Canada Research Chair in Aging renewed for internationally recognized nurse scientist Dr. Maureen Markle-Reid

Dec 1, 2017
Guylaine Spencer

Maureen Markle-Reid

The government of Canada has renewed nursing professor Dr. Maureen Markle-Reid’s Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Person-Centred Interventions for Older Adults with Multimorbidity and their Caregivers for another 5-year term.

This award recognizes Markle-Reid as an internationally and nationally acknowledged leader in the field of health and economic evaluations of person-centred, nurse-led interventions for community living older adults with multi-morbidity and their family caregivers. Renewal of Dr. Markle-Reid’s Tier 2 CRC will enable her to build on her current CRC program and insights gained, and address known gaps/limitations in the current research on multi-morbidity in older adults.

“I’m really excited to be able to continue to build on the research I have done in this area,” says Markle-Reid. “We are developing new and innovative interventions to promote successful aging at home for older adults with two or more chronic conditions and to support their family caregivers. It’s a wonderful opportunity to contribute to a field that is, in my view, underdeveloped. More research is needed to identify how best to provide services to this vulnerable population to improve their quality of care and health outcomes.

Markle-Reid understands the importance and urgency of this work firsthand. “I am a family caregiver myself for a family member. As a result, I have firsthand understanding of the challenges associated with aging at home,” she says.

The last five years have been busy for Markle-Reid, who is also Scientific Director of the Aging, Community and Health Research Unit. “But it has been very exciting, too,” she says. Through the office of her Canada Research Chair, she typically leads four or five different research projects at a time. She has extensive experience bringing teams of diverse individuals (including older adults and caregivers), providers, organization, and sectors together to work on these research project.

“As the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on these projects, I provide ongoing leadership and direction for my existing projects, while at the same time forge new relationships with new partners and trying to get funding for the next one,” she explains. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with a fabulous team of interdisciplinary researchers at McMaster and across Canada and a talented group of trainees. My research has had a direct impact on clinical practice and policies relevant to the care of older adults with MCC in Ontario and Canada. It is a privilege to be able to continue that research and give back to the community.”

Dr. Michael McGillion is the Assistant Dean, Research, School of Nursing. “As a research-intensive school of nursing, our strategic research plan is closely aligned with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR),” he says. “Within SPOR, an overarching principle is to ensure that successful programs of research are those which are patient-oriented, integrated and thematically-linked, and which include strong knowledge translation, and mentoring and training components. Dr. Markle-Reid’s research program is an outstanding example of adherence to these principles, and renewal of her Canada Research Chair is a tribute to the success of this outstanding team.”

Dr. Sandra Carroll, Interim Associate Dean, Health Sciences & Director, School of Nursing, notes that Dr. Markle-Reid is the first nurse scientist in our school to receive a Canada Research Chair. “We are thrilled that Dr. Markle-Reid was the first nurse scientist in the School of Nursing to receive a CRC Chair. Dr. Markle-Reid’s research supports the vision of the School to advance health and well-being through excellence in nursing. Her particular focus on enhancing the quality of life of older adults with multiple chronic conditions, their family caregivers, reducing demand for health services is highly relevant to Canadians,” says Dr. Carroll.

The Chair is important to the Faculty of Health Sciences, as Dr. Jonathan Bramson, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, explains. “The renewal of Dr. Markle-Reid's Canada Research Chair will continue to move research opportunities on older adults with multi-morbidity forward. Her network of community partners across Canada and abroad, her collaborations with patient co-investigators in research and mentorship of graduate students is invaluable to the Faculty of Health Sciences."

Markle-Reid’s research will also contribute to the vision of McMaster University’s Strategic Research Plan, specifically to innovate for broader social and economic benefits.