Mary Lou Kelley
MSW, PhD / Professor of Social Work and Gerontology
Mary Lou Kelley, MSW, PhD, is the Lakehead University Chair for Palliative Care, a Social Work Professor at Lakehead University and a Professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Her work focuses on promoting interdisciplinary research and education in gerontology and palliative care for health care professionals especially those working in rural, remote areas, long term care homes and First Nation’s communities. Dr. Kelley’s research and publications focus on health and social services for older adults, rural health, long-term care policy and delivery, palliative care, and interdisciplinary gerontology education. She was the founding Director of the Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health in 1992 and a founding member of the Northwest End-of Life Care Network in 2005, served on the network’s steering committee and was co-chair. In 2011 she was a co-chair for the system integration subcommittee of the MOHLTC Advancing Palliative Care Engagement Strategy that worked to create a vision for palliative care system integration in Ontario. She has provided advice to Accreditation Canada on developing new palliative care standards for long term care and currently she is a member of the Health Quality Ontario Expert Advisory Panel on End of Life Care. She was the recipient of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association’s 2011 Award of Excellence and the Queens Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012 in recognition of her contribution to Canadian palliative care practice, education and research.
Holly Prince
Project Manager and Co-Investigator, Improving End-of-Life Care in First Nations Communities
Holly Prince is the Project Manager and a Co-Investigator on the project. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from Lakehead University and a Native Mental Health Worker Diploma from Confederation College. She is married and is the mother to three beautiful children. She is also a member of the Red Rock Indian Band.
Holly’s research expertise is in community-based and applied health services research using participatory methods. Her research focus is on palliative and end-of-life care, health and aging with Indigenous people and improving access to end-of-life care with First Nation’s people by creating culturally relevant health programs and policies.
Dr. Kevin Brazil
Professor of Palliative Care
Dr. Brazil is a Professor of Palliative Care, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He also holds faculty appointments as Professor in the Departments of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Division of Palliative Care, Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University and the Global Health Program, a combined McMaster University & Maastricht University initiative. He was the McMaster Site Director for the Ontario Training Centre in Health Services and Policy Research. He was also the Director to the St. Joseph’s Health System Research Network, located in Hamilton, Ontario.
He holds research affiliations with several research groups including Centre for Evaluation of Medicines, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton; Supportive Cancer Care Research Unit, Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton; Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay; Primary Health Care System Program, University of Western Ontario; and Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control. His research interests include palliative care, care of the older adult, health services research, program evaluation and organizational change. He has over 200 publications including more than 130 peer reviewed publications related to these interests. He has taught undergraduate, graduate and post graduate learners in health services research as well as supervising and co supervising research students. He has been active on advisory committees at the international, national, and provincial level
and has served on numerous grant review committees and peer review journals.
Gaye Hanson
R.N., B.Sc.N., S.C.M., M.P.A.
An Aboriginal nurse, consultant and spirit led helper with a passion for supporting people in finding connection and balance. She is an active member of the First Nation, Inuit and Métis Committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and has contributed to the work in cultural safety and cultural competence. As an advisor on Aboriginal relations for the Pallium Project, Gaye contributed to building capacity in palliative care in locations across Canada. She follows a life-long interest in mental health, addictions, palliative care and spirituality, bringing forth ideas and inspiration from her rich spiritual foundation. Gaye is currently working in the areas of Aboriginal palliative care, grief and grieving and the design of mental health and healing services for delivery in First Nation land based settings and rural / remote areas. Gaye holds degrees in nursing and public administration and is a qualified midwife. In addition, she is a research affiliate with Lakehead University and an adjunct faculty member with the University of Saskatchewan. Gaye is proud of her Cree ancestry rooted in northern Manitoba and is currently living in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Valerie O’Brien
Co-applicant, Improving End-of-Life Care in First Nations Research Project
Valerie O’Brien is Cree/Irish from Northern Ontario. She is a co-applicant of this project. Valerie was formerly employed by the Indigenous Health Research Development Program, located at Six Nations of the Grand River. She was also a graduate student in the Health Research Methodology program at McMaster University. Her recently completed master’s thesis entitled: "Person-Centred Palliative Care: A First Nations Perspective", examined palliative care service delivery in Six Nations.
Dr. Christopher Mushquash
Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Lakehead University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and Clinical Psychologist at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care
Dr. Christopher Mushquash completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Dalhousie University and the northern Pre-Doctoral Residency in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology, in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Mushquash is Ojibway, and a member of Pays Plat First Nation. In 2013, he was awarded the Canadian Psychological Association President’s New Researcher Award for exceptional contributions to psychological knowledge in Canada. Dr. Mushquash’s research and clinical work focuses on culturally appropriate addiction and mental health assessment and intervention for First Nations people.