Head and Graduate Chair: Judith Scanlan
General Office: 280 Helen Glass Centre for Nursing
Telephone: (204) 474 6216
Fax: (204) 474 7682
Email: nursing_grad@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/nursing
Academic Staff
Program Information
The Ph.D. in Cancer Control is offered by the Faculty of Nursing and the Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine. The goal of cancer control is to prevent cancer, cure cancer and increase survival and quality of life for those who develop cancer, by converting the knowledge gained through research and evaluation into clinical and community interventions. This program addresses the pressing need in Canada for clinical and community health scientists in cancer control.
Fields of Research
Cancer care of individuals and families is an area of research excellence in the Faculty of Nursing. In 2000, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) awarded a Nursing Chair to Dr. Lesley Degner for her work in cancer control. The title of the Chair Program is “Development of Evidence-Based Nursing Practice in Cancer Care, Palliative Care, and Cancer Prevention” (www.umanitoba.ca/nursing/CHSRF-CIHR). Three other scientists in the Faculty hold career awards from the National Cancer Institute of Canada (Drs. Hack, Lobchuk, and Woodgate). Current areas of research include: patient-health professional communication, clinical decision making, symptom management, family care giving, sleep and cancer, and several dimensions of palliative care and cancer prevention. Methodological expertise includes scaling of psychosocial variables and conducting randomized clinical trials of nursing and psychosocial interventions. Previous work has focused on breast, prostate, and lung cancer patients as well as children with cancer.
The cancer control focus in the Faculty of Nursing is complemented by the strong methodological expertise (biostatistics, clinical trials, meta-analysis) of faculty members in the Department of Community Health Sciences, as well as their substantive expertise in the fields of cancer epidemiology, palliative care, aboriginal health, child health and aging. Knowledge translation is a strong emphasis of the program. Significant community partners in delivering this Ph.D. program are the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, CancerCare Manitoba, and the St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation. International research partnerships exist with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden; and the University of Manchester, England.
Student Funding
Students who are accepted to the Ph.D. in Cancer Control will receive tuition support in their first year from the CHSRF/CIHR/WRHA Chair Program. A stipend is available on application and acceptance from a multidisciplinary training program in which the Faculty of Nursing is participating: Psychosocial Oncology Research Training (PORT) Program (McGill University) (www.port.mcgill.ca/indextext.htm). Students are encouraged to obtain the PORT program details well in advance of application to the Ph.D. in Cancer Control to facilitate funding of their first year of studies. Thereafter, students are expected to apply for national funding in the form of doctoral studentships/fellowships from the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Ph.D. in Cancer Control
Admission
Admission requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies are found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar.
Applicants must possess:
- High academic standing in previous university work
- A Master's degree in nursing or a health-related discipline. The degree must be thesis-based, although evidence of an extensive publication and research background as an alternative to a thesis is acceptable, and
- An area of research interest in palliative care, cancer care, or cancer prevention which is supported by a Faculty of Nursing or a Department of Community Health Sciences advisor.
Application Deadlines
Students in the Faculty of Nursing normally begin their program on 1 September. Applications with complete supporting documentation are due in the Faculty of Nursing by January 15th.
Program Requirements
Minimum program requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies are found in the Graduate Studies Regulations Section of this Calendar. The program normally consists of twenty-one credit hours of coursework (fifteen from required courses, six credit hours from electives), a candidacy examination and a thesis. (In addition, fifteen credit hours of pre- or co-required courses or equivalent, must have been completed before entering the program or in the first year).
Second language reading requirement: none
Maximum time to graduate: six years
Course Descriptions
Required Courses
NURS 7110 Readings in Selected Topics Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 049.711) An intensive readings course for graduate students in nursing. Topics may be selected within the general field of nursing to suit the special needs and research interests of students, for example, transcultural nursing, women's health, or palliative care. Students must have a faculty member agree to advise them before registering.
NURS 7160 Cancer Nursing Research Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 049.716) Focuses on recent advances in cancer nursing research with an emphasis on research methodologies, ethical concerns, and design issues pertinent to research with cancer populations. Approaches to utilization of research findings in clinical practice will be addressed. Offered on a rotating basis.
NURS 7320 Philosophy of Nursing Science Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 049.732) Advanced seminar to explore philosophies of science which have influenced the development of nursing knowledge. Nursing epistemological traditions are analysed and criticized as they relate to nursing theory development and research. The relationship between nursing science and practice is emphasized.
CHSC 7480 Biostatistics 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 093.748) Techniques of research design and analysis for health scientists. Principles of experimental design. Clinical trial planning. Study size -determination. Analysis of variance for factorial and split plot experiments. Analysis of covariance. Multiple regression. Non-parametric hypothesis testing. Principles of survey design. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of "B" in CHSC 7470 (or 093.747).
CHSC 7560 Epidemiology of Cancer Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 093.756) This course introduces the magnitudes, risk factors and prevention strategies of cancer. It focuses on current knowledge related to the etiology of cancer, medical interventions and potential for prevention. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of "B" in CHSC 7520 (or 093.752).
And, one of:
GMGT 6030 Organization Theory and Behaviour Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 027.603) An examination of current theories of structure and behaviour as they apply to organizations in the public and private sector. Emphasis upon research findings and their application in management situations.
GMGT 7440 Doctoral Seminar in Organizational Theory (Ph.D.) Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 027.744) The major goal of this course is to familiarize students with central schools of thought within organization theory. As with other theories in the social sciences, these schools of thought tend to be based on differing assumptions about the nature of the organizational world, the operation of causality, epistemology, and the role of human actors.
And, one of:
NURS 7210 Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 049.721) Advances knowledge of qualitative methodology and the use of various qualitative research methods to understand phenomena of interest to nursing. Students are exposed to sampling strategies, qualitative data collection techniques, and processes associated with the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data. Specific qualitative research methods are explored in detail.
CHSC 7280 Advanced Biostatistics Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 093.728) Techniques for the analysis of complex health and medical data sets. Principles of statistical modelling. Multiple regression. Logistic regression. Survival analysis and proportional hazards regression. Multidimensional contingency tables and log linear models. Factor and cluster analysis. The utilization of statistical packages will be emphasized. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of "B+" in CHSC 7480 (or 093.748) and permission of instructor.
CHSC 7360 Clinical Trials Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 093.736) The Randomized Clinical Trial is the only true experiment in clinical research. This course is intended to give students a detailed knowledge of the design and implementation of RCTs. Students will participate in a qualitative review of RCTs. Prerequisites: a minimum grade of "B" in CHSC 7520 (or 093.752), CHSC 7470 (or 093.747), CHSC 7480 (or 093.748) or equivalents.
Pre- or co-Required Courses or Equivalent
NURS 7080 Special Topics in Nursing Research 2 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 049.708) Seminar discussion of topics related to current issues and problems in the development, implementation, and evaluation of knowledge utilization programs in nursing practice. Required of all practicum students.
NURS 7220 Quantitative Research Methods in Nursing Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 049.722) Advances understanding of the ways in which quantitative approaches can be applied to solve nursing problems. The quantitative research process will be described including, literature review, conceptual frameworks in nursing, sampling, data collection strategies, analysis of research data and communicating results. Includes exploration of the status and development of nursing knowledge through quantitative research methods.
CHSC 7320 Organization and Financing of the Canadian Health Care System Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 093.732) Students will study the historical development and current structure of the Canadian health care system and relate its development to changes in social and political factors. The course provides an economic perspective on current policy issues in the organization, financing, and delivery of health care in Canada.
CHSC 7470 Biostatistics 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 093.747) An introduction to statistical ideas and techniques for health sciences research. The description of data. Patterns in data, the normal, -binomial and Poisson distributions. Principles of estimation. Principles of hypothesis testing. The major statistical tests (t tests, analysis of variance, chi squared tests, correlation and regression).
CHSC 7520 Principles of Epidemiology 1 Cr.Hrs.3 (Formerly 093.752) This course will introduce the basic concepts and methods of epidemiology, including the definition and measurement of health status and health determinants in populations, assessing health risks and inferring causation, and issues in the design and analysis of population health studies.
