Dr. Marilou Gagnon
Position
Status
Accepting PhD students
Contact
Credentials
RN, ACRN, LLM, PhD
Area of expertise
Social and structural determinants of health, Social justice, Critical theory, Qualitative methodologies (with a focus on grounded theory and case study), Concept analysis, Situational Analysis
Dr. Marilou Gagnon is a Professor in the UVic School of Nursing and an Affiliative Scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. Her program of research seeks to address gaps in knowledge that have the potential to inform public debate and policies, while also advancing the rights and the health of marginalized communities, including communities of people who use drugs, people at risk or living with sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI), and people who are unstably housed or experiencing homelessness. Her work focuses on three axes:
- The first axis concerns structures that create inequities and injustices. Her theoretical and empirical work focuses on the intersections between law, policies, rights, and health. Areas of interest include: 1) health, housing, and drug-related policies, 2) criminalization of HIV non-disclosure, drug use, and homelessness, and 3) involuntary approaches to care and treatment.
- The second axis takes an in-depth look at the government (management) of risk, bodies and behaviours by using concepts and theories from philosophy, social sciences, health sciences, and ethicolegal studies. She uses this approach to critically analyze public health policies, public health surveillance, and public health practices.
- The third axis examines issues related to the health equity and social justice. More specifically, documenting, analyzing, and taking part in grassroots approaches to community care (e.g., overdose prevention sites, tent cities, and compassion clubs). She is also interested in advocacy and activism related to these grassroots approaches as well as the role of nurses in social justice.
Dr. Gagnon is also co-leading the Nursing Observatory program of research on whistleblowing with Dr. Amélie Perron (U of Ottawa), with the goal of conducting research, contributing to critical scholarship, amplifying nursing voices and experiences, and advocating in support of nurses and in support of better tools and protections for whistleblowers.