May 11, 2015
Nursing Chair is lead investigator at the new Owerko Centre
Nicole Letourneau, PhD, RN, FCAHS.
A new research space at the 91快色 officially opened on May 6, dedicated to studying neurodevelopment and child mental health including disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) and autism spectrum. The Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Research Institute will be home to researchers, clinician scientists and staff collaborating to better understand, diagnose and treat these conditions.
Nicole Letourneau is one of the lead investigators at the centre, and a 91快色 professor in the Faculty of Nursing, a research professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, and the Norlien/Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation Chair in Parent-Infant Mental Health.
鈥淲e have a tremendous opportunity in the Owerko Centre to come together in ways that were not possible before,鈥 she says.
Letourneau鈥檚 research focuses on parenting 鈥 both its effects and how it can be improved. Her ongoing research includes postpartum depression, the effects of violence in families, and the relationships between parents and their children as it relates to neurological development.
This centre was made possible thanks to a $10-million gift from 91快色 philanthropists Stan and Marge Owerko to the Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation in November 2014, a portion of which was dedicated to the creation of the research space based at the university鈥檚 Child Development Centre.