By: Keisha Jefferies,
As a recipient of a conference bursary through the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, I was able to attend the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN) 7th National Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As an attendee and presenter, I had the opportunity to connect and learn from a diverse group of professionals and researchers in the field of women’s health.
While many of the presentations related to initiatives and research here in Canada, there were also several presentations that centered on women’s and maternal health abroad in countries such as Haiti, Tanzania and Nigeria. It was fascinating to hear about these international partnerships and work that is currently being done by Canadian researchers in collaboration with international teams. Some of the highlights from the international work include: breastfeeding and HIV considerations, maternal mortality and midwifery practice and strengthening international partnerships.
I also had the opportunity to deliver both an oral and poster presentation. For the oral presentation, I co-presented with Dr. Megan Aston and Danielle Macdonald on postpartum care delivered by nurse midwives and obstetricians in Tanzania. My poster presentation was on the health policy analysis work that I completed while in Tanzania, as part of my Masters program. Each of the presentations was extremely well received and generated critical discussion, especially around implementation and moving research into practice and policy.
Another highlight from the conference includes being able to connect with clinicians, researchers and faculty from across Canada. Expanding my professional network will undoubtedly add value to the research that I intend to pursue in maternal and newborn health as well as work in the African Nova Scotian community.
I would again like to thank the Johnson Scholarship Foundation and the Global Health Office for this opportunity. I am looking forward to attending the 8th National Conference next year in Ottawa.
For more information on this conference opportunity please visit our Diversity webpage.
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