Director of Research Candidates

My name is Joel Davidson and I am a second year nursing student at the University of Alberta. A little bit about me is that I grew up on a farm in rural Alberta with my three siblings (a twin brother and two older siblings who are twins), my graduating class in high school had 10 people, and for fun I enjoy intramural sports and hanging out with friends. My background related to the Director of Research position is that I have been a research assistant working under Dr. Kara Schick-Makaroff and Dr. Charlotte Berendonk for almost a year now. The project I have been working on is about a first-of-its-kind mental health pathway for adults receiving dialysis in Alberta. With this project I have learned a lot about nursing research and the role that students can play, along with the importance of listening to people with lived experience/patient partners when conducting research on a specific demographic. My time working on this project has allowed me to do two online presentations to physicians, pharmacists, clinical nurse educators, unit managers, and other people involved with Alberta Kidney Care, along with being listed as a co-author on a manuscript that will be published sometime in the near future. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time doing research and believe that more students would too if given the opportunity, which is why I am seeking election. If elected to the Director of Research position I will take a leadership approach that is very feedback heavy where I ask for input from students regularly about what they want to see, while still championing ideas of my own. Because this position is new, I believe it is important to shape the role in the way students want it to be, not just what I envision.

To advance student engagement in research, I want to make it as easy as possible for students to know where to start. My goal for this is to reach out to researchers across the country who would be willing to host webinars or create training modules about how nursing research works, the different types of research, how students can share their findings, etc. If possible I will also look into turning these modules into a certificate that people can get and put on their resume if they would like. Looking for sponsors to fund small student research grants/awards is another thing I would like to introduce to reduce financial barriers to student involvement in research projects. To support evidence informed practice I want to create a platform for clinicians and students to share stories about how new evidence changed the way they cared for a patient and how it improved the patient outcome. This will hopefully show the real-life impact that evidence informed practice has, making students more engaged in the topic, instead of just always hearing about it in lectures.

In order to support students who struggle with gaining access to valuable research opportunities, especially those who attend nursing schools without an honours program, I want to start a mentor directory. To do this, I will reach out the the Deans of nursing programs across the country in order to get in contact with nursing researchers who are willing to take on students to join their current projects or just be a mentor to students who wish to lead their own research. I will strive to connect students to mentors from all over Canada with researchers outside of the traditional honours program route and have inter-university collaboration to make this as accessible as possible to all nursing students, regardless of where they come from. I would also like to have a form where students can write about a research area of interest so I can match students who might be willing to work with each other on a project so they can support each other as they learn about nursing research.

To promote the dissemination of student-led research I would like to add a page to the CNSA website that showcases student research. Abstracts, presentations, and publications can all be submitted and displayed through the CNSA website and other media. I would also like to continue and expand the research showcase at the national conference to have as much student research exposed as possible. Self-directed research, along with honours thesis projects will all be welcome. Conducting research is great, but it means so much more when you are able to share it with others on a public stage, and presentations also look amazing on a resume, especially for those looking to go to graduate school. To help increase the impact of student-led research I want to push for an agreement with an undergraduate research journal to make it easier for students to get their work published so people from all over the world can access it. The more exposure, the more likely it is for research to result in real-life impact.

My name is Sierra Punchard and I am a BScN student with a background in rural emergency response, community leadership and advocacy. I have a strong interest in research, knowledge translation, and evidence-informed leadership. My leadership approach is grounded in collaboration, critical inquiry, and accessibility. I believe effective research leadership involves not only generating knowledge, but ensuring it is ethical, inclusive, accessible and meaningfully applied to improve practice, education and patient outcomes. My academic and scholarly experiences have provided me with a strong foundation in nursing research and evidence-based practice. I am currently completing an undergraduate thesis, which has involved developing research questions, conducting literature reviews, engaging with theoretical frameworks and developing research ethics applications. I have engaged with both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies throughout my undergraduate degree with a varying degree of topics. I have also had the opportunity to present two separate student-led research presentations at the International Council of Nurses Conference and get published.

My vision for advancing nursing student engagement in research through the Canadian Nursing Students Association is to fundamentally shift how students are guided to picture research, from something reserved for 'academic' nurses to a core nursing skill rooted in clinical curiosity, accountability and justice. Research should not feel distant from practice; it should feel inseparable from the decisions we make every day. I envision a future where CNSA champions research as a relational and accessible process by creating low-barrier entry points for all students, regardless of their research experience, while also valuing diverse ways of knowing, including community-based, qualitative and Indigenous approaches. Equally important is knowledge translation, I hope to build improved pathways for supporting students in turning evidence into action, so research directly informs education, policy and care. Ultimately, my vision is for CNSA to cultivate nursing students who are not solely passive consumers of research but instead confident contributors who question systems, generate knowledge responsibly, and arm themselves with evidence to advocate for equitable and effective healthcare.

As a student with no prior experience in academia, I understand how daunting the idea of getting involved in research can be. Given my self-guided entry to the research world, I have developed various ideas to engage students and chapters with varying levels of research experience and support them in becoming meaningfully involved. For students new to research, I hope to offer a FAQs (frequently asked questions) document regarding student involvement in research, to complement my goal of hosting various research focussed online workshops for member schools. For more experienced students, I hope to develop peer mentorship programming to provide opportunities to hone research skills and provide valuable guidance for other students. Additionally, across all levels, I will emphasize that research engagement is not a one size fits all approach and reinforce the importance of lived experience and diverse ways of knowing. By meeting students where they are at, we can support all CNSA member schools in getting involved with research.

To promote the dissemination and impact of student-led research within CNSA and the broader nursing/healthcare community, I will prioritize accessibility, visibility and meaningful knowledge translation in a way that is digestible for those even without a healthcare background. Within the Canadian Nursing Students Association, I hope to support various dissemination pathways at specific research events, regional conferences and National Assembly through the implementation of student research spotlights, poster and abstract showcases and easy to read summaries of the work being done by CNSA members. To extend my impact beyond CNSA, I hope to use my experience and knowledge to support other students in submitting their work to journals, conferences and professional forums to contribute to the greater healthcare community.