Linda Watson

Scientific Director, Applied Research and Patient Experience, Cancer Research and Analytics, Alberta Health Services
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary

Biography

Dr. Linda Watson has been an oncology nurse in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for nearly 30 years. She has held a variety of nursing and inter-professional leadership roles within the CancerControl Alberta (CCA) provincial program and is currently the Scientific Director for Applied Research and Patient Experience. Dr. Watson holds an adjunct professor position with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary, but her passion for improving the patient experience has kept her committed to her full time position as an embedded Implementation Scientist within the Alberta cancer system. She has led provincial implementations in the area of Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs), provincial cancer patient navigation program, and a provincial post-treatment transitions program. Dr. Watson is the past President of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO), which provides national leadership to the specialty area of oncology nursing across Canada.

Academic and Research Interests

Patient Reported Outcomes
Transitions in Care
Survivorship
Models of Care
Implementation Science
Collaborative Care
Oncology Nursing
Person Centred Care
Cancer patient navigation
Patient engagement

Publications

Sasha Lupichuk, MD, FRCPC, MSc; Nancy A Nixon, MD, FRCPC; Jennifer Looyis, MPH, BSc; Shelley Currie, MSW, RSW; Xanthoula Kostaras, MSc; Michael Lang, BHK, MSc; Amanda Jacques, MRT(T), BSc, MA; Linda Watson, RN, PhD, CON(C). (2016). Transition of breast cancer survivors to primary care a population-based evaluation of practice in Alberta. Oncology Exchange, 15(4), 12-17.
Watson, L., Vimy, K., Anderson, J., Champ, S., & DeIure, A. (2016). Developing a Provincial Cancer Patient Navigation Program utilizing a Quality Improvement Approach-Part 3: Evaluation and Outcomes. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal, 26(4), 276-285.
Tamagawa, R., Groff, S., Anderson. J., Champ, S., DeIure, A., Looyis, J., Faris, P. & Watson, L. (2016). The effects of a provincial-wide implementation of Screening for Distress on healthcare professionals confidence and understanding of person centered care in oncology. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 14(10), 1259-1266.
Watson, L., Anderson, J., Champ, S., Vimy, K., & DeIure, A. (2016). Developing a Provincial Cancer Patient Navigation Program utilizing a Quality Improvement Approach-Part 2: Developing a Navigation Education Framework. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal, 26 (3), 186-193.
Anderson, J., Champ, S., Vimy, K., DeIure, A., & Watson. L. (2016). Developing a Provincial Cancer Patient Navigation Program utilizing a Quality Improvement Approach-Part 1: Designing and implementing. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal, 26 (2), 122-128.
Watson, L., Groff, S., Tamagawa, R., Anderson. J., Champ, S., DeIure, A., Looyis, J., Faris, P. & Bultz, B. (2016). Evaluating the impact of provincial implementation of screening for distress on quality of life, symptom reports and psychosocial well-being in patients with cancer. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 14(2), 164-172.
Watson, L., Raffin Bouchal, S., Melnick, A., & Whyte, D. (2012). Designing and Implementing an Ambulatory Oncology Nursing Peer Preceptorship Program: Using Grounded Theory Research to Guide Program Development. Nursing Research and Practice. Article ID 451354. doi:10.1155/2012/451354.
Watson, L., Gies, D., Thompson, E., & Thomas, B. (2011). A Randomized Control Trial: Evaluating Aluminum Based Antiperspirant Usage, Axilla Skin Toxicity, and Reported Quality of Life in Women Receiving External Beam Radiation for the Treatment of Stage 0, I, II Breast Cancer. The International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics, 83(1), e29-e34. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2011.12.006.
Watson, L. (2007). Locked in. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 24(4), p. 318.

Contact Information and Social Media

Email: linda.watson@ahs.ca

Phone number: 403-470-7146

Twitter: @WA23929004Linda

Research gate: Linda C Watson