Maureen Markle-Reid leaves a legacy of excellence in research and mentorship
Dec 8, 2022
Dr. Maureen Markle-Reid has played a pivotal role in the McMaster University School of Nursing for more than 30 years. When she retires on January 4, 2023, she leaves a legacy of excellence in research, teaching, and mentorship.
Markle-Reid got her start as a staff nurse in Cardiac Care and Intensive Care at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Hamilton, and Cardiac Care at Toronto Western Hospital and a visiting nurse at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. She also worked as a Case Manager for Home Care, and a Manager at St. Joseph’s Home Care. Following the completion of her PhD at McMaster, and securing a five-year Ontario Career Scientist award, she transitioned into a career researcher role, most recently wearing hats as Co-Scientific Director of the Aging, Community and Health Research Unit (ACHRU), and as Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Person-Centred Interventions for Older Adults with Multimorbidity and their Caregivers. Throughout her career, Markle-Reid has been a first-class role model and trailblazer to many nurses, researchers, and trainees. Notably, she was the first Canada Research Chair in McMaster’s School of Nursing.
Markle-Reid established a robust training program in ACHRU – one that saw many trainees and students gain important skills and knowledge necessary for their future careers in clinical practice, education, and research.
“The legacy of Maureen’s career is not only seen in the innovative science and research that she has contributed, but also felt among those fortunate enough to have been trained, mentored, and instructed by her,” says Markle-Reid's former PhD student Dr. Carly Whitmore. “As one of these trainees, I have benefitted immensely from Maureen’s training and capacity-building legacy and know that there are many others like me. I wish Maureen health and happiness in her retirement and send gratitude and appreciation to her for shaping the next generation of health care and nurse researchers.”
Markle-Reid started as an Assistant Professor in in McMaster University’s School of Nursing in 2000. She was promoted to an Associate Professor with tenure in 2008 and Full Professor in 2018. Since 2003, she has supervised or co-supervised 22 postdoctoral fellows, doctoral and master’s students. Among her many accomplishments, Markle-Reid co-founded ACHRU with Dr. Jenny Ploeg in 2013, and the McMaster Collaborative for Health and Aging with Dr. Parminder Raina in 2019. In 2021, she was inducted as a Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellow. Markle-Reid is well recognized and widely respected by her national and international colleagues for her expertise in patient-oriented interventions to better the lives of community-dwelling older people with multimorbidity and their family caregivers.
“Her focus and commitment to improving the lives of older adults is inspirational,” says Dr. Rebecca Ganann, Co-Scientific Director of ACHRU. ‘’Maureen has been a trailblazing nurse scientist. She has designed, tested, and scaled up numerous impactful patient-centred innovations to better the lives of older adults living with multimorbidity. She has inspired trainees to pursue careers in gerontological nursing and to lead high caliber research on aging. Maureen’s impacts are lasting as she has shaped the ways new generations of nurse scientists approach research to advance health system impacts and improve the health of community-dwelling older people. Personally, I feel privileged to call Maureen a mentor, colleague, and friend. Maureen’s research excellence is something we can all aspire to – she has invaluably influenced my research career.”
As a researcher and innovator, Markle-Reid has authored 116 peer-reviewed papers and secured a total of $27.6 million in peer-reviewed grant funding. She led numerous research grants, including her most recent projects: Optimizing Hospital-to-Home Transitions for Older Adults with Stroke and Multimorbidity: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial; and the ACHRU Community Partnership Program for Diabetes Self-Management for Older Adults – Canada. Her work has had international and national impact and has resulted in the integration and scale-up of evidence-based solutions to address the challenges associated with multimorbidity—the endemic problem of this century.
“Dr. Markle-Reid’s teaching, research and supervision of graduate and postdoctoral trainees has prepared a new generation of highly qualified faculty, researchers, and nursing leaders across Canada and beyond,” noted Dr. Sandra Carroll, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Executive Director of the School of Nursing. “Her legacy is impactful and one we will cherish as a part of our School’s history.”