Distinguished professor
College of Nursing
Helen Glass Centre for Nursing
Room 465 - 89 Curry Place
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2
Phone: 204-474-8338
Fax: 204-474-7682
roberta.woodgate@umanitoba.ca
Roberta Woodgate, RN, PhD
Research affiliations
- Research scientist, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)
- Adjunct scientist, Research Institute in Oncology and Hematology at CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB)
- George and Fay Yee Centre of Healthcare Innovation (CHI)/Knowledge Translation (KT) Platform
- Research affiliate, Manitoba Centre for Nursing and Health Research (MCNHR)
Research groups
- Women in Science initiative, University of Manitoba
- Qualitative Research Group, University of Manitoba
- Canadian Chapter of the International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care
- International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care (INTRAC)
- SPOR Evidence Alliance Research Network
- Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) Research and Evaluation Committee
Research summary
Dr. Roberta Woodgate’s research program, IN•GAUGE, embraces a dynamic approach to: involve children, youth, and families in the research process; interact with researchers and knowledge users in the research, intervention, and evaluation process; and be innovative in the use and exchange of knowledge with the combined goal of improving the health and well-being of children and youth. IN•GAUGE uses child and youth-friendly methodologies and innovative, art-based approaches that help children and youth express themselves thereby increasing understanding of their lived experiences.
Dr. Woodgate's program is infused by an approach to knowledge inquiry that is grassroots, embedded in the needs, experiences, and practices of children and youth experiencing health challenges and their families. Her program also works alongside health care providers, knowledge users, and decision makers to address their needs, barriers, and any gaps that exist. Roberta embraces a rights-based approach to research that recognizes that the voices of children and youth have in the past been silenced in research and in the decisions affecting their lives, including their health, and advocates for an approach that recognizes that children and youth are key actors in their own development, with the right to participate in decisions that affect them in accordance with their evolving capacities.
Dr. Woodgate's researches the perspectives and lived experiences of children and youth across a wide range of health conditions (e.g., mental illnesses, disabilities, complex care needs and conditions, chronic illnesses) and life challenges (e.g., transitioning from the child welfare system, accessing respite services) as well as various communities (e.g., Indigenous youth and their families and newcomer families).
Biography
Dr. Roberta Woodgate (she/her/hers) is a distinguished professor in the College of Nursing, University of Manitoba. Roberta holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair Award in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare. Dr. Woodgate holds an interdisciplinary PhD (sociology, psychology and nursing) from the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Woodgate has led the field in the development of child and youth-centred methodologies and innovative, arts-based approaches to the development, translation, and exchange of knowledge. Such approaches help young people express themselves and the issues important to them. Dr. Woodgate's work has had a positive impact on improving health and social service delivery for children and youth at the local, national, and international levels.
Dr. Woodgate has fostered both national and international collaboration. By means of an integrated knowledge translation approach, Dr. Woodgate leads research teams that support interdisciplinary expertise and the involvement of research end-users including clinicians and decision-makers, but importantly that centre the expertise of children, youth, and families as partners in research. She has a solid track record of leading interdisciplinary teams involving new investigators and trainees and work with partners to ensure the results of her research are used to improve health care outcomes and delivery for children and youth.
Education
- Interdisciplinary PhD, University of Manitoba (2001)
- Master of Nursing, University of Manitoba (1993)
- Bachelor of Nursing, University of Manitoba (1989)
Selected awards
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) Talks Video Competition, special commendation prize $750.00, for the video titled “Metaphors of Youth Living with Anxiety: The Monster and Fighting to Stay on the Path.” (2019)
- University of Manitoba and the University of Manitoba Faculty Association Merit Award for Research in Scholarly Work and Other Creative Activities, $3,000.00 (2018)
- Tier 1 Canadian Research Chair (CIHR), Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare, December 1, 2017-November 30, 2024, $273,000 per year (Total = $1,911,000.00) (2017)
- Faculty of Graduate Studies Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring, University of Manitoba (2017)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Applied Chair Award in Reproductive, Child an and Youth Health Services and Policy Research, $925,000.00 over five years (2012-2017), RANKED #1 in the competition (2012)
- Qualitative Research Group (QRG) Annual Faculty Award, University of Manitoba (2011)
- Manitoba Research Chair Award. Awarded by the Manitoba Health Research Council. Awarded for the period of July 1, 2009-June 30, 2015, $100,000.00/year for five years, but held for two years dues to receiving a CIHR Applied Chair Award in 2012 (2010)
Contact us
College of Nursing
Helen Glass Centre for Nursing
89 Curry Place
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry Campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada
204-474-7452
204-474-7682