• Portrait of Caroline Piotrowski.
  • Associate professor 

    Max Rady College of Medicine
    Department of Community Health Sciences
    217 Human Ecology Building, Fort Garry Campus
    University of Manitoba
    Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2

    Phone: 204-474-8053
    caroline.piotrowski@umanitoba.ca

Research summary

Dr. Piotrowski's research focuses on the effects of exposure to intimate partner violence, injury and violence prevention, post-traumatic growth in children, and sibling relationships.

She utilizes mixed methods approaches such as naturalistic observation, focus groups, photovoice, and digital storytelling to investigate factors that influence the health and well-being of children and youth.

She is currently the lead investigator on a CIHR-funded project investigating the efficacy of an intervention adapted specifically for Indigenous mothers and children who have experienced intimate partner violence.

She is also involved in projects examining resilience in Indigenous youth, the psychosocial adjustment of siblings in families with a chronic illness, and the long-term influences of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence on adult siblings.

Dr. Piotrowski is the Director of the Violence and Injury Prevention research group (VIPrg) at the University of Manitoba and a research scientist at the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) .

She is also a member of the Scientific committee of The Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR) and the Allied Health and Nursing Professional Committee of the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA).

  • Research interests

    • Effects of exposure to intimate partner violence
    • Injury and violence prevention
    • Post-traumatic growth in children
    • Sibling relationships
    • Trauma and resilience in children and youth
  • Research affiliations

  • Research groups

    • Scientific committee, The Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR)
    • Allied Health and Nursing Professional Committee, International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA)
  • Keywords

    • Child injury
    • Exposure to violence
    • Sibling relationships
    • Trauma-informed

Biography

Dr. Caroline Piotrowski is an associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences in the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. She takes an interdisciplinary approach in her research that combines developmental psychology, health promotion, and implementation science perspectives. She has studied the influence of sibling relationships in adverse circumstances across the life course and has teaching expertise in family health, family conflict, trauma- and violence-informed approaches to care, and trauma and resilience in children and youth.

Education

  • Master of public health, health promotion and behavioral sciences, San Diego State University (2007)
  • Doctor of philosophy, human development and family studies, Pennsylvania State University (1993)
  • Master of arts, developmental psychology, University of Waterloo (1989)
  • Bachelor of arts (honours), early childhood education and care specialization, University of Waterloo (1987)

Awards

  • Violence Prevention Fellowship; University of California San Diego (2002-04)
  • University of Manitoba Merit Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010)
  • University of Manitoba Merit Award for Excellence in Service (2014)

Contact us

Community Health Sciences
Max Rady College of Medicine
Room S113 - 750 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba (Bannatyne campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3 Canada

204-789-3655