Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, PhD, RN

Professor of Nursing; Dean, School of Nursing; Sabbatical Fall 2024
In my view, the spectrum of diversity is part of the human story at its best.  Where systems, institutions and individuals mobilize power to disadvantage others, health and social inequities result.  All of the human family is then negatively impacted.

Reimer-Kirkham was appointed Dean of Nursing in August 2019. She brings academic distinction, a wealth of experience, and highly informed perspectives on nursing to her role. Reimer-Kirkham is a committed educator, a respected academic leader, and an internationally regarded researcher. Among other awards, Reimer-Kirkham was a recipient of the 2019 UBC School of Nursing Centenary Medal of Distinction and was appointed in 2014 to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Scientists and Artists.

Reimer-Kirkham’s research focuses on diversity, religion/spirituality, equity and human rights—all in relation to health and healthcare services. She has brought together international teams to study the negotiation of religious plurality, most recently with a project on the expression of prayer in Vancouver and London hospitals. She is currently leading an international program of research on human rights and albinism that includes a study on mothering and albinism in Tanzania, South Africa, and Ghana. Reimer-Kirkham also conducts nursing education and knowledge translation research, and with colleagues developed the Knowledge-AS-Action Framework. She Is recognized for her contributions to postcolonial feminist research in nursing. She teaches in the areas of nursing philosophy, nursing research and knowledge translation, spirituality and nursing, and health policy. 

Sheryl is on Sabbatical for the Fall 2024 Semester.

See also LinkedIn, CEGE, Blog: Mothering & Albinism

  • PhD in Nursing (University of British Columbia, Canada)
  • Masters of Science in Nursing (University of British Columbia, Canada)
  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing (University of Victoria, BC, Canada)

Expertise

Reimer-Kirkham’s expertise centres on the intersection of religion, race, culture, and gender, with a particular focus on equity and health. She has published on spiritual caregiving; palliative approach; cultural safety; health care ethics; global health; human rights; knowledge translation; nursing education; nursing philosophy;and qualitative research, interpretive description, and critical research methods (postcolonial feminism).

Equity and Health:  albinism and human rights; prayer in healthcare settings; nonreligious ritual in healthcare; workplace spirituality; the negotiation of religious, spiritual, and cultural plurality in healthcare; equitable access to palliative care; poverty and health inequities; healthcare ethics; Indigenous health; religion in the global south

Nursing Education:  leadership in higher education; equity-oriented education; global health education; innovative clinical placements; curriculum design; online pedagogies; nursing philosophy; health policy-related education; covenantal caring and moral philosophy

Knowledge Translation:  knowledge translation graduate education; knowledge translation frameworks; Knowledge-As-Action Framework; knowledge synthesis

Research Methodology: critical inquiry; postcolonial feminism; intersectionality; indigenous research methods; interpretive description; mixed methods; walking interviews; participatory methods; research-policy-advocacy networks

Selected Current and Completed Research:

  • A Human Rights and Equity-Oriented Response to the Birth Stories of Families Impacted by Albinism in Sub-Saharan Africa: Intersectoral Partnerships for Enhanced Health Professions’ Education ($489,600). Reimer-Kirkham, S. (Nominated Principal Applicant), Principal Applicants: Astle, B., Ero, I., Mogale, S., Co-Applicants: Beaman, L., Buyco, M., de Waal, M., Ibhawoh, B., Imafidon, E., Kromberg, J., Leech, R., Miti-Drummond, Msipa, D., Pallangyo, E., Rieger, K., Senkoro, P., Sharma, S., Tettey, W., Collaborators: Ani-Amponsah, M., Aziato, L., Dixon, D., Lang, M., Mazibuko, N., Mgijima, I., Ohene, L., Terblanche, L., Thabede, M., Tjope, M., Wiafe, B.. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2022-2026).  See: www.motherinandalbinism.com
  • Mothering, albinism, and human rights in Africa: Mapping patterns of resilience at the juncture of gender, colourism, and religion. ($289,592).  Reimer-Kirkham, S. (applicant); Co-applicants:  Astle, B., Beaman, L., Ibhawow, B., Tettey, W.; Collaborators: Ero, IK., Imafidon, E., Sharma, S.,  Panchuk, K.; Site Collaborators: Senkora, P., Rwela, E., Mgijima-Konopi, I., Kromberg, J., Mazibuko, G., Waifi, B. Funding: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight (2019 – 2023). See: Motheringandalbinism.com
  • Living well together?  Learning from women healthcare chaplains about religion, gender, and human flourishing. (£5000). Principal Investigator:  Sharma, S. Co-Investigator:  Reimer-Kirkham Funding:  Sociology of Religion Study Group (SocRel), British Sociological Association (2019 – 2020).
  • Compassion Care after a Code Blue:  A study of a psychological based group debriefing tool on a medical unit.  Principal Investigator:  Barbara Drake.  Co-Investigators: M. Heyn, S. Reimer-Kirkham, N.Shivji. Funding:  Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Research Challenge (2018 – 2019).
  • The welfare and security of persons with albinism: Developing a research-policy network to address the interplay of spiritual/cultural practices and human rights.  ($74,890).  Principal Investigator: S. Reimer-Kirkham, S. Co-applicants:  Astle, B., Beaman, L., Ibhawow, B., Tettey, W; Consultants:  Ero, IK, Dixon, D., Sawatzky, R., HQP:  Panchuk, K.  Funding: SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2017 – 2019).
  • Praying to transgress? Exploring accommodation of and resistance to prayer in public spaces.  ($245,301). Principal Investigator:  Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham. Collaborators:  Sonya Sharma, Lori Beaman, Paul Bramadat, Sylvie Mayo-Collins, Andrew Todd. Funding: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (2015 – 2018). See:  prayerastransgression.com
  • Integrating a quality of life assessment and practice support system in homecare services for older adults with life-limiting illness and their families. ($749,816). R. Sawatzky (principal investigator); R. Cohen, K. Schick-Makaroff, K. Stajduhar (co-principal investigators); N. Hilliard (clinician lead/principal knowledge user); L. Zetes-Zanatta (decision maker/ principal knowledge user); Bottorff, S. Bryan, P. Dodek, K. Fraser, A. Gadermann, E. Laforest, M. Parrilla Lopez, S. Reimer-Kirkham, P.A. Ratner, L. Russell, H. Tsang, M. Santana, D. Whitehurst (co-investigators); T. Edwards, G. Ewing, G. Grande, J. Öhlén (international collaborators); S. Baxter, S. Brown, J. Carlson, S. Cory, L. Cuthbertson, J. Gerke, B. McLeod, C. Paul, J. Resin, D. Roberts, C. Tayler, D. Williscroft, J. Warneboldt (knowledge users); J. Haskins, M. Kundert (collaborators). Partners: Fraser Health; Cambian Business Services, Inc;  J. Voth & Intogrey Research and Development.  This research is supported by: Geoff Cowman, CARP (Richmond/Delta. www.carp.ca); Barb MacLean, Family Caregivers of British Columbia (www.familycaregiversbc.ca); Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (www.chpca.net); The Canadian Virtual Hospice www.virtualhospice.ca); Mary Lok, Alies Maybee, Catherine Yau (patient/family caregiver representatives). Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Electronic Health Innovation Partnership Program. (2015 –2019).
  • Access to End of Life Care for Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations ($488,535). Principal Investigator: Kelli Stajduhar Co-Investigators: Ryan McNeil, Bernadette Pauly, Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, Bruce Wallace. Knowledge Users: Danica Gleave, Kristen Kvakic, Caite Meagher, Grey Showler. Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2014 – 2017). See: equityinpallativecare.com

See Curriculum Vitae here

Awards & Honors

Selected Awards & Honors:

  • Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN) (2020)
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Imact Award - TWU Nominee (2020)
  • University of British Columbia School of Nursing, Centenary Medal of Distinction (2019)
  • Royal Society of Canada, Member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists (2014)
  • College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia, Award of Excellence in Nursing Research (2010)
  • Elizabeth Kenny McCann Outstanding Dissertation Award, UBC School of Nursing (2001)
  • Governor General’s Gold Medal, University of British Columbia (2000)

Recent Publications

CITATIONS IN GOOGLE SCHOLAR | CITATIONS IN PUBMED

Please see journal publications listed on Pub Med and Google Scholar. The list below includes recent publications not indexed on PubMed or Google Scholar.

  • Reimer-Kirkham, S., Sharma, S., Brown, R., and Calestani, M., with Beardsley, C., Beaman, L., Bramadat, P., Collins-Mayo, S., Corcoran Smith, B., Quinn, B., & Todd, A. (2020).Prayer as transgression?  The social relations of prayer in healthcare.  Montreal:McGill-Queens University Press.
  • Reimer-Kirkham, S., Sharma, S., & Corcoran, B. (2020).Spiritual caregiving in long-term care settings: Person-centred approaches.In M. Taher (Ed.) Multifaith perspectives in Canadian spiritual & religious care. Canadian Multifaith Federation.
  • Reimer-Kirkham, S. (in press). Nurses on the frontline of secular and religious knowledges. In D. Lüddeckens, P.Klassen, J. Stein, P.Hetmanczyk (Eds.). Handbook of Religion, Medicine, and Health.Routledge.

See Curriculum Vitae here

Affiliations & Memberships

Selected Affiliations & Memberships:

  • BCCNM – Registered Nurse, British Columbia
  • Co-Director and Founding Member, TWU Centre for Equity & Global Engagement 
  • Associate Member, Adjunct, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Calgary
  • Associate Member, Adjunct, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Victoria
  • Founding Member, Religion in Canada Institute, Trinity Western University 
  • Founding Member, Gender Studies Institute, Trinity Western University

  • NURS 710 Advanced Nursing Philosophy
  • NURS 350 Spirituality and the Helping Professions
  • NURS 510 Foundations of Nursing Knowledge
  • NURS 520 Knowledge Synthesis
  • NURS 530 Nursing Inquiry 1 (Qualitative Research)
  • NURS 550 Health Care Policy
  • NURS 633 Health Care Ethics and Decision-Making
  • NURS 692/693 Knowledge Translation
  • Directed Studies: Critical Methods in Health Research