Dr. Kimberley Widger, Associate Professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto has been awarded a five-year Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Pediatric Palliative Care. Tier 2 Chairs are awarded to exceptional emerging researchers who are identified as leaders in their field by peers.
Dr. Widger has dedicated her nursing career to working with children who have life-threatening conditions – primarily those diagnosed with cancer. Her visionis “that every family of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening condition receives optimal pediatric palliative care throughout the illness regardless of where they receive care and the outcome of the illness.”
Dr. Widger’s program of research focuses on examining and enhancing the structures, processes and outcomes of care provided to children living with a life-threatening condition and their families. Her research has had a national impact on enhancing the quality of care for children who are facing a life-threatening conditions and their families as well as supporting health professionals to provide this care. During her tenure as Chair, Widger will address key knowledge gaps in this area to advance the understanding and delivery of high-quality pediatric palliative care.
About Canada Research Chairs
The Canada Research Chairs Program invests approximately $265 million per year to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences.