Leadership and System Transformation: Advancing the Role of Community Health Nursing

Josephine Etowa; Ilene Hyman

doi:10.25071/2291-5796.101

Authors

Josephine Etowa University of Ottawa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2019-7958
Ilene Hyman University of Toronto https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5097-3773

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/2291-5796.101

Keywords:

Community Health Nursing, Social Determinants of Health, Leadership, Health care Transformation, Intersectionality

Abstract

It is widely recognized that structural and social determinants of health (SDoH) account for a large proportion of health inequities in Canada. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), many health actors are required to provide leadership and direction in tackling health inequities. In this paper we argue that community health nurses (CHNs) are well situated to play a critical role in health system transformation in Canada. CHNs are known for having a holistic and collaborative approach with competencies beneficial for the reduction of health inequities. However, to become more consistently effective advocates of health equity, CHNs require competencies in the principles of equity and social justice, community engagement, communication, coalition building, and system transformation. Having a critical mass of CHNs with appropriate leadership skills in knowledge generation and mobilization, advocacy, and collaboration is fundamental to effectively addressing health inequities in Canada.

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Author Biographies

Josephine Etowa, University of Ottawa

Josephine Etowa, PhD RN RM FWACN FAAN, is a Full Professor and OHTN Chair in Black Women’s HIV Prevention and Care in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. She is past Loyer-DaSilva Research Chair in Public Health Nursing and the Lead Investigator of the Collaborative Critical Research for Equity & Transformation in Health (CO-CREATH) Lab and a senior investigator with the Centre for Research on Health and Nursing (CRHN). Dr Etowa is a founding member and past president of the Health Association of African Canadians (HAAC) in NS, and the Canadians of African Descent Health Organization (CADHO) in Ottawa.

Her research program includes national and internationally funded studies on health equity, perinatal health, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 pandemic, nurses’ work life and community health nursing. Her research is informed by an intersectionality lens and Community based participatory research (CBPR) approach. She is currently leading three nationally funded COVID-19 studies. Current projects include, 1). Advancing Healthcare for COVID-19 in Ontario: Strengthening providers’ capacity for best practices in African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities (CIHR 2020), and 2). Rapid Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Sexually Transmitted and Blood-borne Infection Related Services in ACB communities (PHAC, 2021).

Ilene Hyman, University of Toronto

Ilene Hyman, BSc (PT), MHSc, PhD, is a social epidemiologist and Adjunct Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Ilene is also an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Health Program at York University, Senior Research Associate in the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa, and Research Affiliate with the Centre of Excellence in Immigration and Settlement and the Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement. The vast majority of Ilene’s research work explores health and social equity among under researched and equity-seeking communities in Canada.

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