In recognition of her role as an outstanding Nurse Practitioner, health services researcher, and champion of trauma-informed care leadership, Rosanra (Rosie) Yoon, Assistant Professor at Bloomberg Nursing has been awarded the 2026 RNAO Leadership Award in Nursing Research.
Presented by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), one of the key criteria for this award is that the recipient actively explores innovative ideas in nursing research and engage nurses and nursing students in research that reflects the values and needs of RNAO members. Yoon, who has been a nurse for over 20 years, leads a program of research that specifically focuses on equity, and trauma-informed integrated care for vulnerable populations. She is known for applying implementation and evaluation research strategies to advance quality improvement and integrated health and social services for populations who face disparities in access to services.
She currently leads four externally funded major research studies as a principal investigator, is the co-chair of a quality and evaluation working group for the Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team and is an invited member of a provincial advisory table on mental health and addictions.
“This award is deeply meaningful as it acknowledges an area of research that I believe deeply resonates with nurses and the communities we care for and how we need to evaluate and research ways in which we can design better, more integrated care for people who are most vulnerable of falling through the cracks of siloed systems,” says Yoon.
This work, she says, requires shifting towards solutions that are both equitable and trauma-informed for both patients and the workforce that provides that care.
One of her current projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is focused on improving the psychological safety and well-being of care providers in long-term care settings. She is developing methods for health care organizations to support their workforce’s mental health and well-being to benefit not only nurses working in long-term care but also the residents in their care.
Yoon is a firm believer in centering the voices of people with living and lived experiences of substance use challenges. Her knowledge and expertise in trauma-informed care, has enabled her to support the professional development of nurses and allied health professionals through her research including contributions to two RNAO best practices guidelines on trauma-informed care and caring for those with substance use issues. She also recently co-led the development of the newly launched Hope and Recovery Toolkit, part of the Hope & Recovery Project: Healing from Gender-Based Violence and Substance Use, with The Jean Tweed Centre. The toolkit is a practical resource designed to help service providers better support women experiencing the impacts of gender-based violence (GBV) and substance use.
“Gender-based violence and substance use are deeply interconnected,” says Yoon. “Yet, despite this, services and service providers across many sectors including health do not address both using an integrated approach. The Hope and Recovery Toolkit is an easy to access first point of reference to support front line care workers in their capacity to support women experiencing GBV and substance use in ways that are evidence and trauma-informed.”
Yoon’s research continues to be geared towards achieving the Quintuple Aim, an international framework focused on attaining health equity by incorporating elements such as improved care experience, better patient outcomes, lower costs, and improved care provider experiences.