Associate Professor
phone: 604–822–8573
laura.nimmon@ubc.ca
Profile
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Scientist at the Centre for Health Education Scholarship (CHES) at the University of British Columbia. My research advances critical conversations in health professions education on interdependence, power, and relational care. My contributions have been recognized through multiple awards, including the UBC Faculty of Medicine Award for Excellence in Mentoring (2021), the Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) Champion Mentorship Award (2020), the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME) Young Researcher Award (2017), and election to Sigma Xi (2024). I also serve as Associate Editor for the journal Perspectives on Medical Education.
My research program has three major strands. First, I challenge assumptions of independence in health professions education by examining the social networks that underpin learning, teamwork, and clinical practice. Through social network analysis and social theories, I have revealed how interdependence, rather than autonomy, is central to effective care. This work has informed invited talks, research papers, and a Medical Education State of the Science paper introducing qualitative ego network analysis to the field.
Second, my program on power dynamics explores how authority and influence shape interprofessional teams and patient care. Supported by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and an Arthritis Society Salary Award, this research has appeared in leading journals and culminated in high-profile invited contributions to Science (2024) and The Lancet Oncology (2025), positioning health professions education within global conversations on ethical and relational care.
Finally, my scholarship on death, dying, and palliative care illuminates relational and temporal dimensions of compassionate practice. Collectively, my work deepens understanding of connection, care, and humanity in health professions education during an era of increasing system dehumanization.
Outside of work, I treasure time with my family and enjoy photography, yoga, literature, and walking my dog Smiles by the ocean.
Research
I bring an interdisciplinary perspective to the field of health professional education research that is shaped by my training in medicine, social network analysis, anthropology, and sociolinguistics. My approach emphasizes how social interactions, power relations, cognition, language, and identity are always co-produced and bound to context.
I supervise and collaborate with graduate students, faculty, and educational leaders on research topics that are important to them. On this collaborative work, I have brought diverse social theories (community of practice theory, cultural historical activity theory, social network theory, etc.) to “see” social phenomenon anew with an effort to enlarge scholarly approaches to learning and practice. This research has spanned topics such as psychological safety; disability and belonging; learners mistreated by patients; residents’ hidden decision-making networks, and a pedagogy of love.
I am an award-winning researcher and my work is funded by tri-council national funding agencies, hospital foundations, and professional regulatory bodies.
Teaching
I currently teach graduate level sessions on qualitative research as a method of inquiry in RHSC 500 and in CHES/MHPE Campus 2.
Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Opportunities
I welcome new MSc and PhD students, please get in touch if you have similar research interests.
Affiliations
- Scientist, Centre for Health Education Scholarship (CHES), Faculty of Medicine, UBC
- Associate Editor, Perspectives on Medical Education (Netherlands)
- Invited member, Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Honor Society (USA)
Select Publications
*link to articles provided when possible*
Please see my publications via my Google Scholar page.