The Team — Innovations in Care for older Adults REsearch centre (i-CARE)

Tanja is a first-generation university graduate from Kitchener, Ontario and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from McMaster University in 2014. During her last two years of undergraduate studies, Tanja became interested in research and evidence-based practice and contributed to Senior-Friendly Care initiative and patient safety development at a local hospital. After graduation, Tanja obtained a Nursing Graduate Guarantee Initiative position and gained experience on a Medical-Surgical unit. Being curious about the continuity of care into the community, Tanja then started working as a home care nurse, administering care to patients within the community. Currently, Tanja is employed at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus in the Emergency Department after obtaining a certificate in Critical Care Nursing. Working within the Emergency Department, Tanja was inspired to improve patient safety outcomes by becoming involved in nursing leadership, policy creation and implementing change on an organizational level. As a current student of the Master of Science in Nursing- Thesis based program at the University of Ottawa, Tanja is completing her master’s thesis by conducting a systematic review of organization characteristics affecting patient outcomes under the supervision of Dr. Chantal Backman.

Michelle Crick (2015-2019)

PhD student, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences

Registered Mental Health Nurse (UK & New Zealand), MSc.

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Michelle Crick is a PhD student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. As a registered mental health nurse, she has worked in clinical, managerial and academic roles in the UK and New Zealand. In the UK, Michelle has worked as a senior manager in the NHS, specialising in the care of older adults with complex mental health needs. In New Zealand, Michelle worked in the Faculty of Health at Whitireia Community Polytechnic, with the lead for Clinical Learning Experiences for nurses and paramedics in the faculty. Alongside her doctoral studies Michelle works as a research assistant with Professor Backman, researching care transitions between acute care and home. She also has a role evaluating the effectiveness of Rapid Reviews at Bruyere Continuing Care, in Ottawa. Michelle has been involved in various research roles as a co-investigator / research assistant. She is part of a team using an Appreciative Inquiry approach to explore the profession development needs of registered nurses working in aged and residential care in New Zealand. Recently, she worked as a researcher in a project studying business models in the residential care sector in New Zealand. This work was the inspiration for her PhD studies, to explore the role of regulatory processes and the impact they have on care of older people with depression living in long term care in Ontario.

Danielle Cho-Young (2016-2019)

MScN Student, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences

Danielle Cho-Young graduated from her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western University in 2013. She is currently a Masters of Science in Nursing (thesis-based) student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. As a Registered Nurse, Danielle spent almost three years working on an Inpatient Clinical Neurosciences Unit at University Hospital in London, ON. It was there that she provided care for many acutely ill older adults who experienced head trauma from falling at home. In recognizing the prevalence of these hospital admissions, Danielle is interested in reducing the incidence of falls at a community level and ultimately promoting optimal aging at home. Alongside her work as a MScN student, Danielle will be working as a research assistant with Professor Backman, specifically on her pilot study researching care transitions between acute care and home.

Yung-En Chung (2016-2019)

MSc Health Systems, Telfer School of Management

Yung-En Chung graduated from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Ottawa in 2016. She is passionate about geriatrics and community health, and wants to incorporate both these interests in her nursing practice. Her past experience in geriatric care, coupled with her upbringing in an Asian culture, have inspired her to pursue a career focused on identifying the unmet needs of, and on providing culturally-sensitive care to the community of Asian seniors.

Yung-En will begin her master's studies in Health Systems at the same university this fall to examine and research the way healthcare services are delivered in Canada in order to create innovative ways to make changes and improvements.

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