Trainee Spotlight

Bio

Allison Cammer is a PhD candidate in Nutrition and registered dietitian working at the Rural and Remote Memory Clinic at the University of Saskatchewan. She is co-supervised by Dr. Susan Whiting (Nutrition) and Dr. Debra Morgan (Medicine). Prior to pursuing her PhD, Allison practiced dietetics in community, food service, administrative, and clinical settings.  She has a BSc in Nutrition, BA in Women’s and Gender Studies, and MSc in Community Health and Epidemiology. In 2014, Allison was honoured as a College of Pharmacy and Nutrition Alumni of Influence.

Research

Allison’s research examines the practices of nutritional care of urban and rural long-term care residents with dementia. Her research follows an integrated knowledge translation approach. She has partnered with decision makers and knowledge users to ensure the research findings will be meaningful and useful to improve care. Allison’s research is funded by the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research.

During her PhD studies, Allison has received an impressive number of awards, including an Alzheimer Society of Canada fellowship (2012 - 2015), the Rhea Ritchie scholarship in human nutrition (2015), the McIntyre Family Foundation Prairie Healthcare recognition (2015), two CIHR-STIHR fellowships (2012-14), the Dietitians of Canada graduate student award (2014), the Hope Hunt Memorial Award (2014), and the Canadian Association on Gerontology’s Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging award (2013).

• Recent Publications

Stewart, N., Morgan, D., Karunanayake, C., Wickenhauser, J., Cammer, A., Minish, D., O’Connell, M., & Hayduk, L. (2016). Rural caregivers for a family member with dementia: Models of burden and distress differ for women and men. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(2), 150-178. doi: 10.1177/0733464813517547

Cammer, A., Morgan, D., Stewart, N., McGilton, K., Rycroft-Malone, J., Dopson, S., & Estabrooks, C. (2014). The hidden complexity of long-term care: How context mediates knowledge translation and use of best practices. The Gerontologist, 54(6), 1013-1023. doi:10.1093/geront/gnt068

Dal Bello-Haas, V., Cammer, A., Morgan, D., Stewart, N., & Kosteniuk, J. (2014). Rural and remote dementia care challenges and needs: perspectives of formal and informal care providers residing in Saskatchewan, Canada. Rural and Remote Health, 14, 2747.

Morgan, D., Walls-Ingram, S., Cammer, A., O’Connell, M., Crossley, M., Dal Bello-Haas, V., Forbes, D., Innes, A., Kirk, A., & Stewart, N. (2014). Informal caregivers’ hopes and expectations of a referral to a memory clinic. Social Science and Medicine, 102, 111-118. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.11.023

O’Connell, M., Crossley, M., Cammer, A., Morgan, D., Allingham, W., Cheavins, B., Dalziel, D., Lemire, M., Mitchell, S., & Morgan, E. (2014). Development and evaluation of a Telehealth videoconferenced support group for rural spouses of persons diagnosed with atypical early-onset dementias. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 13(3), 382-395. doi:10.1177/1471301212474143

Morgan, D., Crossley, M., Stewart, N., Kirk, A., Forbes, D., D'Arcy, C., Dal Bello-Haas, V., McBain, L., O'Connell, M., Bracken, J., Kosteniuk, J., & Cammer, A. (2014). Evolution of a community-based participatory approach in a Rural and Remote Dementia Care Research Program. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 8(3), 337-345. doi: 10.1353/cpr.2014.0040

• Recent Conference Presentations

Cammer, A., Whiting, S., & Morgan, D. (submitted) Care Aide Perceptions of Best Nutritional Care Practices for Residents with Dementia in Urban and Rural Long-Term Care. Dietitians of Canada Annual Conference. Winnipeg, MB, June 8 – 11, 2016.

Cammer, A. (Accepted) Registered Dietitians’ role in interdisciplinary dementia care across the continuum of care. 17th International Congress of Dietetics, Granada, Spain, 2016

Cammer, A. Best practices regarding nutritional care of urban and rural long-term care residents with dementia. 8th Canadian Conference on Dementia. Ottawa, ON, October 1-3, 2015.

Cammer, A., Morgan, D. & Whiting, S. Nutrition care needs of Alzheimer Disease versus non- Alzheimer Disease patients of a Rural and Remote Memory Clinic. 7th International Symposium: Safety & Health in Agricultural and Rural Populations: Global Perspectives (SHARP). Saskatoon, SK, October 19-22, 2014. 1st place Scientific Merit and People’s Choice award.

Cammer, A., O’Connell, M., Morgan, D., & Whiting, S. Nutrition care needs of Alzheimer disease versus non-Alzheimer disease dementia patients. 2014 Annual Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) Conference, Toronto, ON, May 13-15, 2014.