Dr. Nancy Poole, Director of the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, was recognized for her contributions to women’s health and safety, including trauma-informed practice and the treatment of substance use and addiction.
Through research and education, Dr. Poole’s contribution in Canada and beyond has spanned more than 40 years, and her passion for supporting and educating those in professions who help women is fierce.
For more than two decades, she has also been a JIBC faculty member, integral to the Institute’s successful work in the prevention and treatment of problematic substance use and in preparing justice and public safety organizations to become more trauma-informed.
Dr. Poole is well known in Canada and internationally for her work not only in research and education, but in helping create virtual networks and collaborative mediums to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on women’s health and promote critical thinking on complex health and social justice issues.
She is often a catalyst for social change aimed at improving the lives of women and girls and better designing systems to help them. Her success is due largely to a conviction that by linking considerations such as mental health, trauma, homelessness, addiction and Indigenous wellness approaches, we can create effective treatment and interventions while advocating for sex and gender-informed approaches in all health research.
In addition to being a national leader in trauma-informed practice and addressing substance use issues among women and girls, Dr. Poole is distinguished in the field of prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), leading national research and knowledge exchange on this issue for the Canada FASD Research Network
Dr. Poole earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology at Queen’s University, a Diploma in Child Study at the University of Toronto, a Master of Arts in Distributed Learning at Royal Roads University, and a PhD in Education at the University of South Australia.