloomberg Nursing this year as an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream after taking some time to complete her NP program finishing clinical time and work with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in a clinical capacity. She says she always knew she would come back to Bloomberg Nursing, because teaching is her passion.
“At heart I am an educator. Being able to share my experiences with students and bring that content to life, in simulations and through case studies is something I really enjoy,” says Lok.
For over 25 years Lok has worked in emergency nursing and as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. She was one of the first NP’s in uniform to be offered a role in primary care, taking care of members in uniform as well as international members, focusing on preventative care, acute minor injuries, and health care across the life span.
In addition to working in ER’s across the GTA, Lok has also been involved in emergency management training tying into her scholarship research on simulation and disaster management. She recently developed one of the first simulation programs within the CAF examining skills competencies of medical technicians.
At the Faculty Lok also designed an interprofessional simulation, that brought medical students, NP students, and BScN students together to show how these professions would work collaboratively in a clinical setting.
“That kind of integrated and interprofessional learning is key to educating competent and safe nurses,” says Lok.
Brianna Orava, an alumna of the Bloomberg Nursing PhD and BScN programs, is a nurse practitioner who has clinical experience in emergency/acute care and primary health care. She also joined Bloomberg Nursing as an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream earlier this year after many years as an adjunct lecturer. Brianna brings her primary health care research and clinical expertise to the courses that she is teaching in the Master of Nursing – Nurse Practitioner and undergraduate program.
In 2022, Orava was named an OHT Impact Fellow, a post-doctoral program through the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, which placed skilled evaluators and researchers within Ontario Health Teams. The goal of the Fellowship is to support the implementation and evaluation of local priority projects. Brianna worked within the Barrie and Area OHT to develop better data integration strategies in and between OHTs with the goal of improving population health management and integrated care across sectors.
In addition to leading evaluation and quality improvement initiatives, clinical practice, and research, Brianna is excited to teach at Bloomberg Nursing.
“I have had some wonderful mentors who exemplified how important it is to share your experiences and support the next generation of nurses,” says Orava. “As the profession of nursing continues to evolve, it is an honour and passion of mine to connect with learners and help support nursing knowledge and scholarship.”
As an educator Orava plans to bring her passions for primary health care, health human resource/health policy, mentorship, evaluation, population health management, and integrated care to her teaching.