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BScN (1989) MN (1999) PhD (2006)

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Educational endeavors
Dr. Margot Latimer completed her Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University, and then a BScN and an MN at HÂþ»­ University. Her clinical practice began in 1989 at the Izaak Walton Killam (IWK) Health Centre with children and families and she also practiced in pediatrics at Dartmouth- Hitchcock Medical Centre in the United States.

Her clinical experiences led her to pursue graduate studies and, after completing her Master’s degree in Nursing, she continued to work at the IWK as a nurse research consultant. She completed a PhD in Nursing from McGill University (2006) and a post doctorate in neuroscience from Laval University (2010). Since completing her post-doctoral studies, she has been awarded the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation Establishment Grant to launch her research program and she continues to work at the IWK to mentor nurses to learn about and use research in their practice.

Improving quality of life
Dr. Latimer’s clinical work has inspired her research endeavors that focus on the professional and contextual factors that enhance clinician's use of evidence with the goal of reducing children’s pain experiences. Her research focuses on understanding the role clinician's empathy plays in reducing pain for marginalized and vulnerable populations such as children in intensive care settings and Aboriginal children.

Pioneer in empathy research
Dr. Latimer is pioneering a new path of discovery with her novel work in the area of empathy for pain. Using functional magnetic imaging she is the first nurse researcher to examine nurse’s brain empathy response as a result of being routinely exposed to patients’ pain experiences. She hypothesizes that nurses’ wellbeing is also compromised by vicarious experience of patients’ pain and that effectively managing patients’ pain will have a mutual benefit for both nurse and patient.

Funded research
Dr. Latimer’s work is well funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, the Atlantic Aboriginal Health Research Program, the IWK Health Centre and HÂþ»­ University. Her clinical research and teaching program also includes strong mentorship of graduate students conducting their own research that is well funded and clinically relevant.Ìý