Martha Mackay

PhD, RN, CCN(C)

Bio

Dr. Mackay has many years of clinical experience, most recently having practised for more than 25 years as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Cardiology. This experience informs her research, which has been funded by national agencies. Her program focusses on the influence of, and interventions aimed at, the socio-demographic (e.g. sex/gender, ethnicity) and behavioural (e.g. depression) factors that affect patients with ischemic heart disease, particularly at times of transition.

May also be eligible for co-supervision of MSN Theses and Doctoral Dissertations.

Profile

Educational Background

• CCN(C), Certification in Cardiovascular Nursing (Canada)
• BSN, University of British Columbia
• MSN, University of British Columbia
• PhD, University of British Columbia

Affiliations

• Scientist, Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes (formerly known as the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS))

Honours and Awards

2017-2024  UBC School of Nursing K. M. MacMillan Nursing Research Scholar Award ($175,000)

2017-2021   Canadian Institutes of Health Research “Embedded Clinician-Researcher” ($200,000)

2016               Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses’ Nursing Research Excellence Award

2014-2019  Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar ($450,000)

2013             International Mentoring Travel Grant, American Heart Association ($2,000 USD)

2012-2014  Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada Research Scholarship ($100,000)

2011               College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia Award of Excellence in Nursing Research

2011             European Society of Cardiology Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions Post-Doctoral Grant ($800)

2010-2012  Cardiac Services BC (Provincial Health Services Authority) Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Fellowship (100,000)

2010               RBC Nursing Education Award, St. Paul’s Hospital ($2,000)

2009            First prize, Annual International Philosophy of Nursing Postgraduate Essay Competition

2009            RBC Nursing Education Award, St. Paul’s Hospital ($2,000)

2009            TD Meloche-Monnex Scholarship, Canadian Nurses’ Foundation ($5,000)

2008            Dorothy J. Kergin Scholarship, Canadian Nurses’ Foundation ($6,000)

2007            Alice Diane Bray Memorial Scholarship in Nursing, University of British Columbia ($2,000)

2006-10       Clinical Research Initiative Fellowship Award, Canadian Institutes of Health Research ($188,000)

2006-09     Nursing Research Fellowship Award, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada (declined)

2006              Senator Norman M. Patterson Doctoral Fellowship Award, Canadian Nurses’ Foundation ($3,000)

2006           Graduate Entrance Scholarship, University of British Columbia ($5,000)

2006             Margaret A. Campbell Scholarship, University of British Columbia ($2,100)

Service

• Past Member, Scientific Review Committee (Budget Review Sub-Committee), Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Area of Research

Research Interests

Dr. Mackay’s program focusses on the influence of, and interventions aimed at, the socio-demographic (e.g. sex/gender, ethnicity) and behavioural (e.g. depression) factors that affect patients with ischemic heart disease, particularly at times of transition.

Current Projects

Title: Elucidating Perceptions of Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients Who Seek Treatment Promptly
Role: co-Principal Investigator
Research team members: M. Mooney, M. Cho
Funding Agency: UBC School of Nursing (KM MacMillan Nursing Research Award)

Completed Projects

Factors Associated with Weight Loss in Patients with Acute Heart Failure.
Role: team mentor
Research team members J. Palmer (PI), Milligan, A.F. Kaan, M. Toma
Funding Agency: Providence Health Care Research Challenge

The use of text messaging to improve the hospital-community transition and prevent readmission in patients with cardiovascular disease (Txt2Prevent).
Role: co-Investigator
Research team members: S. Lear (PI), A. Hagan-Johnson, B. Sakakbara, M. Toma, H. Van Spall, D. Whitehurst.
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Smoke-free men: Translating research findings through a tobacco reduction website for cancer prevention action
Oliffe, J., & Bottorff, J. (Principal Investigators), Boomer, J., Caperchione, C., Currie, L., Frank, B., & Mackay, M.  Granting agency:  Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.

Evaluation of an intervention to enhancing in-centre hemodialysis patients' self-care ability
Trask, M. (Principal Investigator), Marchuk, S., Huyhnh, F., Kiaii, M., Rozon, C., Carter, G., Morrison, D., Min, H., Evangelista, E., Sekic, A., & Mackay, M. Granting agency:  Providence Health Care Research Challenge. 

Acute Coronary Syndrome Care in Emergency Departments (ASCEND): Pilot Study
Mackay, M. H. (Principal Investigator), Humphries, K. H., Ratner, P. A.  Granting agency:  University of British Columbia School of Nursing. 

Exploration of Experiences of Caregivers of Patients with Ventricular Assist Devices
Kaan, A.F. (Principal Investigator), Mackay, M. H., Young, Q. R., & Cockell, S.  Granting agency:  International Society of Heart-Lung Transplantation.

Ethnicity and Cardiac Disease
Mackay, M. H., (Principal Investigator).  Granting agency:   Cardiac Services of BC.

Validation of the Screening Tool for Psychological Distress (STOP-D) in an inpatient cardiac population
Young, Q. R., (Principal Investigator), Roth, S., Nguyen, M., Broadberry, A., & Mackay, M. H.  Granting agency: Providence Health Care Research Challenge.

What is the Incidence of Tobacco Use after Heart Transplantation? Self-Report versus Cotinine
Kaan, A. F., (Principal Investigator), Young, Q. R., & Mackay, M. H.  Granting agency:  International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation Social Sciences Grant.

Gender Differences in Reported Symptoms of Cardiac Ischemia
Ratner, P. A., & Mackay, M. H. (Principal Investigators), Buller, C., Johnson, J. L., Zumbo, B, & Fox, R.  Granting agency:  BC Medical Services Foundation.

The Efficacy of a Smoking Cessation Intervention for Elective-Surgical Patients
Ratner, P. A., (Principal Investigator), Johnson, J., Bottorff, J., Fofonoff, D., Mackay, M., Kingsbury, K., Miller, C., et al.  Granting agency:  National Cancer Institute of Canada.

Using the World Wide Web to Deliver a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program to Patients at Home
Bates. J. (Principal Investigator), Mackay, M., Johnson, J. L.  Granting agency:  Health Canada (Health Infrastructure Support Program). 

Developing Support to Prevent Smoking Relapse Among Cardiac Patients: A Pilot Study
Bottorff, J. L. (Principal Investigator), Johnson, J. L., Ratner, P. A., Miller, C., Kingsbury, K., Mackay, M., et al.  Granting agency:  BC Medical Services Foundation. 

Evaluation of a Nurse-Delivered Smoking Cessation Intervention for Hospitalized Patients.
Johnson, J. L. (Principal Investigator), Budz, B., Mackay, M. & Bouthillette, F.  Granting agency:  British Columbia Health Research Foundation and British Columbia Medical Services Foundation.

Evaluation of a Cardiac Risk Factor Counselling Intervention Immediately Before Hospital Discharge
Mackay, M. (Principal Investigator), Schwartz, L., Fofonoff, D., Heppell, L., Barr, S., Gin, K., & Ignaszewski, A.  Granting agency:  Merck Frosst Canada.

Blood sampling practices in critical care? How critical are they?
Venis, J. (Principal Investigator), Marles, M.,. O'Reagan, M., & Mackay, M.H..  Granting agency:  Providence Health Care Research Challenge. 

Gender Differences in Treatment Seeking for Acute Coronary Syndromes
Ratner, P. (Principal Investigator), Johnson, J., Mackay, M., Zumbo, B., Kingsbury, K., Buller, C. E. Granting agency:  CIHR

Gender Differences in Reported Symptoms of Cardiac Ischemia
Ratner, P.A., Mackay, M. (Co-Principal Investigators), Buller, C., Johnson, J. L., Zumbo, B., and Fox, R. Granting agency:  BC Medical Services Foundation 

Publications

Selected Publications not Indexed in PubMed

Broadberry, A., Oliffe, J.L., Mackay, M.H. & Kelly, M. (2024). Primary Care for People with Obesity: A Review and Recommendations. Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 34 (1), 22-28.

Johnson, J. L., Budz, B., Mackay, M., & Miller, C. E. (1999). Evaluation of a nurse-delivered smoking cessation intervention: Results of six-month follow-up. Heart & Lung, 28, 55-64.

Ratner, P. A., Johnson, J. L., Richardson, C. G., Bottorff, J. L., Moffat, B., Mackay, M., Fofonoff, D., Kingsbury, K., Miller, C., Budz, B. (2004). Efficacy of a smoking cessation intervention for elective surgical patients. Research in Nursing & Health, 27, 148-61.

Ratner, P. A., Tzianetas, R., Tu, A. W., Johnson, J. L., Mackay, M., Buller, C. E., Rowlands, M., & Reime, B. (2006). Acute myocardial infarction symptom recognition by the lay public: The role of gender and ethnicity. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60 (7), 606-615

Chandavimol, M., McClure, S. J., Carere, R. G., Thompson, C. R., Ricci, D. R., Mackay, M. H. & Webb, J. G. (2006). Percutaneous aortic valve implantation: A case report. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 22 (13):1159-61.

Ratner, P. A., Johnson, J. L., Mackay, M., Tu, A. W., & Hossain, S. (2008). Knowledge of “heart attack” symptoms in a Canadian urban community. Clinical Medicine: Cardiology, 2, 201-213.

Lauck, S., Mackay, M., Galte, C., & Wilson, M. (2008). Percutaneous aortic valve replacement: A new option for the treatment of aortic stenosis. Critical Care Nurse, 28 (3), 40-51.

Mackay, M. (2009). Why nursing has not embraced the clinician-scientist role. Nursing Philosophy, 10, 287–296.

Teaching

Teaching

Dr. Mackay supervises master’s students whose research focuses on cardiovascular and critical care nursing. As well, she supervises master’s students in the clinical component of the advanced practice nursing courses. In 2014 Dr. Mackay was a Visiting Professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (University of Toronto), during which time she taught a 4th year course in Chronic and Persistent Illness (Cardiovascular). She has also periodically enjoyed guest lecturing in the master’s nursing research course and the doctoral seminar at the School of Nursing.

Supervisor Eligibility

MSN (thesis and non-thesis)

Graduate Supervision

Name:  Iacoe, Emma, MSN, 2016
Title:  Ethnicity-Based Differences in Treatment Seeking for Symptoms of Acute Coronary Syndrome
https://circle.library.ubc.ca/handle/2429/58380 

Name: Ng, Tiffany, MSN 2018
Title:  The transition to adulthood in adolescents and young adults with Marfan Syndrome : a scoping review
https://circle.library.ubc.ca/browse?value=Ng%2C+Tiffany+Anne&type=author 

Name:  Hestvik, Lucas, MN, 2018
Title:  Atrial Fibrillation and Oral Anticoagulation : The Importance of Guideline-Adherence and Clarity
https://circle.library.ubc.ca/handle/2429/65185

Name: Khoshnood Rashti, Neda, MSN, 2019
Title:  Evaluation of a new emergency department triage process on door-to-ECG time
https://circle.library.ubc.ca/handle/2429/71883

Name: Human, Megan, MSN 2019
Title:  Development of a Learning Module for Nurses: Pre-Discharge Assessment of Psychological Distress in Hospitalized Patients with Cardiovascular Disease
https://circle.library.ubc.ca/browse?value=Human%2C+Megan&type=author 

Name:  Dy, May, MSN 2019
Title:  Telehealth-use in the care of Patients with Myocardial Ischemia : A Scoping Review
https://circle.library.ubc.ca/handle/2429/69555