Gina is a vastly experienced researcher leading 22 externally funded grants as principal investigator In addition to holding a Canada Research Chair renewed and ranked in the top 10th percentile of all Canada Research Chairs in all discipline groups.
Currently she is Senior Research Advisor to Nursing Now’s global research on Leadership, Gender and Nursing.
Invited to participate a multi-disciplinary, international Delphi Expert Panel that will select a core set of validated items that can measure mistreatment in medium and high resource countries and align with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care framework.Supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) 5 year grant we will study Respectful maternity care (RMC) and mistreatment of pregnant families across Canada, using a participatory research methodology.
Invited to participate as an External (Independent) International Advisory Group member for the recently funded NIHR Research Global Health Research Group on Preterm Birth (PRIME), University of Sheffield PI Prof Dilly Anumba. Funding: £2 million. study.
Concluded Grants
2017-2018 Interventions that improve maternity care and access for immigrant women in England: a narrative synthesis systematic review, with Morgan M (Co-I, King’s College), Evans C (Co-I, University of Nottingham), Bharj K (Co-I, University of Leeds) National Institute for Health Research [NIHR].
2017-2018 Improving Care for Women and Girls who have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Qualitative Evidence Synthesis with Dr C Evans I Funders: NIHR, Co-I and named mentor for Dr Evans
2012-2017 Optimizing food choices and practices in the perinatal period for immigrant women, with Etowa J (U of Ottawa), Vallianatos H (Co-I), and Shankar J (Co-I, U of Calgary). (Canadian Institute for Health Research [CIHR] Operating Grant, $288,000).
2013-2016 Immigrant women’s experience of postpartum depression in Canada: a narrative synthesis, with Morgan M (King’s College, London, UK), O’Mahony J (University of Calgary), Chiu Y (Multicultural Health Brokers Co-operative, Edmonton), Alexandre M (Citizenship and Immigration Canada), Kocay D (Public Health Agency of Canada), Young M and Forgeron J (Alberta Health Services), CIHR Knowledge Synthesis grant, $96,594.
2011-2014 Principal Investigator. Immigrant women’s experiences of maternity care services in Canada: A narrative synthesis, with co-applicants Morgan M and Dassanayake J, and Knowledge Users Forgeron J (Alberta Health Services), Chiu Y (Multicultural Health Brokers Coop), Eyford H (Alberta Health Services), Alexandre M (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) and Deb Kocay (Public Health Agency of Canada). (CIHR Knowledge Synthesis Grant Oct 2011-Sept 2014, $99,079)
2009-2014 Principal Investigator/Team Lead. Maternity, migration and minorities: Optimizing hospital and community based maternity care for immigrant and newcomer women in Alberta, with O’Brien B, Mumtaz Z, Ortiz L, Chiu Y, Okeke P, Yohani S, Ahmadi E, Paton P. (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry [University of Alberta], Alberta Health Services, and Women and Children’s Health Research Institute, Emerging Team Grant, December 2009-July 2014, $300,000)
2013-2014 Co-investigator. Addressing barriers to improving the oral health of children of recent newcomer families, with Sharifzadeh-Amin M, Azarpazhooh A, Keenan L, Schroth R, Compton S, Harrison R, Wolfe R. (CIHR Planning grant, $21,831)
2012-2013 Principal Investigator. An international symposium on maternity and immigration: future research and innovation, contemporary perspectives from Canada, England, the United States and Australia, with collaborators Bharj K (University of Leeds, UK), Curtis P (University of Sheffield, UK), Davidson P (University of Technology Sydney, Australia), Boughton M (University of Sydney), and De Leon Siantz, M (University of California Davis). (Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Research Development Fund 2012, February 2012-June 1 2013, $28,900). (http://www.wun.ac.uk/research/imom-international-migration-optimizing-maternal-health-research )
2011-2013 Principal Investigator. Immigrant women’s food choices and practices in pregnancy, with Vallianatos H, Forgeron J, Gibbons D, Malhi R, Mamede F . (Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation Nursing Research Fund, July 2011-Dec 2013, $34,172)
2010-2011 Principal Investigator. Providing culturally competent healthcare: A self-directed workbook and digital resource, with Caine V, Salway S, Richer S, Ogilvie L, Bourque-Bearskin, Mogale S, Bell A, Barnawi N. (Vice Provost for Teaching, University of Alberta, Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, July 2010-December 2011, $48,980)
2010-2012 Principal Investigator. Optimizing health literacy and community engagement in relation to active living with Edmonton’s newcomer young people and their families, with Richter S (Co-PI), Yohani S, Vallianatos H, Lajli M (Policy maker), Bardy K (Policy maker), Mah A (Policy maker). (Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research, Topic-Directed Research, $99,284, Grant # 090415TOP)
2009-2010 Principal Investigator. Does the FAMCHAT tool enhance the ethno-cultural dimensions of nursing assessment at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH)?, with Richter S, Ortiz L, Young S, Forgeron J, Callendar S, Boyce M. (Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation Nursing Research Fund and Canadian Nurses Foundation, $26,000)
2009-2010 Principal Investigator. Access to Canadian primary health care: The experience of new and established immigrants. (University of Alberta, Killam Research Fund – Pilot Study, $7,000)
2009-2010 Principal Investigator. The experience and transitioning of internationally educated nurses into the Canadian health care system in Alberta. (Prairie Metropolis Centre [SSHRC] $20,000)
2008-2009 Co-investigator and Country Lead. Migrant, minorities and maternity: A three country international comparison, with Salway S, Reime B, Rothgang H, Gerrish K, Friedrich J, Kentenich H, O’Brien B, Bharj K, Chowbey P, Mumtaz Z. (VolkswagenStifund (Germany) Preliminary Studies Grant, EU 19,933 (Approx $31, 410)
2007-2010 Co-investigator. Ethnic diversity in UK social science and public policy research: A consultation and development exercise to produce guidelines for sound scientific and ethnical practice, with Salway S, Barley R, Allmark P, Gerrish K, Ellison G. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, England, $151,164)
2006-2007 Co-researcher. Narratives of first generation South Asian GPs in Bradford: Capturing experiences and developing cultural competence training and resource materials, with Salway S. (Bradford Primary Care Trust, $24,200)
2006-2007 Co-Investigator. Socio-cultural expectations of Tuberculosis within the Somali community in Sheffield, with Gerrish K, Salway S. (Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium, $77,000)
2006-2007 Principal Investigator. ‘Race’, ethnicity and health: A literature review, with Redman J, Massey M. (University of Sheffield Departmental Grant, $4,400
2006-2007 Co-researcher. Evaluation of the ‘How are you feeling?’ booklets (RESPoND), with Mathers N, Gerrish K, Campbell M. (Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium and Camden & Islington PCT, $44,987)
2004-2005 Co-researcher. Expectations of growing older with the African Caribbean Community in Sheffield, with Gerrish K, Nolan M, Ryan T, Concern A. (University of Sheffield, Research Stimulation funding, $20,000)
2004-2006 Principal Investigator. An exploration of the needs of Somali blind people in Sheffield , with the Horn of Africa Blind Society, Joan McFarlane, Fatima Musa & Catherine Beverley Storey (Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium, $77,332)
2002- 2004 Principal Investigator. An exploration of the teenage parenting experiences of young people of black and minority ethnic origin in England, with Mathers N, Marsh P, Kirkham M, Owen J. (The UK Department of Health/Teenage Pregnancy Unit, $387,200)
2002-2003 Principal Investigator. The meaning and consequences of hypertension for individuals of African and Caribbean origin: perception of primary health care services. (NHS Executive, National Primary Care Researcher Developer Award/Fellowship, Part salary award, part research/operating grant, $407,000).
1998- 1999 Principal Investigator. Heart Health Beliefs and Behaviours of Children of African and Caribbean descent in two UK cites. (Mary Seacole Leadership Award, $55,000)
1996-1997 Principal Investigator. Black Women and Breast Feeding: An Investigation into the breast-feeding experiences of women of African descent in Sheffield. (Nursing Research Scholar of the Smith and Nephew Foundation, $12,320)