Research

Indigenous/Marginalized groups
International
Leadership

Wendy’s research focuses on translating knowledge to promote health equity with disadvantaged and marginalized groups.  She is currently focused on working with First Nations, Inuit, and Metis in the areas of culturally safe care.  She has done extensive work in implementation leadership and international research collaboration.

Wendy is the current Loyer-DaSilva Research Chair in Community and Public Health Nursing. This position is the first research chair in public health nursing in Canada, established in 2006 in partnership with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, recognizing the enormous contributions of Professor Marie des Anges Loyer.  It aims to lead the way in researching innovative ways of improving environments and reduce barriers to health for marginalized populations, with a strong focus on health promotion.

Wendy is also the Co-Director for the Center for Research on Health & Nursing (CRHN), a collaboration between the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and the Canadian Nurses Association.  CRHN aims to be a national and international research hub to improve health and nursing in Canada and the world, by bringing together Canadian and international researchers, trainees, and knowledge users to actively promote the generation and uptake of research knowledge to improve health and nursing for patients, providers, organizations, and health care systems.  

Selected publications

* student

  • Gifford, W., Dick, P., Larocque, C., Benoit, M., Al Awar, Z., Modanloo, S., Wazni, L. (2023).  What Culturally Safe Cancer Care means to Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples (Accepted Feb 3 2023).
  • Gifford, W., Larocque*, C., Dick, P. (2022). Culturally Safe Cancer Care for Indigenous People: Nursing Practice Beyond the Rhetoric.  Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing 26(4), 443-448. DOI: 10.1188/22.CJON.443-448
  • Thomas, R., Gifford, W., Poudrier, J., Rheault, A. & Shallwani, S. (2022). “We need to work hand in hand”: Supporting cancer survivorship care with First Nations and Métis peoples in Canada via video. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. (Accepted Oct 2022)
  • Borna*, E., Afrasiabi, H., Kalateh Sadati, A., & Gifford, W. (2022). Women’s perspectives on career successes and barriers: A qualitative meta-synthesis. Social Science Information, 61(2–3), 318–344. DOI: 10.1177/05390184221113735
  • Spilg, E., Rushton, C.H.., Phillips, J.L., Kendzerska, T., Saad, M., Gifford, W., Gautam, M., Bhatla, R., Edwards, J.D., Quilty, L., Leveille, C., Robillard, R. (2022). The new frontline: Exploring the links between moral distress, moral resilience and mental health in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Psychiatry 22(19). DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03637-w
  • Enuaraq S, Gifford† W, Ashton S, Al Awar Z, Larocque* C, Rolf D. (2021). Understanding Culturally Safe Cancer Survivorship Care with Inuit in an Urban Community. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 80(1). DOI 10.1080/22423982.2021.1949843 († corresponding author)
  • Larocque* C, Foth T, Gifford W. (2021). No more settler tears, no more humanitarian consternation: Recognizing our racist history and present NOW! Witness: The Canadian Journal of Critical Nursing Discourse, 3(1), 7–10. DOI 10.25071/2291-5796.107
  • Novy* C, Thomas R, Garcia L, Gifford W, Grassau P. (2021). Using the performance arts to address a ‘methods gap’ in dementia research. Arts & Health (published on-line June 21, 2021). DOI 10.1080/17533015.2021.1942093.
  • Gifford W, Rowan M, Dick P, Modanloo* S, Benoit M, Al Awar Z, Wazni* L, Grandpierre* V, Thomas R, Sikora L, Graham ID. (2021). Interventions to improve cancer survivorship among Indigenous Peoples and communities: A systematic review with a narrative synthesis. Supportive Care in Cancer. DOI 10.1007/s00520-021-06216-7.
  • McMenemy* C, Rolfe D, Van Herk K, Beaufort C, Jamieson B, Quesnel S, Larocque* C, Gifford W. (2021). The Mental Health Needs of Street Nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: An Innovative Response. Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership.
  • Hu J, Gifford W, Hong R, Harrison D, Li Q, Ehrhart M, Harrison MA, Barrowman N, Aarons G. (2021). Validating the Implementation Leadership Scale in Chinese nursing context: A cross-sectional study. Nursing Open. 1-10. DOI 10.1002/nop2.888. (Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33960677).
  • Wazni* L, Gifford W, Cantin* C, Davies B. (2021). Community of Practice for Graduate Students in Health Sciences. Higher Education Evaluation and Development. DOI 10.1108/HEED-10-2020-0037 (published on-line April 30 2021)
  • Almost J, Gifford W, Ogilvie L, Miller C. (2020). The Role of Nursing Leadership in Ensuring a Healthy Workforce in Corrections. Nursing Leadership: Special Focus on Nursing Leadership in Corrections, 33(1): 59-70. DOI 10.12927/cjnl.2020.26191
  • Williams* JE, Gifford W, Vanderspank-Wright B, Phillips JC. (2019) Violence and Health Promotion Among First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Women: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research. Trauma Violence Abuse. DOI 10.1177/1524838019875696
  • Gifford W, Lewis KB, Eldh AC, Fiset V, Abdul-Fatah* T, Aberg AC, Thavorn K, Graham ID, Wallin L (2019) Feasibility and usefulness of a leadership intervention to implement evidence-based falls prevention practices in residential care in Canada. Pilot and Feasibility Studies 5 (1):103. DOI 10.1186/s40814-019-0485-7
  • Gifford W, Thomas R, Barton G, Graham ID (2019). Providing culturally safe cancer survivorship care with Indigenous communities: study protocol for an integrated knowledge translation. BMC Pilot & feasibility Studies. 5:33. DOI 10.1186/s40814-019-0422-9
  • Thomas R, Novy* C, Gifford W, Grandpierre* V, Poudrier J, Thomas O (2019). Exploring the Intersections of Storytelling and Visual Arts: Indigenous Peoples’ Experiences of Cancer. Storytelling, Self and Society; An Interdisciplinary Journal of Storytelling Studies, 15(1)
  • Almost J, Gifford W, Doran D, Ogilvie L, Miller C, Rose DN, Squires M, Carryer J, McShane J, Miller K (2019) The Acceptability and Feasibility of Implementing an Online Educational Intervention With Nurses in a Provincial Prison Context. Journal of Forensic Nursing 15 (3):172-182.
  • Gifford W, Thomas O, Thomas R, Grandpierre* V, Ukagwu C (2019) Spirituality in cancer survivorship with First Nations people in Canada. Support Care Cancer 27 (8):2969-2976. DOI 10.1007/s00520-018-4609-z
  • Gifford W., Squires JE, Angus DE, Ashley* LA, Brosseau L, Craik JM, Domecq MC, Egan M, Holyoke P, Juergensen* L, Wallin L, Wazni* L, Graham ID. (2018). Managerial leadership for research use in nursing and allied health care professions: a systematic review.  Implementation Science,13:127.  DOI 10.1186/s13012-018-0817-7
  • Gifford W, Zhang Q, Chen S, Davies B, Xie R, Wen SW, Harvey G. (2018). When east meets west: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators to evidence-based practice in Hunan China. BMC Nursing 17:26. DOI: 10.1186/s12912-018-0295
  • Gifford W, Thomas R, Barton G, Grandpierre* V, Graham ID (2018). “Breaking the silence” to improve cancer survivorship care for First Nations Peoples: a study protocol for an Indigenous knowledge translation strategy. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17: 1-6. DOI 10.1177/1609406918774133
  • Gifford W, Graham ID, Ehrhart MG, Davies BL, Aarons GA. (2017). Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe) and Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS): Mapping concepts for developing and evaluating theory-based leadership interventions.  Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 9;15-23.