Mark your calendars! BRIC NS is hosting the next Primary Care Research Day on May 4th, 2026.
Theme: From Clicks to Care: Strengthening the Digital Foundations of Primary Care.
When: May 4th, 2026
Where: Student Union Building, Dalhousie University, 6136 University Ave, Halifax, NS
What: This one-day conference features insightful panel discussions, oral presentations, a poster session, keynote presentation, and invaluable networking opportunities. This event is designed to be interactive to foster discussion and collaborations surrounding primary care research.
Who: We invite patient and community partners, students, medical residents and primary care faculty, health care providers, primary care researchers, and knowledge users to join us.
The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare.
This seminar features two presentations:
Presentation #1
Title: Examining the Relationship Between Eating Disorders and Gestational Weight Gain: A Systematic Review
Presenter: Kristyn Reeves
Kristyn Reeves is a fourth-year medical student at Dalhousie University (Class of 2026). She has worked under the supervision of Dr. Helena Piccinini-Vallis with a focus on gestational weight gain. Outside of medicine, Kristyn enjoys spending time with her friends and family, being physically active, and baking.
Presentation #2
Title: The Prevalence and Predictors of Reported Prenatal Anxiety Among Primigravid Individuals in Nova Scotia
Presenter: Jessica Ramia
Hello! My name is Jessica Ramia and I am a third year medical student at Dalhousie University. I completed this work for my research in medicine project, which was supervised by Dr. Helena Piccinini-Vallis. I have an interest in family medicine and women’s health, which inspired this research project. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family and staying active by hiking, golfing, and playing tennis.
When: December 10th, 2025 12:00 – 1:00 pm AT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series is an opportunity for professors, established researchers and/or early career investigators across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress primary care research.
This seminar features two presentations:
Presentation #1
Title: Embedding Pediatric Pain Standards into Everyday Care
Presenters: Patti Douglas, RN, BScN & Louise Tunnah, PhD
Patti Douglas is the Clinical Implementation Specialist in Pediatric Pain Management with IWK Health’s pediatric-LHS ‘Maritime Child Health’ in partnership with Solutions for Kids in Pain. Originally from Prince Edward Island, she began her career as a registered nurse in rural healthcare before joining IWK Health. Most recently, she played a key role in acquiring ChildKind International certification and supports the IWK’s Pain Champion group. She is actively working on building connections in the pediatric pain care field and looks forward to collaborating on the grant project for Kids Brain Health Network.
Louise Tunnah (she/her) is the Managing Director of Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP). SKIP is a national knowledge mobilization network based at Dalhousie University that is on a mission to improve children’s pain management by mobilizing evidence-based solutions through coordination and collaboration. Having earned her doctoral degree in Biology from the University of Guelph, Louise now brings her skills and experience managing research projects to contribute to SKIP’s meaningful and important work regarding children’s pain.
Presentation #2
Title: Exploring the implementing and impacts of the Adult Comfort Promise for patients receiving intrauterine device insertion and endometrial biopsy: a mixed methods study protocol
Presenters: Laura Kennedy, PhD, MPH, RN & Jennifer Spencer, NP
Dr. Laura Kennedy is a Registered Nurse and CIHR Health Systems Impact Postdoctoral Fellow at IWK Health. Dr. Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McMaster University and a Master of Public Health from Memorial University. In 2024, Laura completed her PhD in Health at Dalhousie University. She has over ten years of experience as a Registered Nurse and received the Chris Power Leadership Development Award for her contributions to health promotion at Nova Scotia Health. Laura holds an Adjunct Appointment in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University and teaches courses in health policy, knowledge translation and population health. Dr. Kennedy’s program of research uses policy research methods to explore health promotion within healthcare and community settings.
Jenn Spencer completed her Master of Nursing Nurse Practitioner Family all Ages from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2023. She spent 13 years working as an RN at IWK Health in both the Women’s and Newborn Health Program and the Children’s Health Program. She currently shares her NP role at the IWK between Gynecology, Early Pregnancy Complications Clinic, and the Emergency Department. She works as an NP in the Hants ED and is an adjunct professor at Dalhousie University for the NP program. She is involved in establishing a nurse-led interdisciplinary healthcare team for early pregnancy complications to improve timely access to patient-focused, psychologically safe care. She has a passion for, and focuses on assessing and treating pain for gynecological procedures, improving access to gynecological care, nurse leadership and NP role implementation. She has a passion for research and implementing positive change. A quote she finds especially meaningful is from Kalhil Gibron, who says that “work is love made visible.” Outside of her work, her loves include her 3 sons, who help maintain a curious approach to life and a strong sense of adventure!
When: November 19th, 2025 12:00 – 1:00pm AT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare.
Title: Health Outcomes and Healthcare Access Experiences of Incarcerated and Recently Released Women in Rural Areas: A scoping review.
Presenter: Clare Heggie is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of New Brunswick, supervised by Dr. Martha Paynter. Her research is focused on the health impacts of incarceration and criminalization on women and gender diverse people, and she has been involved in a number of projects examining the experience of accessing reproductive healthcare in prisons. She is a recipient of a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from SSHRC.
When: October 16, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 pm ADT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series is an opportunity for professors, established researchers and/or early career investigators across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress primary care research.
Title: Validation and Application of a Needs-Based Complexity Case-Mix System for Community-Based Primary Health Care Planning and Research
Presenter: Beth McDougall is a Senior Epidemiologist with Nova Scotia Health Performance and Analytics and has worked in health research for almost 20 years. She recently completed her PhD in Epidemiology and Applied Health Research at Dalhousie University under the supervision of Dr. George Kephart and is set to graduate in October 2025. She is passionate about health, with research interests spanning primary health care, mental health and addictions, health services research and clinical trials. She particularly enjoys contributing to projects that advance evidence-based decision-making in healthcare. In her spare time, Beth loves hiking and keeping up with her energetic 16-month-old and playful Labrador Retriever.
When: September 17, 2025 12:00 – 1:00 pm AT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series is an opportunity for professors, established researchers and/or early career investigators across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress primary care research.
Title: Evidence-Based Guidelines for All: Advancing Knowledge Translation and Health Equity in Primary Care of Diabetes and Obesity (2025-2030)
Presenters:
Dr. Kevin Pottie is a Distinguished Professor, and Research Chair in Family Medicine at Dalhousie University. His research covers health equity and digital transformation. Dr. Pottie’s systematic reviews and clinical guidelines are transforming primary care clinical approaches to refugee and migrant health, homeless populations, and ‘deprescribing’ for the elderly. His influential evidence-based refugee health contributions extend to leading roles in organizations like Cochrane Health Equity Thematic Group, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and collaborations with IOM and WHO Geneva. Canadian Researcher of the Year Award in 2021, he received the international Springer Nature Inclusive Health Research Award in 2023. Dr. Pottie’s work embodies a dedication to fostering a diverse and vibrant research culture that advances health equity within health systems.
Divine Ngeh Budzi, has a background in public health with over eight years of experience in community health and humanitarian projects in Cameroon, primarily focusing on monitoring and evaluation. As the founder of several community initiatives, he is driven by a strong commitment to being a community solutionist, particularly in the areas of community health, youth transitions, and the development of local projects. His passion lies in client-centered design and advancing health equity to improve community well-being. Now based in Canada, he is expanding his expertise in health equity research, with a particular focus on understanding and proposing solutions to address the health equity needs of refugees and immigrant populations
When: May 29th, 2025 12:00 – 1:00 pm AT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series is an opportunity for professors, established researchers and/or early career investigators across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress primary care research.
Title: Enhancing Continuing Care Case Management Services for Older Adults with Complex Needs
Presenter: Dr. O’Neil is a CIHR Health Systems Impact post-doctoral fellow conducting embedded research within Nova Scotia Health Continuing Care. Her work, which forms part of Continuing Care’s ongoing case management renewal initiative, focuses on better understanding the needs of older adults with complex health and social care issues. This unique research partnership also includes the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging (NSCA) at Mount Saint Vincent University.
Kelly holds a doctoral degree in educational studies from St. Francis Xavier University (2024) with a focus on older women’s learning. She also holds a master’s degree in gerontology and family studies from MSVU (2019) where her master’s research on housing insecurity among older women living with a low income in Halifax Regional Municipality garnered the university’s Graduate Thesis Award. She obtained a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Dalhousie University (2011) with an emphasis on critical, anti-oppressive practice. Kelly has been a research associate with NSCA since 2017 and has worked on projects focused on older workers, family/friend caregiving and dementia education. Kelly has worked as a professional gardener for almost 30 years, and enjoys making art and being in nature.
When: April 23rd, 2025 12:00 – 1:00 pm AT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare.
This seminar features two student presentations:
Presentation #1
Title: Integrating Oral Health Professions within Interprofessional Education & Practice
Presenter: Lindsay Van Dam, MDH, PhD Candidate
Lindsay Van Dam is a registered dental hygienist and a PhD candidate (Year 2) in Dalhousie’s Faculty of Health. Her research focuses on interprofessional education (IPE), collaboration in oral health, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and access (EDIA) in health education and policy. She explores IPE experiences of oral health students to enhance interprofessional collaboration in practice. Lindsay is supervised by Dr. Sheri Lynn Price and builds on her research in health professions education.
Presentation #2
Title: Immigrant Women’s Healthcare Experiences in Rural NS: Barriers and Opportunities
Presenter: Gianisa Adisaputri, MD, PhD Candidate
Gianisa Adisaputri, a PhD candidate in Dalhousie’s Faculty of Health, is a physician from Indonesia with a master’s in emergency management. Her research examines immigrant women’s access to primary healthcare in rural Nova Scotia, focusing on health equity and underserved populations. As a Research Associate at the Resilience Research Centre and the Faculty of Medicine, she collaborates with community organizations like IMWAH to explore gender, migration, and healthcare access.
When: March 26, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 pm ADT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series is an opportunity for professors, established researchers and/or early career investigators across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress primary care research.
Title: Innovating Health Systems: A Showcase of Research from the Centre for Integrated Care
Presenter: Dr. Shelley Doucet is the Jarislowsky chair in Interprofessional Patient-Centred Care, professor in Nursing and Health Sciences, and director of the Centre for Research in Integrated Care at the University of New Brunswick. Shelley’s expertise lies in interprofessional patient-centred care, patient navigation, integrated care and qualitative research. She has a broad pan-Canadian research network through her role as the New Brunswick research lead for the Primary Care Research Network (PCRN).
When: Dec 3rd, 2024 12:00 – 1:00 pm AT
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare.
Title: Change in physician-level workload using Electronic Medical Records in Canada (2011-2021)
Presenter: Dr. François Gallant is a Mitacs Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Dalhousie Family Medicine and Vitalité Health Network, where he works as a research coordinator. He is interested empirical methods and the creative use of observational data to contribute to the evidence base. Generally, François hopes to address research questions that will facilitate the empowerment of people to take charge of their health.
**This event has already passed! For future series, keep an eye out for updates on our social media and in our newsletter***
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