USask Nursing Hosts Myrtle Crawford Memorial Lecture Series
Nurse scientist Dr. Mkandawire-Valhmu delivers three transformative lectures.
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Nursing was pleased to welcome Dr. Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu (PhD) from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, as the featured speaker for the Myrtle Crawford Memorial Lecture Series held May 21st – 23rd.
Dr. Mkandawire-Valhmu is a nurse scientist focusing on violence in the lives of women disproportionately impacted by gender-based violence due to racial/ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, and other factors.
Her lecture topics included Unraveling Colonial Legacies: Transforming Health Education for Equity and Inclusion May 21st, Decolonizing Nursing Education: Reimagining Curricula and Health Practices May 22nd, and Decolonizing Research Practice in Nursing Academia May 23rd.
“Dr. Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu is an incredible researcher whose work is advancing nursing science and positioning nurses as leaders in improving health outcomes for women experiencing gender-based violence intersecting with race, ethnicity, gender, social class, colonialism, and neocolonial eras,” said Dr. Louise Racine (PhD), USask College of Nursing associate dean research and graduate studies.
“To have Dr. Mkandawire-Valhmu present her research and expertise to our faculty was an incredible opportunity for the University of Saskatchewan,” adds Racine.
Dr. Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu’s current studies include an analyzing American Indian and Black women experiencing violence and their access to healthcare and support during the COVID-19 pandemic and research focused on meeting the healthcare needs of refugee women experiencing gender-based violence in Malawi.
Dr. Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu getting ready for her Decolonizing Nursing Education: Reimagining Curricula and Health Practices lecture May 22nd. Credit: Breanna Pochipinski.
About the Myrtle Crawford Memorial Lecture Series
Myrtle Evangeline Crawford (1923 –1989) was a long-time faculty member with the University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing. Professor Crawford completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1946 at USask, having taken the clinical portion of her education at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan.
In 1953 she earned an MA from Columbia University in New York, USA.
She joined the School of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan in 1954 as a lecturer and in 1961 was appointed the director of clinical education.
Professor Crawford was promoted to assistant and associate professor, becoming full professor in 1975. She served as assistant dean of nursing from 1974-1980. She was influential in establishing the Master of Nursing program at USask.
During her 35-year career, Professor Crawford influenced the education of hundreds of nurses. She was actively involved in the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association (now the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan), Canadian Nurses Association, Canadian Association for University Schools of Nursing, and Canadian Association of History in Nursing.
Professor Crawford passed away in July 1989 at the age of 65.
Past lecturers in the Myrtle Crawford Memorial Series include Drs. Courtney Howard, Alexander Clark, Beth Phoenix, Dorothy Pringle, Marilyn Oermann, Gina Brown, Angeline Bushy, Wendy Austin, Judith Oulton, Sheryl Reimer Kirkham, and Ivy Oandasan.