“I passionately believe in the importance of working alongside my students, colleagues, and partners, in order that we learn together, evolve and move forward in the field of global health.”
— Dr. Barbara Astle, Director of MSN Program, Associate Professor of Nursing
Trinity Western University is pleased to announce that Barbara Astle, PhD, has been inducted to the Canadian Women in Global Health List 2020.
Dr. Astle is one of Canada’s leading nurse experts in global health and a stellar candidate for the Canadian Women in Global Health recognition. Her expertise derives from more than three decades of research, practice, leadership and policy involvement in the field. Since her early nursing practice in Saudi Arabia (1985), she has contributed to numerous global health initiatives, at national and international levels. She has been on the Women in Global Health Working group with the Canadian Society for International Health, and is a founding member for Women in Global Health (WIGH) Canada launched in July 2020. As educator and researcher, her contributions focus on global health education.
Astle co-chaired a sub-committee with the Consortium of Universities for Global Health to generate a tool kit on global health competencies. She developed a global health course as core curriculum for nursing students, and co-developed an interdisciplinary graduate course (with UBC and SFU) on Practical Knowledge and Skills for Working in Global Health.
Astle is co-lead on a program of research on human rights and albinism, with a current project in Tanzania, South Africa and Ghana on the human rights of mothers impacted by albinism. She co-hosted an international roundtable of researchers and advocates at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in September 2018. Currently she serves on Trinity Western University’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Taskforce. She is a role model and mentor, often co-presenting with graduate students at global health conferences, and is sought out as a consultant.
Women make up the majority of the global health workforce, but are vastly underrepresented in leadership and decision-making positions. Improving the visibility and access to women leaders in global health will support and expand the critical perspectives needed to address many of the health inequities globally. The overall aim of the Canadian Women in Global Health (#CWIGH) initiative is to advance Canadian women’s visibility, representation, and leadership in global health, which will in turn improve the equity, quality and impact of Canadian science and policy on global health and health systems worldwide.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.