Academic Staff

Benita Cohen, RN, PhD
Associate Professor

E: Benita.Cohen@ad.umanitoba.ca
P: 204.474.9936
F: 204.474.7682

 

 

 

 Education
 
PhD, University of Manitoba
MSc, University of Manitoba
BN, University of Ottawa
BA, Carleton University
 
 Other Appointments (Academic/Research)
 
Research Associate, Community Health Research Unit, University of Ottawa
Research Affiliate, Manitoba Centre for Nursing and Health Research
 
 Specialty/Clinical/Teaching Areas
 
Health promotion in the community; Community health assessment; Principles of public health; Community/public health nursing
 
 Current Research
 
My research program is focused on building public health capacity to address and reduce inequities in health using a social justice lens. Current research activities include testing the use of a ‘Health Equity Assessment, Audit, Action Tool’ (HEAT) to enhance equity considerations in population health promotion programs; developing expertise in equity-focused health impact assessment; exploring the role of advocacy for health equity in public health practice; and developing indicators for public health organizational capacity for social justice and equity work.
 
 Recent Grants

 
Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Programmatic Grant in Health & Health Equity.  Proposal development funds ($13,500). Strengthening public health organizational capacity for action to achieve health equity. B. Cohen, (PI). [Co-Investigators: Dr. Annette Schultz, Dr. Elizabeth McGibbon, Dr. Madine Vanderplaat, Dr. Andrea Chircop].

Ontario Mental Health Foundation Research Grant ($150,000). Poverty and mental health: Issues, challenges, solutions. C. Forchuk (PI) [Co-Is: B. Cohen, M. Speechley, H. Berman, A. Rudnick, B. Edwards, C. Ward-Griffin, L. Hill, R. Coatsworth-Puspoky]

Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Health Equity Catalyst Grant ($73,228). Advancing the evidence to build a research program for developing public health capacity to promote health equity. B.Cohen (PI). [Co-investigators: Dr. Annette Schultz, Dr. Elizabeth McGibbon, Dr. Madine Vanderplaat, Dr. Beverley Bassett]

Canadian Institutes of Health Research Operating Grant ($92,988). Advancing knowledge translation: can community networks support the use of research and knowledge in public health? A. Khotari (PI) [Co-Is: B. Cohen, M. Dobbins, M. Kloseck, M. Macdonald, C. McPherson, S. Sibbald.

Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC] ($138,152). B. Cohen, (Research Lead), in Partnership with Healthy Child Manitoba. Deliverable: “An Equity-Focused Health Impact Assessment of Manitoba’s Proposed Teen Triple P – Positive Parenting Program.” This is a pilot project, with funding flowing between PHAC and Healthy Child Manitoba Office.

Exploring issues of equity within Canadian tobacco control initiatives: An environmental scan.  Principal Investigator [Co-investigator: Dr. Annette Schultz; Collaborator: Mr. Robert Walsh, Director of the Canadian Centre for Tobacco Control]. Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative- Ideas Grant ($49,608).
 
 Recent Publications
 
Cohen, B., & McKay, M. (2010). The role of public health agencies in addressing child and family poverty: Public health nurses’ perspectives. Bentham Open Nursing Journal, 4, 60-71. doi:10.2174/1874434601004010060.

Cohen, B., & Gregory, D. (2009).  Community health clinical education in Canada: Part 1 - State of the art.  International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 6(1), Article 1.  Available at http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/ vol6/iss1/art1

Cohen, B., & Gregory, D.  (2009).  Community health clinical education in Canada: Part 2 – Developing knowledge & skills to address social justice, equity, and the social determinants of health.  International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 6(1), Article 2.  Available at http://www.bepress.com/ijnes/ vol6/iss1/art2

Cohen, B.(2008). Population health promotion. In L. Stamler & L. Yiu (Eds.), Community health nursing: A Canadian perspective, 2nd edition. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada.

Valaitis, R., Rajsic, C., Cohen, B, Leeseburg Stamler, L., Meagher-Stewart, D., & Froude, S. (2008) Preparing the community health nursing workforce: Internal and external enablers and challenges influencing undergraduate nursing programs in Canada. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship , Vol 5: Issue 1.

Cohen, B., & Reutter, L. (2007). Development of the public health nurse role in addressing child and family poverty: A framework for action. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(1), 96-107.

Cohen, B. (2006). Barriers to population-focused health promotion: The experience of public health nurses in the province of Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 38(3), pp.53-67.

Cohen, B. (2006). Population health as a framework for public health practice: a Canadian perspective. American Journal of Public Health, 96(9), pp.1574-1576.