Dr. Patricia Janssen RN, BSN, MPH, PhD

Dr. Patricia Janssen, RN, BSN, MPH, PhD (Epidemiology). Professor in the UBC School of Population and Public Health,  Perinatal Epidemiologist and Senior Scientist at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Trained in nursing and midwifery, Dr. Janssen leads Optimal Birth BC, a consortium of clinician-scientists and public health practitioners who undertake both institutional quality improvement initiatives and the development of information resources for childbearing families in BC.  She has led several clinical trials to evaluate methods for managing pregnancy and labor. Her studies of midwifery established the evidence to support regulation of midwifery in Canadian provinces and influenced policy around the world. Patricia is currently studying the utility of SMS text messaging as a modality to improve health literacy and motivate health behavior change among expectant and new parents. Most recently, she has developed and implemented SmartMom and SmartParent, Canada’s first prenatal and parent education programs delivered by text messaging. She is the lead author on a study of factors among women influencing personal goals and achieving successful re-integration after incarceration in BC, published in CMAJ Open. In 2020 she was named one of the top 50 Changemakers in Public Health among alumni of the University of Washington School of Public Health.