Dr. Victoria Smye (Vicki) is faculty and the Director of the Arthur Labatt School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, at Western University (since January 1, 2017). Vicki began her academic career path as faculty at the University of Victoria in 2001 after over 25 years in clinical practice and prior to her current position at Western was faculty and Director, Nursing Programs at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) (2014-2016) and faculty at UBC (2005-2014). Dr. Smye’s program of research is located at the intersections of violence, gender, poverty, mental health, substance use and Indigenous health. Over the past decade she had led several CIHR-funded studies conducted in collaboration with other researchers, community agencies and community members that cross these domains of practice. For example, at this time she is leading a study entitled, Aboriginal Men’s Health Narrative: Reclaiming our Lives. In addition, Vicki also is a co-investigator on several studies, including health equity research in primary health care (EQUIP), the Aboriginal Women’s Intervention Study (AWI) and a study funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to examine an intervention for health enhancement and living (iHeal), for women who have left an abusive partner.

Dr. Smye has extensive expertise in qualitative methods and engagement with associated knowledge translation (KT) strategies, including photovoice translation into product (videography). She has worked closely with several national and provincial mental health organizations as a Board Member for more than a decade, e.g., the Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC).

Vicki also is a mother of three and grandmother.