Faculty and Staff

RN, MScN

Deborah joined VIU’s BSN program in 2017. Prior to this, Deborah taught in the Northern Collaborative Baccalaureate in Nursing program in Prince George BC.  Before her teaching career, Deborah worked for Northern Health as a Research and Evaluation Coordinator, Nursing Research Facilitator, a Public Health Nurse, and most recently as a casual RN in Functional Rehabilitation. Her teaching experience has been equally varied having taught across all four years of a BScN program.  Courses taught include pharmacology, nursing research, nursing knowledge, interpersonal communication, and practice in years 1 and 2.   

Petra graduated with a diploma in Nursing in 1999 and went on to finish her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at UVIC. She then completed her Master of Education at Simon Fraser University in 2016. Over 20 years of Petra’s career has been spent in the Intensive Care Unit -both as a Critical Care Nurse and as a faculty member in Critical Care at BCIT. After moving to Vancouver Island with her family, Petra joined VIU’s Nursing Program in 2022 as a full-time faculty member and has loved teaching BSN students in the class and in the hospital. When she’s not at work, you’ll find Petra in her garden or watching her kid’s sports

RN, Malaspina College; BSN, University of Victoria; MSN, University of British Columbia

Anita has been a community and public health nurse since 1995, and she has worked in a variety of community agencies: Indigenous Health Centres - Stz’uminus (Chemainus), Quw’utsun (Cowichan), Halalt, Lyackson, Me’le’xelh Mustimuhw (Malahat) and Penelakut; Island Health Authority Public Health (Duncan, Ladysmith, and Nanaimo), and Options for Sexual Health (Ladysmith and Nanaimo). She has been teaching at Vancouver Island University since 2003. Anita’s focus in nursing education extends to both the classroom and practice settings. Relational Practice and Community Health Nursing are her areas of passion in teaching. Anita enjoys working with students in years 1, 3 & 4 in teaching the foundations of community health nursing and health promotion. Anita’s areas of practice and research include parent-child interactions, mother-child health, advocacy, community care and outreach, adolescent health, reproductive health. Anita is a Co-Founder of Nourish Cowichan, former member of Clements Centre Board of Directors and currently Co-Chair of Parents for Inclusive Education (PIE) a committee with the Cowichan Valley DPAC supporting the needs of diverse learners and their families.

RN; BScN; CNCC(C); PhD(c)

Carla joined VIU in 2011 and is currently a full-time faculty member. In addition to her current role as a faculty member for the BSN program, Carla has also held the position of Program Chair for the Practical Nursing Program. Carla has held multiple nursing leadership roles, from a clinical nurse educator to a practice consultant. Her areas of expertise and passion are within nursing leadership, education, and program and curriculum design. In addition, Carla draws from her diverse nursing experiences that includes adult critical care, palliative care, medicine/surgical, gerontology, and has practiced in both rural and remote communities as well as tertiary care settings. Carla also holds CNA certification as a critical care nurse. Carla's current research focus is on internationally educated nurses and how they transition into Canadian practice settings.

PhD, RN

Caroline joined Vancouver Island University in 2022. Her clinical and pedagogical expertise stems from over 15 years of acute and critical care nursing and over eight years of teaching experiences. She has lived and worked in India, Zimbabwe, Australia, and Canada, which gives her unique perspectives on global inequities and diverse human needs. Her personal, clinical, and academic experiences influence her teaching philosophy and research approaches. The ethical challenges she encountered during clinical practice while providing end-of-life care prompted her research interests. She completed a PhD in nursing with a specialization in bioethics at the University of Toronto. Her research primarily focuses on end-of-life care and healthcare ethics. Through her teaching and research work, she hopes to change perceptions of death as a failure, increase awareness about the death and dying processes, and improve end-of-life care.

Carrie has been teaching full time in the BSN program at VIU for three years. Her primary focus is on Infant, Child, Youth and Family clinical practice, which correlates to her practice experiences as a specialized perinatal nurse. She is passionate about women’s health and in 2021 she completed her Master’s in Nursing at Athabasca University with a focus on maternal/newborn health within the context of opioid/substance dependence during pregnancy. Carrie is currently interested in research surrounding the incorporation of arts-based pedagogy which can be used as a tool to help students manage the stressors incurred during nursing school.

Originally from British Columbia, I have lived across the province from Haida Gwaii to Vancouver Island. I have been a nurse since 1990, joining the Northern Health Authority in 1991, my focus in nursing has been surgical, medical, pediatrics and Post Anesthesia. I started as a faculty member at the College of New Caledonia since 2010 teaching in the NCBNP, with a focus on Health Promotion, Global Health, International Education, and clinical skills. I have completed my Master of Nursing with a Teaching Focus, my Provincial Instructors Diploma, and currently working on achieving my PhD in Healthcare, Education and Leadership. I have facilitated learning through various avenues, theory, laboratory, simulation, and the clinical setting.

I have a great interest in both global health and education, and international clinical experiences and the transformation of theory to practice, especially related to cultural responsiveness and soft skill development. This interest supported the creation of a nursing field school, and my participation in leading and facilitating second year nursing students in completing their credited consolidated nursing clinical rotation in Bangalore, India. This experiential opportunity inspired me as a life-long learner, in obtaining my PhD. In addition, my passion has been the driver behind becoming an international educator (and learner) working/living in Doha, Qatar, for the past 3 years delivering nursing education to a diverse population.

I am committed to life-long learning, mentoring of faculty/staff and students, working with student focused learning, encouraging empowerment, cultural awareness, and creating environments conducive to learning. “It is important to ensure we stimulate growth and development on both personal levels and professional levels, for both our students as well as ourselves.”

Education is a key element in restoring, maintaining, and promoting overall health and wellbeing within all levels of societies. The discipline of nursing works with a diverse group of people, regardless of the community one resides in. For nursing students learning in environments, which are outside our ‘comfort zone’ or our familiar surroundings, allows for experiential and transformational learning to occur. This learning opportunity promotes communication, collaboration, problem solving/decision making and leadership skills, which are detrimental and foundational to their current and future nursing careers.

RN; BSN; MN

Eileen joined the VIU BSN program as a faculty member in June 2012, after moving to Vancouver Island. Since 2003, Eileen has focused her nursing career in acute medicine, gerontology, palliative care, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery within Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health Authorities, as well as working as a BSN faculty member in the lower mainland prior to VIU. She enjoys sharing, discovering, and building knowledge with others regarding the art and science of nursing and engaging in the process of lifelong learning. Eileen is currently interested in program and course curriculum, active, collaborative, deep learning strategies, learning centre, and simulation. Her favourite quote is by Socrates: “Education is the kindling of a flame not the filling of a vessel.”

Ingrid a Registered Nurse and Nursing Educator with experience in pediatric oncology, cardiac/coronary care, public health, primary care, harm reduction and mental health. In the last decade, her nursing practice has focused on outreach and harm reduction.

She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at York University in the second-degree entry program and an MA in policy and public administration (Toronto Metropolitan University), with a research focus on the politics of nursing unions in Canada. She has also completed a BA in English language and literature (Brock University) and an MA in English (Laurier University), with a focus on feminist criticism and gender studies, and further education in women's studies and economics. 

She worked as a research analyst and senior policy advisor in advanced education, labour market programming, and immigration for the Ontario civil service. 

PhD, RN

Linda joined VIU’s BSN program as a full-time faculty member in 2016. She has been a Registered Nurse since 1984 and has been teaching undergraduate nursing since 1997. She has studied and worked in both Canada and the United States, and has a clinical background in neonatal and pediatric critical care, family nursing and community health care. Her scholarly interests include Integral Theory, global perspectives on holism and healing, holistic nursing, integrative health care, and contemplative pedagogy. Her teaching interests include child, family, and community nursing, relational nursing practice, and integrative health care.

Lisa joined Health Sciences and Human Services Faculty in 2002 as the Lab Resource Nurse offering remediation and support for students requiring assistance with clinical nursing skills. Over the past 15 years, Lisa has instructed in the BSN program, Practical Nursing Program, International Education, Continuing Education, and School and Community Support Worker program. As a graduate of Vancouver Island University in 1998, Lisa has 20 years nursing experience with a focus on medical, surgical, rehabilitation, gerontology, and palliative care. Lisa completed her Master in Educational Leadership at Vancouver Island University in June 2017 and joined the BSN program as a full-time faculty member in August 2017.

RN; BSN; AMMA

Lori became a full-time faculty member in April of 2006, on return from Scotland. While there, she lectured at the University of Edinburgh and worked as a case manager with Argyll-Bute Council, Community Services-Social Care, in Oban. Lori graduated from the CAEN curriculum here at VIU (then Malaspina), in 2000, and started her nursing career on 3rd floor (surgical), at NRGH. Following NRGH, Lori travelled to the Netherlands to complete the advanced Amsterdam Master in Medical Anthropology (AMMA), where she completed an ethnography while working with young, foreign, female squatters to explore their ‘community health’ and ‘risk perceptions’ within housing, health and migration policy (during EU transition). Lori later presented this study as, "Women Crossing Borders", at the International Visual Sociology Association's (IVSA) conference, in Southampton, England. Following Amsterdam, Lori then returned to British Columbia and worked with the Nisga’a First Nation as their home care nurse-supervisor, coordinating and providing home and community care services between four villages. From 2008 to 2011, Lori served a term within municipal government as a Councillor for the Town of Ladysmith. Her passion is within population health promotion and curriculum design, and in March 2016, Lori entered her journey of motherhood. Her advice, “Always believe in your dreams.”

Mark joined VIU in the summer of 2018 and comes with vast experiences in mental health nursing. He achieved his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Douglas College, and his Masters in Nursing from Athabasca University. Mark has specialized in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and is passionate about Trauma Informed Practice. Mark looks forward to passing on the spirit of advocacy and destigmatization of mental health to the students at VIU. Mark was instrumental in the opening of the Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit with Fraser Health in his role as a Clinical Nurse Educator. He has hopes of establishing strong mental health connections for young people in Vancouver Island. Mark is an avid athlete and fitness enthusiast and endorses the importance of healthy lifestyle in health care.  

BA; BN; MScN; RN; Diploma in University-Teaching

Maureen started teaching in VIU's BSN program in August 2002, and has been teaching and working as a nurse for 25 years. She started as a medical-surgical nurse, then a rehabilitation nurse, then moved into teaching students at the University of New Brunswick, her Alma Mater. She has been teaching students in a variety of settings – in the classroom, in acute care practice settings, and in community practice placements. She has filled the roles of BSN Program Chair and Interim Associate Dean of Health Sciences and Human Services. Central to Maureen’s philosophy of living, nursing, and teaching is the importance of taking action to relieve the suffering of others.

BSc (Zoology) BEd BSN RN(C) MPH-HP

Noella is an alumni of VIU, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2002. She has worked with the Nuu-cha-nulth First Nations as a community health nurse and with the non-profit organization Options for Sexual Health as a clinic coordinator, supervisor and educator. In 2009, she became one of the first wave of Registered Nurses (RN) in BC to achieve Certified Practice (C) in Reproductive Health. Noella joined the VIU BSN faculty in 2009 as a sessional instructor and, in 2013, joined the faculty full-time upon completion of a Master in Public Health-Health Promotion (MPH-HP) program, which included a three month final practicum in Lusaka, Zambia. Prior to becoming a RN, Noella completed a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Zoology followed by a Bachelor of Education (BEd) and for 10 years taught high school math and science. Working with the BSN program has allowed Noella to combine her passions for teaching and health promotion and to pursue her interests in education and research promoting gender equity and indigenous ways of knowing.

Paula has been a registered nurse for nearly 20 years. Her clinical experience spans labour delivery, maternity, pediatrics, med-surg, public health, and community nursing in addiction and mental health. Paula has taught at Vancouver Island University since 2016 beginning in the Practical Nursing Program.

Paula is extremely passionate about mental health and reducing barriers to care, and excited to share her knowledge and passion with students of the Bachelor of Nursing program, both in the classroom and clinical setting. She obtained a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology in 2023.

Paula grew up in Saskatchewan for her first 18 years but considers the Island her home now since moving here in 2000. She spends her time never taking the Island’s beauty for granted by walking her dogs daily in the woods and more recently Dragon Boating, finding peace and connection on both water and land.

RN; BSN; MA

Piera is a full-time teacher with the BSN Program at VIU. Her practice experiences include gerontology, community health, and palliative and leadership management. Piera completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Manitoba and holds a Master of Arts in Learning and Training from Royal Roads University. Teaching is Piera’s passion and she strives to provide an interactive engaging classroom for sharing, learning, and transformative change. Her research interests are older adults, professional practice, educational research, and communities of practice.

Robin joined VIU’s BSN program in 2025. Previously, she was a full-time BSN faculty member at Camosun College (since 2014), serving as Chair 2023-2025. Clinical nursing experience includes pre/post-surgical care, women’s health, oncology, and public health services among diverse national and international settings and populations. Robin completed a Masters of Public Health (Indigenous Health Stream, University of Victoria) in 2018 and completed her PhD at the University of Alberta in 2024. Continued research employs epidemiological mixed methods that focus on determinants of vaccination for parents and their children among diverse population groups in Canada. Research outcomes seek to support health equity by identifying and advocating for inclusive and accessible public health services for those historically underserved. 

Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar

Dr. Sandy Shultz is a Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Services at Vancouver Island University. Sandy’s  research activities are currently supported by the Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar and the New Frontiers in Research Fund.

Research Activities

Sandy completed an undergraduate honours degree in Psychology (University of Saskatchewan), as well as a MSc and PhD in Neuroscience (University of Western Ontario). Sandy is an international leader in the field of traumatic brain injury (e.g. concussion), and has published over 110 articles on the topic of brain injury and related conditions including epilepsy, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Sandy has expertise in blood biomarkers, neuroimaging, behaviour, pharmaceutical, electrophysiological, and molecular methods; and routinely applies these techniques to study brain injury in patients and animal models.

Sandy’s laboratory at Vancouver Island University will initially focus on understanding brain injury that occurs as a result of domestic violence, aiming to develop objective biomarkers and effective treatments that will improve the clinical care and outcomes of this underserved population. Other projects will investigate sports-related concussion, more severe forms of acquired brain injury, and the neurological impact of other types of trauma. Any students who are interested in studying these topics can contact Sandy directly at sandy.shultz@viu.ca.

An updated list of Sandy’s research publications can be found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?sort=date&term=Shultz+SR&cauthor_id=34318301

See further information on our VIU Research Pages here:

• Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar - Sandy Shultz | Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity | Vancouver Island University | Canada (viu.ca)
• Research and Innovation Chairs | Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity | Vancouver Island University | Canada (viu.ca)

Contact Information

sandy.shultz@viu.ca

Sarah is a passionate activist, Registered Nurse and educator with a practice grounded in intersectionality, decolonization, and equity-oriented care. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Art History & Psychology from Carleton University, a Graduate Certificate in Victimology from Algonquin College, a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, both from the University of Ottawa; and after moving to Vancouver Island in 2017, she obtained her Emergency Nursing Specialty Certificate from BCIT. She has practiced in Surgical, Forensic and Emergency nursing, but stepped away from the frontline to better care for her own mental health and is now grateful to be able to support the next generation of nurses in becoming resilient, self-aware practitioners as they begin their careers in our current healthcare system.

As the former Chair of the Nanaimo Community Action Team and a member of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association, she centres her work in compassion, listening to the voices of those with lived and living experience, and is dedicated to supporting actionable, evidence-based solutions to the Toxic Drug Crisis from the grassroots to policy level. She began teaching with the VIU BSN program as a sessional in 2022 and as regular faculty in 2023, teaching Relational Practice as well as surgical and mental health clinical practice. Every day she is inspired by the students she teaches and wholeheartedly believes that nurses can change the world. 

Quote

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” - Dr. Angela Davis

RN; MPH

Dr. Shannon Dames comes to the RTT-KAT team with a focus on research and development, ensuring program methods are evidence and patient informed. She developed the Roots Theory and works as a nursing professor and resilience researcher. As a byproduct of her doctoral work that focused on the core factors that promote human flourishing, and as a Health Professional Investigator for the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Dr. Dames is now spearheading the ongoing development of Roots to Thrive (RTT) and the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapies (RTT-KaT).

RN; BScN; MSN

Teresa has been teaching full-time in the BSN program at VIU since 2007. Teresa started teaching in 1997 at Camosun College and has taught in various college and university nursing programs in Western Canada since that time, prior to settling in Nanaimo. Teresa’s clinical background has been acute care, primarily post-surgical nursing with a passion for burn care. Teresa has taught a variety of nursing courses but has found a passion for teaching relational practice. Her area of research extends from her teaching passion including exploring and developing relationships between faculty, students, and nurses, as well as mentorship.

RN; BScN; MN

Tina is an alumni of the BSN program. She graduated with distinction in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from VIU (then Malaspina College), degree granted by the University of Victoria, and joined the BSN Faculty in 2003. In 2006, Tina graduated with a Master of Nursing also from the University of Victoria. She completed a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategic Master Training Fellowship in the FUTURE Program for Cardiovascular Nurse Scientists. Tina’s interests include teaching and learning in clinical practice, cardiovascular health, heart failure, nursing theory, phenomenology, and feminism. Taking great pride in the profession of nursing, and in knowledge, skills, and ability of her graduates, Tina continues to work in acute care where she able to integrate practice, theory, and research.