Brenda Gamble
PhD

Research and expertise

• Background and interests

  Dr. Brenda Gamble originally trained as a medical laboratory technologist and subsequently worked in government, hospital and community based medical laboratories. Upon completion of her PhD in Medical Sciences, Brenda pursued an academic career holding positions and/or appointments at Toronto Metropolitan University (School of Health Services Management), University of Toronto (Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation), and University of Toronto Scarborough (Health Studies). She is currently a member of the Canadian Military and Veteran Health Research Network and Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Military Veteran and Family Health Research.

• Current research interests

  Health human resources

  Dr. Gamble's research focuses on allied health-care providers and health-care managers. Health human resources research has primarily focused on doctors and nurses, with relatively little attention given to examining the supply of other health-care providers. Yet, health care relies upon teams and other health professions to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate individuals with illnesses. All these professions appear to deal with similar issues: increased demand coupled with perceived shortages and a shift in the place of work (from hospitals to community clinics and home). As a result, research on this topic needs to include the perspective of health-care providers who are not only doctors and nurses.

  Dr. Gamble is an executive committee member of the Canadian Healthcare Workforce Network and theme lead for health work environments and retention. She is a member of the Advancement in Dementia Care Centre steering committee and is a co-investigator on a study developing exergames for people living with Dementia and their caregivers.

  Interprofessional and intraprofessional collaborative practice and education

  Health-care delivery is highly reliant on teams delivering safe and quality care. Interprofessional and intraprofessional collaborative practices (IPCP) are important government priorities for the delivery of co-ordinated and efficient patient-centred care, and enhance the working conditions of health workers. Currently, several barriers exist which prevent the successful implementation of IPCP, including differing attitudes about working on interprofessional/intraprofessional teams (IPTs) and established stereotypes of each profession. This is partially due to the professional socialization process during silo-based professional education. An important goal of interprofessional and intraprofessional education (IPE) programs is to provide an environment that promotes the respect and recognition of the knowledge and skills of each health care professional. Many observers have advocated for the formal incorporation of educational strategies and methods that will prepare frontline providers with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage successfully in IPCP. Only then will each professional have an equal opportunity to participate in the delivery of coordinated care.

  Dr. Gamble to date has led interdisciplinary teams focused on the development, implementation and evaluation of virtual educational toolkits using gamification to support IPE for medical laboratory professionals. As a funded partner on the national initiative Team Primary Care, Dr. Gamble is currently leading a study to support IPE for medical laboratory professionals to develop the skills necessary to participate in IPCP within primary care.

  Canadian veterans

  Female Canadian Veterans have been found to be at an increased risk of being unhoused when compared to their male counterparts. Dr. Gamble is leading a qualitative study to explore the life experiences of Canadian female Veterans before, during and after military service, and examine how these experiences have led to being unhoused. The study uses the theories of intersectionality and life course to provide a theoretical framework for a coherent description and analysis of the lived experiences of female Veterans. The design is based on an integrated Knowledge Translation (iKT) model of co-design to collaborate with stakeholders throughout the research process to identify the gaps in knowledge to inform the development and implementation of policies and interventions (e.g., virtual education toolkits).

  PulsePoint

  PulsePoint was initiated in The Durham Region in 2023. Several ideas were identified in consultation with the community. Funding from CIHR supported the development of the framework below to guide the project and to inform the research agenda.

   

  The links in the chain of survival offer a framework from which to build a regional resuscitation collaborative to include pre-arrest care (e.g., healthy choices), clinical care (e.g., advanced care) and post-arrest care (e.g., rehabilitation). Involving both the skills and values of users of health/social services, the health/social providers, educators, and the creators of new knowledge. Currently research initiatives are being explored.

• Publications

  Please note: Highly qualified persons I have mentored are underlined.

   Articles in refereed journals 

  1. Padilla-Moseley, J., Sivakumar, B., Flexner, N., Grajeda, R., Gamble, B., Blanco-Metzler, A., & Arcand, J. (2023). Factors Impacting the Uptake of Research into Dietary Sodium Reduction Policies in Five Latin American Countries: A Qualitative Study. Current Developments in Nutrition, 7(5), 100073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.100073
  2. Horsburgh S., Riahi, S., Pauley, T., Paul, S., Duff-Woskosky, A., Desai, C., Bartfay, W., Gamble, B., & Freeman, J, (October 2022). Creation of a clinical demonstration unit: embedding academic research into point of care in a geriatric unit. Healthcare Quarterly. 25(3). 60-68.doi:10.12927/hcq.2022.26939.
  3. Gamble B., Dubrowski A., Torres A., & Short, M. (August 12, 2022) Virtual interprofessional education to support Medical Laboratory Technologists participation in interprofessional collaborative practice within integrated healthcare models. Healthcare Management Forum, 8404704221114961. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704221114961
  4. Gamble B., Graham, L., Goulding, H., Moreau, E., & Barth, B. (April 24, 2021) Simulation Interventions for the Classroom to Support the Acquisition of Interprofessional Competencies. Cureus 13(4): e14662. doi:10.7759/cureus.14662
  5. Mutombo, P., Torres, A., Kapralos, B., Gamble, B., Adams, C., Lawson, L., Da Silva, C., & Dubrowski, A. (2021). An Innovative Virtual Learning Environment to Enhance Age-Friendly Cultural Competencies. 2021 IEEE 45th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC). https://doi.org/10.1109/compsac51774.2021.00195
  6. Gamble, B. (January 2020). Simulated experiential learning activity to empower paid and unpaid caregivers in dementia care. Iris Journal of Nursing & Care. 3(4). IJNC.MS.ID.000568.
  7. Kayvani, K., Sanchez, O., Gamble, B., Mohammed, S., & Barakat, C. (2020). Frequency and Predictors of Tonsil Surgery: A Systematic Review of Evidence. Archives of Health Science. 4 (1):1-11.
  8. Gamble, B. & Gamble, K. (2020). A Systems Approach to Address the Impact of Second Victim Phenomenon. Health Services Management Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0951484820971455
  9. Gamble, B & Crouse, D., (2020). Resilient minds: strategies to enhance student transitions from secondary to post-secondary education settings. The Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. 6(3), 43-50.
  10. Rostek, M. & Gamble, B., (2020). Origins: the community mental health and wellness futures forum. The Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. 6(3), 1-3.
  11. Gamble, B & Crouse, D., (June 2020). Strategies for supporting and building student resilience in Canadian secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. SciMedicine Journal, 2(2), 70–76. doi:10.28991/scimedj-2020-0202-4.
  12. Tahsin, F., Stanyon, W., Sun, W. & Gamble, B., (2020).A single mindfulness session with informal caregivers of seniors living with dementia: a pilot qualitative descriptive study. Aging Clin Exp Res., 33, 391-397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01548-6
  13. Bartfay, W., Gamble, B., Duff-Woskosky, Mazik, Z & Zavitz, K., (June 2019). Views on the Effectiveness of a Google Jam Session for Interdisciplinary Collaborative Brainstorming to Solve Clinical Issues on a Geriatric Dementia Unit. International Journal of Neurology and Neurotherapy. doi: 10.23937/2378-3001/1410085
  14. Manis, D., & Gamble, B., (Sep-Oct 2019). Life with HIV in a Canadian suburban community: A qualitative inquiry of health and social care access. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 30(5), 584-592. doi: 10.1097/JNC.0000000000000053
  15. Berta, W., Laporte, A., Perreira, T., Ginsburg, L., Dass, A.R., Deber, R., Baumann, A., Cranley, L., Bourgeault, I., Lum, J., Gamble, B., Pilkington, K., Haroun, V., & Neves P. (2018). Relationships between work outcomes, work attitudes and work environments of health support workers in Ontario long-term care and home and community care settings. Human Resources for Health,16(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12960-018-0277-9.

   Journal Issues 

  1. Gamble, B. & Rostek, M. (Eds). (2020) The Future of Mental Health and Illness. (Supplement) Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 6(3).

   Graphic Novel

  1. van Brommel, H., & Gamble, B. (August 2018) Are You Ok? Toronto, Ontario: Legacies Inc.

  Book

  1. van Brommel, H., & Gamble, B. (January 2019). Resilience 101: Recover Faster, Feel Better and Push Forward. Toronto, Ontario: Legacies Inc.

   Book Chapters

  1. Manogaran, M., & Gamble, B. (2020) Medical Laboratory Technologists. In I. Bourgeault (Ed), The Canadian Health Workforce in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Health Workforce Network. Download at: https://www.hhr-rhs.ca/en/text.html.
  2. Mishahi, R., Gamble, B., & Manogaran, M. (2020). Respiratory Therapists. In I. Bourgeault (Ed), The Canadian Health Workforce in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Health Workforce Network. Download at: https://www.hhr-rhs.ca/en/text.html.

  Manogaran, M., Gamble, B., & Given, R. (2020). Medical Radiation Technologists. In I. Bourgeault (Ed), The Canadian Health Workforce in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Health Workforce Network. Download at: https://www.hhr-rhs.ca/en/text.html

  Editorial Positions

  1. Associate Editor, Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR)
  2. Member, Editorial Board, Canadian Army Journal
  3. Editor, CIMVHR Special Issue
• Research collaborators

  Includes several national, provincial, and local organizations, associations, regulatory health colleges, and government bodies.

• Grants

  Name of Agency: Department of National Defense Canada

  Title of Grant: Exploring and describing the life experiences of Canadian female Veterans during pre and post military service

  Date of Award: January 2023

  Amount Awarded: $60,000

  Role: Principal Investigator

   

  Name of Agency: Employment and Social Development Canada (in collaboration with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Canadian Health Workforce Network (CHWN).

  Title of Grant: Virtual educational toolkits to support the participation of medical laboratory technologist in interprofessional collaboration within a Patients’ Medical Home model of care.

  Date of Award: December 2022

  Amount Awarded: $223,420 (cash); $56,000 (in kind)

  Role: Principal Investigator

   

  Name of Agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council 

  Title of Grant: Exploring and describing the life experiences of Canadian female Veterans during pre and post military service

  Date of Award: April 2022

  Amount Awarded: $176,385

  Role: Principal Investigator

   

  Name of Agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

  Title of Grant: Examining the physical, social, and educational benefits of CLEAN exergame for persons with dementia to promote hand hygiene and influenza vaccine uptake: A feasibility study.

  Date of Award: April 2022

  Amount Awarded: N/A

  Role: Co-investigator 

   

  Name of Agency: Canadian Institutes for Health Research

  Title of Grant: Inclusive, Integrated and Enhanced Data & Digital Infrastructure Platforms for more Timely and Responsive Health Workforce Planning and Decision Making

  Date Added: April 2022

  Date of Award: Fall 2021

  Amount Awarded: N/A

  Role: Co-investigator

   

  Name of Agency: Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development

  Title of Grant: Micro-credential badges: Virtual interprofessional education for Medical Laboratory (ML) learners

  Date of Award: January 2022

  Amount Awarded: $217,716

  Role: Principal Investigator

   

  Name of Agency: Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development

  Title of Grant: Development of Micro-credential in Dementia Care to Support Capacity Building in Long-Term Care Using GEM-TECH (Gamified Educational Multimodal Technology Platform)

  Date of Award: January 2022

  Amount Awarded: $300,000

  Role: Co-investigator

   

  Name of Agency: PSI Foundation: Health Systems

  Title of Grant: Canadian Atlas of Palliative Care: Ontario Edition Mapping the Present to Meet Future Palliative Care Needs

  Date of Award: March 2021

  Amount Awarded: $96,500

  Role: Co-PI (and Ontario Tech lead)

   

  Name of Agency: eCampusOntario: VLS EOI Initiative

  Title of Grant: Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Digital Experiential Learning Modules that Incorporate Simulation to Address Discriminating Attitudes

  Date of Award: March 2021

  Amount Awarded: $40,000

  Role: Principal Investigator

   

  Name of Agency: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Explore Grant

  Title of Grant: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Homeless Canadian Female Veterans

  Date of Award: March 2021

  Amount Awarded: $6,968

  Role: Principal Investigator

• Graduate student research

  Graduate Student Research

  1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University:

  2023-present   Alissar Abdo. Master’s Thesis: Canadian legislation and regulation for mHealth apps. (Supervisor)

  2022-present   Sandra Omlin. Master’s Thesis: Exergames for people living with dementia. (Co-supervisor)

  2021-present   Michael Short. PhD Thesis: Exploring lived experiences of Canadian homeless female Veterans. (Supervisor)

  2021-present   Zohreh Hosseini. Master’s Thesis: Simulation for medical laboratory education. (Co-supervisor)

  2020-present   Karen Lui. Master’s Thesis: The impact of COVID-19 on visible minorities’ access to healthcare services in Canada. (Supervisor)

  2019-2022       Pamela Mutombo. Master’s Thesis: Virtual Learning Environment to Enhance Age-Friendly Cultural Competencies. (Co-supervisor)

  2018-2021       Anisah Karamitsos. Master’s Thesis: Navigating the submission of research ethic applications to multiple institutions to conduct health services research. (Supervisor)

  2018-2019       Prasha Sasitharakumar. Master’s Project: The application of an intersectional approach to alleviate food insecurity for female lone parents in Ontario. (Supervisor)

  2018-2020       Peter Sun. Master’s Thesis: Experience of oncology nurses and cancer survivors during cancer treatment transition from oncology teams to primary care providers teams. (Thesis committee)

  2018-2021       Lucas Martignetti. Master’s Thesis: Factors that affect equitable access to community-based naloxone distribution programs in Ontario. (Thesis committee)

  2019-2022       Janice Moseley. Master’s Thesis: Factors impacting the uptake of dietary sodium research into sodium reduction policies in five Latin American countries (Thesis committee)

  2016-2020       Brenda Barth. Master’s Thesis: The views and preferences of out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation survivors and their family members towards family presence during resuscitation. (Supervisor)

  2016-2018       Kaveh Kayvani. Master’s Thesis: Prevalence and Predictors of Tonsil Surgery among High school Students in the UAE: A Cross-sectional Study. (Thesis committee)

  2016-2019       Farah Tahsin. Master’s Thesis: A single mindfulness session with informal caregivers of seniors living with dementia: a pilot qualitative descriptive study. (Thesis committee)

  2015-2017       Derek Manis. Master’s Thesis: Accessing healthcare within a suburban community: An exploration of the experiences of people living with HIV. (Supervisor)

  2014-2017       Robin Andrews: Master’s Thesis: Enhancing the role of the dermatology nurse. (Thesis committee).

  2015-2018       Sana Iqbal. Master’s Thesis: Patient and physician views of self-testing. (Supervisor)

  2015-2019       Harmeet Nanner. (part-time) Master’s Thesis: [Title Here, up to 12 Words, on One to Two Lines] (Co-supervisor)

  2014-2017       Kristin Kurian. Master’s Thesis: Ontario regulations for Ontario’s medical laboratory sector. (Supervisor)

  2014-2017       Kanecy Onate. (part-time). Master’s Thesis: To remain or to retire? Decisions of nurses close to retirement age (55+). (Supervisor)

  2013 - 2016     Brenda Carr (part-time). Master’s Thesis: Regulation of Fast Food Industry in Canada. (Supervisor)

  2013-2019       Mark Fillery (part-time). Master’s Thesis: Chiropractic Practice: What are the challenges to sustaining a practice in Ontario? (Supervisor)

  2012-2014       Carmen Nisbet. Master’s Thesis: Critical Thinking and Continuing Education in the Long-Term Care Setting. (Committee member)

  2012–2013      Rima Karan. Master’s Thesis: The Primary Care Physicians’ Perspectives on the Ontario Drug Benefit Program (ODB). (Supervisor)

  2011-2015       May Helfawi (part-time). Master’s Thesis: Patient involvement in IPC- a catalyst to the delivery of patient-centred care at community-based mental health settings. (Supervisor)

  2011-2014       Cyra Sethna. Master’s Thesis:  Understanding Personal Support Workers and their role in Ontario. (Supervisor)

  2009-2013       Lavern Bourne (part-time). Master’s Thesis: Approaches to accountability: Ontario’s Medical Laboratory Sector. (Supervisor)

  2009-2012       Atiquah Syed. Master’s Thesis: Educating Students about Mental Illness: Ethnic Students’ Perspectives on the Effectiveness of a Web-based Educational Tool. (Committee member)

                          Sivajini Suthaharan (Part-time). Master’s Thesis: Tamil mental health system consumers’ views on the utilization of community mental health resources. (Supervisor)

  2009-2011       Myuri Manogaran. Master’s Thesis: The role of interprofessional collaboration on the discharge planning process in the neonatal intensive care unit. (Supervisor)

                          Andrea Miller. Master’s Thesis:  An In-depth Analysis of the Workforce Characteristics of Registered Dietitians in Ontario. (Committee member)

   

  • Department of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation. Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

  2015-2019          Ann Lvin. Master’s Thesis: Explaining the Public-Private Mix of the Ontario Medical Laboratory Sector. (Committee member)

  2011-2015          Deb Zelisko. Ph.D. Thesis: Professionalism and self-regulation in managing conflicts of interest in the delivery of health care. (Committee member)

  2006-2009          Robyn Hastie. Master’s Thesis: Recruitment and retention of Occupational Therapists in Ontario. (Committee member).

   

  Canadian Forces College

  2018-2019          Brigadier-General Marc Bilodeau. Master’s Thesis: Classified documemnt. (Co-supervisor)

   

  University of Ottawa, Ottawa

  2012-2016          Myuri Manogaran. Ph.D. thesis: The importance of the management of transitions in the neonatal intensive care unit. (Committee member)

  Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota:

  2016- 2020 Lavern Bourne. Ph.D. (Advisor only) 

  Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa

  2017-2018 Myuri Manogaran. Fellow: Transitions of Care. (Committee member)

• Courses taught

  Courses taught (past and present) at the undergraduate level

  • Canadian Health Care System
  • Critical Perspectives on Health and Illness
  • Health and Well-being
  • Independent Readings in Health
  • Introduction to Healthcare Management
  • Research Methods for Health Care Professionals
  • Research Practicum
  • Understanding Health Care and Therapeutics

  Courses taught (past and present) at the graduate level:

  • Research Readings on the Theories of Health Professions and Occupations
  • Directed Readings on the Theories of Health Professions and Occupations
  • Public Policy and Health Promotion
  • Special Topics: Directed Readings for Health Policy
  • Special Topics: Theory, Definitions and Context for Mental Health Promotion
• Education
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Sciences), Institute of Medical Science in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 2006
  • Master of Science (Medical Sciences), Institute of Medical Science in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 2002
  • Bachelor of Arts (Major: Specialist Program in Society Values and Medicine), University of Toronto (Scarborough), 1996
  • Certification by the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists, 1976