Farinaz (Naz) Havaei

PhD

Bio

Dr. Farinaz Havaei is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, a former Scholar with Michael Smith Health Research BC (2021-2026), and a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Strengthening the Health System (2026-2031). She is the founder and director of the HOPE Lab (Healthy Outcomes and Patient and Provider Experiences), where her research focuses on strengthening the nursing workforce and creating healthier, safer, and more sustainable healthcare systems.

Her program of research examines how healthcare work environments—including staffing and workload, workplace violence, team-based models of care, and other organizational factors—shape the health and well-being of nurses and other healthcare workers, workforce retention, and the quality and safety of patient care. Her work aims to generate actionable evidence that informs workforce policy and health system improvement.

Dr. Havaei works closely with health system and workforce partners to address pressing healthcare challenges and support the implementation and evaluation of evidence-informed solutions. Her research is grounded in strong partnerships with healthcare workers, leaders, policymakers, and professional and regulatory organizations, with an emphasis on translating research into meaningful improvements in policy and practice.
 

Profile

Educational Background:

PhD (Nursing), University of British Columbia

Measurement Evaluation Research Methodology (MERM), University of British Columbia

BSN, University of British Columbia

Honours and Awards:

• 2021 Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia, Excellence in Advancing Nursing Knowledge and Research award
• 2019 CIHR ECR Observer Program
• 2017 2017 Graduate Scholarship in Nursing for Outstanding Dissertation
• 2017 Bloomberg Emerging Nursing Scholars Forum Award
• 2015 Rick Hansen Institute Fellowship
   

Area of Research

Dr. Havaei’s program of research focuses on strengthening the health workforce and building healthier, safer, and more sustainable healthcare systems. As a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Strengthening the Health System and founder and director of the UBC HOPE Lab, she leads a multidisciplinary program of research that addresses some of Canada’s most pressing health workforce and health system challenges.

A central focus of Dr. Havaei’s research is understanding how organizational and system-level factors—including staffing and workload, workplace violence, models of care, and health workforce policies and strategies, such as the integration of internationally educated nurses—shape nurses’ health, well-being, and retention, as well as the quality and safety of patient care. Her research has generated important evidence on the consequences of challenging working conditions for nurses and patients and has contributed to policy and practice changes, including provincial legislation related to workplace psychological injury. By identifying the conditions that enable nurses to thrive and remain in the workforce and evaluating strategies to strengthen workforce capacity, her research contributes to addressing nursing shortages and building a more resilient and sustainable health workforce.

Using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches, Dr. Havaei works collaboratively with researchers, trainees, healthcare workers, patients and families, health system leaders, policymakers, and professional and regulatory organizations. Her research is grounded in integrated knowledge translation and the co-development of actionable solutions to real-world health system challenges. Through this work, she aims to transform evidence into policy and practice improvements that strengthen the health workforce, improve healthcare workers’ experiences and well-being, and enhance the quality, safety, and sustainability of healthcare delivery.

Publications

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Select Media Interviews

• BC Government may have no choice but to spend more to settle with nurses, experts say. (July 16, 2026). The Vancouver Sun.
• Mediation begins in BC nurses labour dispute as more picket lines go up. (July 12 2026). Global News. 
• BC Nurses on Strike (July 7, 2026). CBC Radio.  
• B.C. nurses picketing major Vancouver hospital Tuesday as part of job action. (July 7, 2026). City News. 
• Violence is part of the job. But nurses say supports aren’t there. (Jan 30, 2026). The Tyee. 
• ‘It made everything worse’: Nurses say WorkSafeBC delays recovery after violent incidents. (Jan 23, 2026). 
• Nursing agencies costly to Canada’s public Healthcare System. (Oct 7, 2024). Medscape news. 
• Working during the pandemic detrimental to health care workers’ health. (Feb 01, 2024). Medscape News. 
• Work conditions drive nurse exodus: Study (Oct 13, 2023). The Vancouver Sun. 
• BC set to become the first province to adopt a nurse to patient ratio. (Apr 11, 2023). Spice Radio. Available https://www.ivoox.com/en/b-c-set-to-become-the-first-province-to-audios-mp3_rf_106141265_1.html 
• BC Workplace violence claims see increase since 2018: WorkSafeBC. (Mar 31, 2023). CityNews Vancouver.  
• Causes and solutions for healthcare worker burnout. (Sep 20, 2022). BC Today, CBC Radio. 
• New report highlights pandemic mistakes in BC long-term care homes. (July 7, 2022). CTV News. 
• What BC’s long-term care homes can learn from the pandemic. (July 7, 2022). North Shore News. 
• New COVID-19 study inks nurses’ mental health to quality of care. (March 2, 2022). Spice Radio Vancouver. 
• Recent study outlines challenges BC nurses are facing. (February 17, 2022). CFAX 1070 Victoria. 
• Nurses experiencing burnout, anxiety linked to low quality of patient care, study finds. (February 16, 2022). CBC News Vancouver. 
• Better health supports for nurses are needed as pandemic deepened anxiety and depression. (June 25, 2021). Spice Radio Vancouver. 
• How COVID-19 workplace conditions are impacting nurses mental health. (June 24, 2021). Spice Radio Vancouver. 
• The impact of COVID-19 on nurse mental health in British Columbia. (June 24, 2022). CKNW Jill Bennett Show 980. 
• Daily changes in COVID-19 protocols led to symptoms of PTSD for nurses say researchers. (March 21, 2021).  CTV News Vancouver.

Five-Year Publication Record (2021 - 2026)

1. Havaei, F., Song, C., Zou, D., Ben-Ahmed, H.E., Wytenbroek, L., Bookey-Bassett, S., Boamah, S.A., MacPhee, M., & Wu, A. (2026). The Paradox of Emotional Exhaustion and Improved Quality of Care: A Longitudinal Survey Study of British Columbia Nurses. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research.
2. Abughori, I., Ben-Ahmed, H. E., Kaulius, M., MacPhee, M., Keselman, D., Croll, L., Hakimjavadi, R., Phinney, A., & Havaei, F. (2026). Preparing the Long-Term Care Sector for Future Health Crises: A Set of Practical Pandemic Management Staffing Strategies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 23(4), 497. 
3. Boamah, S., Herati, H., Akter, F., Havaei, F.  Yous, M. L., Kaasalainen, S., & Unveiling the hidden challenges: A systematic review of self-identified caregiver support needs for older adults in Canada. (2026). Public Health Reviews, 47. 
4. Ndateba, I., Havaei, F., Haase, R.K., Hogg, W., Martin-Misener, R., & Wong, T.S. (2026). Association between team functioning and self-efficacy and quality of life for primary care patients in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. 27(e20), Primary Health Care Research and Development.
5. Lauck, S., Lambert, L., Prodan-Bhalla, N., Havaei, F., Bryant-Luckosius, D., Kaur, J., Hare, K., Lynn, S., Palmer, B., Thorne, S. (2026). Success by design: Senior leadership perspectives on optimizing the role of clinical nurse specialists. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 
6. Selvakumar, R. Havaei, F., Birnabaum, D. (2026). The Shaky Terrain of Patient Quality and Safety. Leadership in Health Services. 
   Adhami, N., Havaei, F., Kaulius, M., Teymourian, R., Franke, T., Naderi, T., Abaya, A., Alger, K. (2026). Healthcare worker’s experiences of patient-initiated workplace violence in the emergency department. Nursing Open 
7. Franke, T., Nettlefold, L., Nandra, K., Sims-Gould, J., & McKay, H., & Havaei, F. (2025). Measuring organizational readiness in a community health promotion program: Instrument tailoring and psychometric testing. Health Promotion Practice.
8. Havaei, F., Park, M., MacPhee, M., Ma, A., Sorensen, J., Boamah, S.A., Keselman, D. (2025). A resident-centered approach to nursing staff planning in long-term care using the Synergy tool. Geriatric Nursing. 
9. Havaei, F., Song, C., Zou, D., Wu, A. D., MacPhee, M., & Saewyc, E. (2025). Beyond the Numbers: Evidence for Optimal Minimum Nurse-Patient-Ratios in Medical and/or Surgical Settings. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 
10. Boamah, S. A., Kabir, H., Havaei, F., Webb, F., & Yu, Michelle. (2025). Comparative analysis of work-related factors associated with burnout and its dimensions among nursing faculty in Canada and the United States. Nurse Education in Practice. 85, 104358. 
11. Havaei, F., Ma, A., MacPhee, M., Kobekyaa, F., Kaulius, M., Boamah, S. Ahmadi, B., & Salmon, A. (2025). Managing LTC staff workload through a resident centered intervention: A mixed evaluation of the Synergy Tool. Journal of Long Term Care, 154-167. 
12. Boamah, S. A., Akter, F., Karimi B., Havaei, F. (2025). Navigating workforce challenges in long-term care: A co-design approach to solutions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 22(4), 520. 
13. Lee, J., Havaei, F., Adhami, N., & Hirani, S. (2025). Nurses’ workplace violence reporting behaviours and reasons for not formally reporting: A cross-sectional secondary analysis. Journal of Clinical Nursing. [The top 10% of most-viewed papers]
14. Staempfli, S., Havaei, F., Dawson, L., Novek, S., Slater, K., Kaulius, M., & Ahmed, A., (2025). Raise your voice: How to increase the effectiveness of Resident and Family Councils in Long-Term Care Homes. Canadian Journal of Aging. 
15. Lambert, L., Havaei, F., Beck, S., Ma, A., Larmet, J., Kaur, J., Adhami, N., Le, D., & Wood, R. (2025). An early evaluation of team-based care impact on team effectiveness in oncology settings. BMC Cancer. 25(371). 
16. Havaei, F., Adhami, N., Kaulius, M., Teymourian, R., Ahmadi, B., Afsah, S., Franke, T., Russolillo, A., Carter, M., & Tisdelle, L. (2025). Unveiling the veil: Exploring experiences of patient-initiated workplace violence in Long-Term Care and Mental Health and Substance Use setting. Work.  
    Elliott, C., Brown, H., Wytenbroek, L., & Havaei, F. (2024). The history of British Columbia’s palliative care benefits policy and implications for nursing practice. Policy, Politics and Nursing Practice. 
17. MacPhee, M., Havaei, F., Bookey-Bassett, S., Neumann, W. P., Qureshi, S., Greig, M. A., & Keselman, D. (2024). Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future of Nursing Workload Research. Nursing: Research and Reviews. 14, 59-67. 
18. Rafferty, A., Haase, K., Gagnon, M., & Havaei, F. (2024). Understanding nurse retention at a mental health and addictions facility during a dual pandemic. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 0(0), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/08445621241283227
19. Song, C., Havaei, F., & Dahinten, S. (2024). Evaluating the role-based validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 item among Canadian nurses. Journal of Nursing Measurement.
20. Birnbaum, D., Lam, V.C., Havaei, F., & Anderson, G.S. (2023). COVID-19 and British Columbia’s volunteer search and rescue workers: Risk recognition and risk mitigation. Antimicrobial Steward Healthcare Epidemiology. 3(e195). 
21. Havaei, F., Staempfli, S., Ma, A., Sims-Gould, J., Franke, T., & Park, M. (2023). Resident impact of the Single Site Order restricting staff mobility across Long-Term Care Homes in British Columbia, Canada. Healthcare, 11(24).
22. Havaei, F., Tang, X., Adhami, N., Kaulius, M., Boamah, S.A., & McMillan, K. (2023). Working through a pandemic: The mediating effect of nurses’ health on the relationship between working conditions and turnover intent. Nursing Open, 10(12).
23. Havaei, F., Kobekyaa, F., Ma, A., MacPhee, M., Zhang, W., Kaulius, M., Ahmadi, B., Boamah, S., Easterbrook, A., & Salmon, A. (2023). A mixed methods study to implement the Synergy Tool and evaluate its impact on long-term care residents. Healthcare, 11(15).
24. Boamah, S., Kalu, M.E., Havaei, F., & McMillan, K., Belita, E. (2023). Predictors of faculty job and career satisfaction, turnover intentions, and professional: A national survey. Healthcare, 11(14).
25. Havaei, F., Sims-Gould, J., Staempfli, S., Franke, T., Park, M., Ma, A., & Kaulius, M. (2023). Impact of the single site order in LTC: Exacerbation of an overburdened system. BMC Health Services Research.
26. Sims-Gould, J., Franke, T., Staempfli, S., Hung, L., & Havaei, F. (2023). Implementation of the single site order in long term care: What we can learn from using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Journal of Long Term Care.
27. Havaei, F., Adhami, N., Tang, X., Boamah, S.A., Kaulius, M., Gubskaya, E., & O'Donnell, K. (2023). Workplace predictors of violence against nurses using machine learning techniques: A cross-sectional study utilizing the National Standard of Psychological Workplace Health and Safety. Healthcare, 11(7), 1008.
28. Sferrazza, K., MacPhee, M., Havaei, F., & Campbell, S.H. (2023). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students’ clinical learning experiences in British Columbia: The student perspective. Quality Advancement in Nursing Education, 9(1).
29. Havaei, F., MacPhee, M., Ma, A., Wong, V., Li, C., Cheung, I., Scigliano, L., & Taylor, A. (2023). Implementation of the Synergy Tool: A potential intervention to relieve health care worker burnout. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 489.
30. Glowinski, B.J., Vellani, S., Aboumrad, M., Beogo, I., Frank, T., Havaei, F., Kaasalainen, S., Lashewicz, B., Levy, A.M., McGilton, K.S., McMurray, &, J., Sims-Gould, J. (2022). The Canadian long-term care sector collapse from COVID-19: Innovations to support people in the workforce. Healthcare Quarterly, 25, 20-26.
31. Boamah, S, Weldrick, R., Havaei, F., Ahmed, I., & Hutchinson A. (2022). Experiences of healthcare workers in long-term care during COVID-19: A scoping review.  Journal of Applied Gerontology, 42(5), 1118-1136.
32. Boamah, S.A., Yous, M.L., Weldrick, R., Havaei, F., & Ganann R. (2022). Using photovoice as a method for capturing the lived experiences of caregivers during COVID-19: A methodological insight. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. 
33. Boamah, S.A., Weldrick, R., Havaei, F., Irshad, A., & Hutchinson, A. (2022). Long-Term Care workers’ experiences and their views about support during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. Preprints, 2022080239.
34. Havaei, F., MacPhee, M., Ma, A., & Mao, Y. (2022). Priority nursing populations for mental health support before and during COVID-19: A survey study of individual and workplace characteristics. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 55(1).
35. Iyamu, M., Salmon, A., Snow, B., Sawatzky, R., Havaei, F., Puyat, J., & Zhang, W. (2022). Culture change in long term care post COVID-19: Adapting to a new reality using established ideas and systems. Canadian Journal of Aging, 42(2), 351-358.
36. Staempfli, S., Havaei, F., Phinney, A., & MacPhee, M. (2022). Unintended consequences of pandemic management strategies on residents and family in one Long-Term Care home in British Columbia: A patient-supported qualitative study. Journal of Innovation and Aging, 6(5).
37. Havaei, F., Abughori, I., Mao, Y., Staempfli, S., Ma, A., MacPhee, M., Phinney, A., Keselman, D., Tisdelle, L., Galazka, D., & Anderson, V. (2022). The impact of pandemic management strategies on staff mental health, work behaviours, and resident care in one long-term care facility in British Columbia: A mixed method study. Journal of Long-Term Care, 0(2022), 71–87. 
38. Boamah, S.A., Hamadi, H., Havaei, F., Smith, H., & Webb, F. (2022). Striking a balance between work-life and the impact on nursing faculty burnout, turnover intentions, and career satisfaction: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environment Research and Public Health, 19(2), 809. 
39. Havaei, F., Tang, X., Smith, P., Boamah, S., & Frankfurter, C. (2022). The association between mental health symptoms and quality and safety of patient care before and during COVID-19 among Canadian nurses. Healthcare, 10(2), 314. [featured in the front page of the journal in 2022].
40. Havaei, F., Park, M., & Astivia, O.L.O. (2021). The National Standard of Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace: A psychometric and descriptive study of the nursing workforce in British Columbia Hospital. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 53(4), 405-416. 
41. Havaei, F. (2021). Does the type of exposure to workplace violence matter to nurses’ mental health? Healthcare, 9(1), 41-52. 
42. Havaei, F., Ma, A., Staempfli, S., & MacPhee, M. (2021). Nurses’ workplace conditions impacting their mental health during COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey study. Healthcare, 9(1), 84. [The Healthcare 2023 Best Paper Award among 1814 papers]
43. Havaei, F., Ma, A., Leiter, M., & Gear, A. (2021). Describing the mental health state of nurses in British Columbia: A province-wide survey study. Healthcare Policy, 16(4), 31-45. 
    Havaei, F., Smith, P., Oudyk, J., & Potter, G.G. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of nurses in British Columbia, Canada using trends analysis across three time points. Annals of Epidemiology, 62, 7-12.
44. Havaei, F., Ji, X.R., & Boamah, S.A. (2021). Workplace predictors of quality and safe patient care delivery among British Columbia nurses using machine learning techniques. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 37(2), 103-109.
45. Havaei, F., Ji, X.R., MacPhee, M., & Straight, H. (2021). Identifying the most important workplace factors in predicting mental health among British Columbia nurses using machine learning techniques. BMC Nursing, 20(1), 1-10.
46. Havaei F, MacPhee M. (2020). The impact of heavy nurse workload and patient/family complaints on workplace violence: An application of human factors framework, Nursing Open. 00,1-11, 10.1002/nop2.444 [PMID: 32257260]
47. Havaei F, MacPhee M. (2020). The effect of workplace violence and psychological stress responses on medical-surgical nurses’ medication intake. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research. 0(0), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/0844562120903914 [PMID: 32046504]
48. MacPhee M, Fitzgerald B, Havaei F, Budz B, Waller D, Li C. (2020). Nursing Care Team Redesign: It begins with the right data, Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership. 33(2),21-37. 10.12927/cjnl.2020.26240  
49. Havaei F, MacPhee M, Ma A*. (2020). Workplace violence among British Columbia nurses across different roles and contexts. Healthcare. 8(2), 98-112. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8020098 [PubMed ID: 32295186]
50. Havaei F, Astivia Olvera O, MacPhee M. (2020). The indirect effect of workplace violence on medical-surgical nurses’ health outcomes: A moderated mediation model of work environment conditions. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 109, 103666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103666 [PubMed ID: 32592889]
51. Lee SE, Havaei F, Astivia Olvera O. (2020). Psychometric evaluation for the Korean version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Journal of Patient Safety. 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000792 [PubMed ID: 33044256].
52. Havaei F, MacPhee, Keselman D, Staempfli S* (2020). Leading a long-term care facility through the COVID-19 crisis: Successes, barriers and lessons learned. Healthcare Quarterly. 23(4). [PMID: 33475489]
53. Havaei F, Park M*, Astivia Olvera O. L. (2021). The National Standard of Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace: A psychometric and descriptive study of the nursing workforce in British Columbia Hospital. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research. 0(0), 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0844562120986032 [PMID: 33435719]
54. Havaei F. (2021). Does the type of exposure to workplace violence matter to nurses’ mental health? Healthcare. 9(41). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010041 [PMID: 33466294]
55. Havaei F, Ma A*, Staempfli S*, MacPhee M (2021). Nurses’ workplace conditions impacting their mental health during COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey study. Healthcare. 9(84), https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9010084 [PMID: 33467080]
56. Havaei F, Ma A*, Leiter M, Gear A. (2021). A province-wide survey study to describe the mental health state of the nursing workforce in British Columbia, Canada. Healthcare Policy. MID=2020-1055

Additional Articles

Havaei, F, Dahinten S, MacPhee M. (2019). The effect of nursing care delivery models on registered nurse outcomes, Sage Open Nursing. 9, 237796081986908. doi: 10.1177/2377960819869088

Havaei, F., Doull, M., & Saewyc, E. (2019). A trend analysis of sexual health behaviours of a national sample of Canadian adolescents using HBSC data from 2002-2014. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality. 28(1), 17-25. doi: 10.3138/cjhs.2018-0035

Havaei, F., & Dahinten, V. S. (2017). How well does the CWEQ II measure structural empowerment? Findings from applying item response theory. Administrative Sciences, 7(15), 1-20. doi: 10.3390/admsci7020015 

MacPhee, M., Dahinten, V. S., & Havaei, F. (2017). The impact of heavy nurse workloads on patient and nurse outcomes. Administrative Sciences. 7(1), 7. doi: 10.3390/admsci7010007

Andersen, E., Michelle, S., & Havaei, F. (2014). Nursing home models and modes of service delivery: Review of outcomes. Healthy Aging Research. 3(13), 1-11. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12715/har.2014.3.13

MacPhee, M., Change, L., Havaei, F., & Chou, W. (2014). A descriptive account of an inter-professional collaborative leadership project. Administrative Sciences. 4(3): 373-399. doi: 10.3390/admsci4030373

Book Chapters

MacPhee, M., & Havaei, F. (2017). Professional practice models. In Leadership and nursing care management (6th ed., pp. 225-239). Iowa City, IA: Elsevier.

Teaching

• Administrative Leadership in Nursing 
• Leadership in Nursing and Health

Supervisor Eligibility

MN, MSN - thesis, MSN - non-thesis, PhD