Langley nursing professor, Dr. Barbara Astle is among 18 nurses selected from across Canada to be inducted into the Canadian Academy of Nursing Fellowship Program.

Astle, a professor and director for the masters of nursing program at Trinity Western University was recognized by the Canadian Academy of Nursing through an induction ceremony on October 14, 2022.

This fellowship program is an initiative of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) to recognize and celebrate the most accomplished nurses in Canada and across all domains of nursing practice. Honouring the best of the nursing profession, academy fellows earn the right to use the credential Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN).

As a nurse leader, educator, and researcher in global and planetary health, Astle has contributed to numerous global and planetary health educational and research initiatives at the local, national, and international levels. She has served on various global organizations including past Chair for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health competency subcommittee, and the Canadian Association for Global Health.

She co-developed the first Canadian tri-university interdisciplinary graduate global health course applying equity-centred principles; and the transdisciplinary Planetary Health Education Framework.

An alumnus of the University of Alberta, Astle was inducted into the Canadian Women in Global Health List in 2020. The list recognizes the achievements of established leaders in global health. Additionally, she is a founding member for Women in Global Health (WGH) Canadian Chapter.

Astle’s research focuses on areas of global health, planetary health, health equity, human rights, gender, and research literacy related to education, and population health. Astle co-leads an international interdisciplinary research team studying mothering, albinism, and human rights in mapping patterns of resilience at the juncture of gender, colorism, and religion in Tanzania, South Africa, and Ghana.

Commenting on her professional vision, Dr. Astle expressed, “I passionately believe in the importance of working alongside my students, colleagues, and partners, in order that we learn together, evolve, and move forward in achieving health equity in global health and the emerging field of planetary health.”

“I think it is imperative that we have a shared understanding of the indispensable interconnectedness of human health to the health of the planet.”

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