Saima Hirani

PhD

Bio

Dr. Hirani’s research interests relate to mental health and mental health promotion particularly for vulnerable and high risk population. Her research focuses on what factors and interventions can enhance capacity of individuals, families, and communities to take control over their own mental health and support others’ well-being. Working with multidisciplinary teams, her research provides key insights to guide health care providers, researchers, and policy makers to improve practices and approaches pertaining to mental health promotion.

Profile

Educational Background

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of British Columbia
• PhD (Nursing) University of Alberta
• MScN, Aga Khan University, Pakistan
• Post RN BScN, Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Honours and Awards

• Genevieve Gray PhD Medal in Nursing, University of Alberta - 2017
• Margaret McNamara Education Grant – 2015-2016
• World Fellowship Recipient, Delta Kappa Gamma – 2015-2016
• Alice R Thomas & Bryan Campbell-Hope International Graduate Scholarship in Nursing, University of Alberta – 2015
• Graduate Research Travel Award, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Alberta-2015
• Genevieve Grey Endowment Fund, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta - 2015
• Peggy and Ivor Field Scholarship for Maternity Nursing, Midwifery, or Women’s Health, University of Alberta -2014
• Faculty Development Award, Aga Khan University -2012- 2016
• International Scholarship, Aga Khan Foundation- 2012-2014

Area of Research

Dr. Hirani’s substantive research focuses on mental health promotion of individuals and families. Her research experience includes working with multidisciplinary teams to promote mental health among socioeconomically disadvantaged and vulnerable population in Canada and Pakistan. She has been involved in designing and conducting various community randomized controlled trials that have developed and tested interventions to promote mental health of women and youth. She has expertise in the areas of intervention development, quantitative methodology, measurement, and analysis.

Publications

Selected Publications not Indexed in PubMed

Park, T., & Hirani, S. (2021). A Methodological Review of Quality of Life Scales Used in Schizophrenia. Journal of nursing measurement, 29(1), 34–52. https://doi.org/10.1891/JNM-D-18-00053

Jenkins, E., McAuliffe, C., Hirani, S., Richardson, C., Thomson, K., Kousoulis, A., Morris, J., & Gadermann, A. (2021). A portrait of the early and differential mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Findings from the first wave of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Preventative Medicine, 145, 106333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106333

Daly, Z., Slemon, A., Richardson, C., Salway, T., McAuliffe, C., Gadermann, A., Thomson, K., Hirani, S., Jenkins, E. (2021). Associations between periods of COVID-19 quarantine and mental health in Canada. Psychiatry Research, 295, (113631) 1-9.

Gadermann, A., Thomson, K., Richardson, C., Gagne, M., McAuliffe, C., Hirani, S., Morris, J., & Jenkins, E. (2021). Examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family mental health in Canada. BMJ Open, 11(1), e042871

Jenkins, E., Haines-Saah, R., McGuinness, L., Hirani, S., Boakye-Yiadom, N., Halsall, T., Rivers, R., & Morris, J. (2020). Assessing the impacts of the Agenda Gap intervention for youth mental health promotion through policy engagement: a study protocol. International journal of mental health systems[BMC], 14(58). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-00390-7

Hirani, S., Norris, C. M., Van Vliet, J. K., Van Zanten, S. V., Karmaliani, R., & Lasiuk, G. (2018). Social Support Intervention to Promote Resilience and Quality of Life in Women Living in Karachi, Pakistan: A Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Public Health. 63(6),693-702. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1101-y

Hirani, S., Lasiuk, G., Van Vliet, J. K., Van Zanten, S. V., Karmaliani, R., & Norris, C. M. (2018). Comparison of Urdu Versions of the Resilience Scale (RS-14) and the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA). Journal of Nursing Measurement.1,26(1), doi: 10.1891/1061-3749.26.1.106.

Hirani, S., Lasiuk, G., & Hegadoren, K. (2016). Intersection of resilience and gender. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 23(6), 455-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12313

Khan, B. A., Hirani, S., & Ghulam Ali, N. S. (2015). Curriculum alignment: The soul of nursing education. International Journal of Nursing Education, 8(2) doi:10.5958/0974-9357.2015.00080.X

Somani, R., Karmaliani, R., Mc Farlane, J., Asad, N., & Hirani, S. (2015). Sexual harassment towards nurses in Pakistan: Are we safe? International Journal of Nursing Education, 8(2) doi: 10.5958/0974-9357.2015.00120.8

Somani, R., Karmaliani, R., Mc Farlane, J., Asad, N., & Hirani, S. (2015). Prevalence of bullying/mobbing behavior among nurses of private and public hospitals in Karachi Pakistan. International Journal of Nursing Education, 8(2) doi: 10.5958/0974-9357.2015.00111.7

Asad, N., Karmaliani, R., Somani, R., Hirani, Sh., Pasha, A., Hirani, S., et al. (2013). Preventing abuse and trauma to internally displaced children living in camps due to disasters in Pakistan. Child Care in Practice, 19 (3), 267-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2013.785936

Karmaliani, R., Pasha, A., Hirani, S., Somani, R., et al. (2012). Violence against women in Pakistan: Contributing factors and new interventions. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 33(12), 820-827. doi: 10.3109/01612840.2012.718046

Karmaliani, R., Shahzad, S., Hirani, S., et al. (2011). Meeting the 2015 millennium development goals with new interventions for abused women. Nursing Clinics of North America, 46(4), 485-493. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2011.08.002

Asad, N., Karmaliani, R., McFarlane, J., Hirani, S., et al. (2011). Applying community based participatory methods to meet women's mental health needs in Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Psychology, 42(1), 119-130.

Dias, J. M., Mithani, Y., Hirani, S. (2011). Setting up a professional licensure examination in nursing (PLEN) at a university teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences 15, 2383-2386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.112

Hirani, S., Karmaliani, R., McFarlane, J., et al. (2010). Testing a community derived intervention to promote women's health: preliminary results of a 3-arm RCT in Karachi, Pakistan. Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research, 10(3). http://snrs.org/publications/SOJNR_articles2/Vol10Num03Art06.html

Hirani, S., Karmaliani, R., McFarlane, J., et al. (2010). Development of an economic skill building intervention to promote women’s safety and child development in Karachi, Pakistan. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 31, 82-88. doi: 10.3109/01612840903254859.

Karmaliani, R., McFarlane, J., Asad, N., Irfan, F., Hirani, S., et al. (2009). Applying community based participatory research methods to improve maternal and child health in Karachi, Pakistan. Nursing Outlook, 57, 204- 209. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2009.01.003

Teaching

Dr. Hirani believes in engaging students in intellectual inquiry by taking them from known to unknown. Her extensive teaching experience includes mental health, quantitative research methods, and statistics to undergraduate and graduate students. She has completed several certificate courses related to health professional education and teaching and learning pedagogies.

Current Teaching

NURS 504: Research and Evidence-Based Practice

Supervisor Eligibility

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