Lisa Bourque Bearskin, RN PhD
Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, a Cree Métis Registered Nurse leader from Beaver Lake Cree Nation, is a tenured Associate Professor and an inaugural Canadian Institute of Indigenous Health Research (CIHR) Indigenous Health Nursing Research Chair holder at the University of Victoria.
With 30 years of experience in nursing, she is known for her expertise in Indigenous nursing leadership, equity, and Indigenous knowledge in nursing. She now devotes her research career to community knowledge as a generative process to advancing Indigenous health nursing. She is recognized for her work on a relational, rights/strength-based research approach to advancing Indigenous health rights.
She was a former president of the Canadian Indigenous Nursing Association (CINA) and has led organizational changes that focused on reconciling parallel pathways of traditional Indigenous health care in the context of community wellness. She is a proud sur-thriver of the residential school and Sixties-scoop era, who rebuilt and maintained a solid connection to her community and culture and became a Licensed Practical Nurse. She went on to receive her Baccalaureate, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Nursing from the University of Alberta.
Patrick Chiu, PhD, RN, CGNC
Patrick Chiu is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. His scholarly work and teaching are centred on health professions regulation, the health workforce, nursing policy, and global health.
As a Certified Global Nurse Consultant, he is regularly consulted by professional nursing associations, regulatory bodies, and governments for his strategic expertise in workforce policy, professional practice, and regulatory policy. His contributions span multiple leadership roles at both global and national levels.
Internationally, he has served as a United Nations (Economic and Social Council) Liaison for Sigma Nursing and currently sits on the International Council of Nurses’ Regulatory Oversight Group, where he provides strategic guidance on the organization’s global regulatory agenda.
Nationally, he contributes to the advancement of nursing leadership and policy as a member of the editorial advisory boards for the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership and the Canadian Nurse digital journal. He also serves as Co-Lead for Governance and Regulation at the Canadian Health Workforce Network, shaping national dialogue and policy on health workforce issues.