Michelle Lobchuk

Associate Professor Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Nursing, University of Manitoba

  • Winnipeg MB

Empathic understanding of our partners in care - Family Carers in Canada

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Biography

I was born, raised, and am a long-life Manitoban. I come from a family of proud nurses. I was always immensely impressed with the respect my nurse-mother garnered from family and friends who sought her counsel about life and death issues in the community where I grew up. I eventually became a diploma trained nurse at Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre. Due to the encouragment of our progressive instructors at the School of Nursing, I followed obtaining my University-education that led to completion of my Interdisciplinary PhD at the University of Manitoba. As a result of my advanced training in research and excellent mentors, I grew to love the enterprise of science and research. Based on my profound clinical experiences at the bedside, I continue to conduct research to help clinicians, patients, and their family caregivers feel understood. I believe that feeling misunderstood is one of the the most distressing experiences of being a human being. The humbling but essential process of seeking empathic understanding serves the basis for my studies that target stigmatized conditions - such as, lung cancer, at-risk health behaviours, and urinary incontinence. In my CAreLab at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, collaborators, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate and doctoral students join me in building family caregiver science that demands our increased attention to meet the needs of our partners in care - family caregivers in an aging population.

Industry Expertise

Elder Care
Health Care - Providers
Research
Health and Wellness

Areas of Expertise

Empathy
Family Caregiving
Caregiving
Perceptual understanding
Video-feedback
Stigmatized conditions
Symptom management
Quantitative Methods
Qualitative Methods

Accomplishments

National Cancer Institute of Canada, Canadian Cancer Society Research Scientist Award

2017-04-09

This personnel award is in support of developing my research program as a budding nurse scientist in the area of oncology nursing.

Canadian Association of Nursing Research Outstanding New Investigator Award

2017-04-09

This national award is in recognition of my contributions toward nursing knowledge as a new, independent researcher.

Winnipeg RH Foundation Award

2017-04-09

This institutional award is in recogntion of my outstanding contributions to scholarship and research in the health science category.

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Education

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Nursing

PhD

Interdisciplinary Studies

2001

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Nursing

Master of Nursing

Restorative Nursing

1993

University of Manitoba, Faculty of Nursing

Baccalaureate of Nursing

Nursing

1991

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Affiliations

  • Associate Professor, University of Manitoba, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Nursing

Languages

  • English

Media Appearances

About my caregiving research program and CAreLab, Grace Hospital

CJNU Radio  radio

2017-10-21

I was invited to speak to listeners about the type of research I am conducting in the CAreLab located at Grace Hospital.

RN's Research Bridges the Gap between Student and Caregiver. Scope of Practice Series

College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba  online

2017-06-30

The news journal article captures the communication research I am conducting in the CareLab with caregivers and nursing students.

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Clinical Research: Bringing Discoveries to the Bedside

St. Boniface Hospital Research  online

2017-06-30

Website describing my research including a video recording of an interview with Greg Mackling, St. Boniface Foundation for their website, "Research Was Here".

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Event Appearances

Keynote: Keeping family caregivers healthy keeps patients healthy

Centre on Aging Spring Research Symposium  University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus, Brodie Centre

Research Grants

Caregiver Communication Think Tank

CIHR

2017-04-09

This meetings and dissemination grant provided funds for Dr. Lobchuk to bring together a Think Tank (2-days) caregiver researchers, graduate students, governmental and non-governmental, and lay caregivers together to discuss communication issues experienced by family caregivers at the system-, health care professional-, and patient-levels of patient care.

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Examining the relationship between family caregivers' emotional states and ability to empathize with individuals dealing with multiple sclerosis

Riverview Health Centre

2017-04-09

This correlational study was designed to examine the relationships among caregiver mood states, effects of multiple sclerosis, and caregiver empathic helping behaviours.

Nurse attitudes toward mobile device use in multi-site hospital settings

Grace Hospital Patient Care Research Award

2017-04-09

This study is designed to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on nurse use of mobile device use at the bedside.

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Articles

Impact of patient smoking behavior on empathic helping by family caregivers in lung cancer.

Oncology Nursing Forum

2017-04-09

This is a large study with 604 patients dealing with lung cancer and their family caregivers on the impact of caregiver's thoughts and feelings toward patient smoking on caregivers' empathic helping behaviours.

A qualitative analysis of ‘naturalistic’ conversations in a peer-led online support community for lung cancer.

Cancer Nursing

2017-04-09

This is a qualitative study of responses of patients dealing with lung cancer and their family caregivers in an on-line community bulletin board.

A comparison of affected individual and support person responses on the impact of urinary incontinence quality of life.

Urology Nursing

2017-04-09

This is a study that captured the qualitative experiences of family caregivers and individuals affected by urinary incontinence in the home care setting.

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