You are now in the main content area
Christina McMillan Boyles

Christina McMillan Boyles

Associate Professor, School of Nursing
School of Nursing
Faculty of Education and Health
Director, School of Nursing
School of Nursing
Faculty of Education and Health

Biography

Christina McMillan Boyles PhD, RN is the Director of the School of Nursing/École des sciences infirmières and an Associate Professor at Laurentian University. She has been a nursing faculty member since 2005. She holds a PhD in Rural and Northern Health with a specialty in Health Policy.  Her research and scholarly interests include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, health service and policy research, health equity, qualitative research methods, and nursing education. She has taught pathophysiology from a nursing perspective, professional growth, and nursing praxis courses within the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Program. During her time at Laurentian she has taken on administrative roles including English Program Coordinator of the BScN program. She has also served as the Coordinator of our Collaborative Nursing Program. She is also a member of the Laurentian University Academic Senate. She is an active contributor to the Lung Health Foundation (LHF) where she currently serves on their Board of Directors and as a member of the LHF Research Advisory Group. She was a long-standing member of the Ontario Respiratory Care Society (ORCS), a former professional society of the Lung Health Foundation, where she also served as its Chair and  the ORCS Regional Representative for Northeastern Ontario, the Chair of the Northeastern Ontario Provincial Planning Committee, a Member of the ORCS Provincial Committee and Research and Fellowship Committee. She is a member of the Canadian Respiratory Health Professionals Association (CRHPA), the Canadian Association of Health Service and Policy Research (CAHSPR), the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL), the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). She has also contributed to the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) Best Practice Guideline (BPG) Project for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). She has professional experience in acute medical care, public health, research and academia. 

Education

  • PhD Rural and Northern Health, Health Policy (Laurentian University) 
  • MScN (Laurentian University)
  • Type II Diploma Health Services and Policy Research (Ontario Training Center)
  • BScN  cum laude (Laurentian University)

Research

Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Grant: Christina McMillan Boyles is a co- applicant/co-investigator on an inter-professional pan-Canadian team led by Dr. Pat Camp PhD PT, Associate Professor | Faculty of Medicine Department of Physical Therapy, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation at the University of British Columbia., UBC on a Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) THINC (Transforming Health with Integrative Care) Grant- as a member of an Implementation Science Team. Proposal for multi-year project entitled, “SPIRO: SPirometry for Improved Indigenous and Rural Respiratory Outcomes.” was successful and has received funding $400, 000.00 per year for up to 5 years for a total of 2 million dollars.

Awards

  • 2019-2020  Ontario Respiratory Care Society (ORCS) Fellowship Award $4270.00
  • 2018-2019 Ontario Respiratory Care Society (ORCS) Fellowship Award $6955.25
  • 2004 Ontario Respiratory Care Society (ORCS) Fellowship Award $7500 .00
  • 2004 Ontario Training Centre (OTC) Health Services and Policy Research Type II Diploma $15,000.00
  • 2003 Ontario Respiratory Care Society (ORCS) Fellowship Award $7500.00

Teaching

NURS 4056 EL: Professional Growth V

This course focuses on the critical examination of complex nursing practice issues. Opportunities are provided for learners to reflect upon their development as novice practitioners informed by evidence and standards of practice. Learners are required to integrate new and concurrent learning. PREREQ: NURS 4056, NURS 4206, NURS 4416, NURS 4084 (lec/sem 3) cr 3

NURS 4084 EL: Nursing Praxis and Professional Caring VII

This course focuses on the critical examination of nursing knowledge related to complex health challenges. Opportunities are provided to identify, appraise, and integrate relevant nursing knowledge to understand praxis. Learning experiences require the integration of new and prior learning. PREREQ:  NURS 3005, NURS 3066, NURS 3094, NURS 3416 (lec/sem 3; lab 1; 200 hr exp; cr 4)

NURS 3084 EL: Nursing Praxis and Professional Caring V

This course focuses on health promotion and protection within the context of physiological, psychological, psychosexual, emotional, social, cultural, and spiritual health. Opportunities are provided to explore health and healing in relation to health-care delivery. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning. PREREQ: CHMI 2220, NURS 2144, NURS 2057, NURS 2107. (lec/sem 3, lab .5, 96 hr acute exp, 72 hr community exp cr 4).

NURS 3094 EL: Nursing Praxis and Professional Caring VI

This course focuses on health promotion and health protection within the context of diverse aggregates. Opportunities are provided to further explore health and healing in relation to health-care delivery. (lec/sem 3, lab .5, Acute exp. 96 hr, Non-Acute exp. 72 hr)

NURS 2107 EL: Health and Healing III

This course focuses on human pathophysiology. Opportunities are provided to translate knowledge of such science to inform nursing practice. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning. PREREQ: NURS 2084, NURS 2006, BIOL 2036. (lec/sem 3) cr 3

Publications

McMillan Boyles, C. (2023). An Interpretive Description of Health Equity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Clinical Practice Guidelines. Published Doctoral Thesis. Available at: https://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca/handle/10219/4070

McMillan Boyles, C., Spoel, P., Montgomery, P., Nonoyama, M., & Montgomery, K. (2022). Representations of clinical practice guidelines and health equity in healthcare literature: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. DOI: 10.1111/jnu.12847.

Boyles, C.M., Higgins, Z.E., Bibr, C.O., & Sharma, N. (2020). Spinning our Wheels? Chronic Disease Management as Health Policy Priority for Northern Ontario. Northern Policy Institute, 38, 1-22. Available at:             https://www.northernpolicy.ca/upload/documents/publications/commentaries-new/boyles-higgins-bibr-sharma-chronic-disea.pdf

Bailey, P.H. Boyles, C.M., Duff Cloutier,J, Bartlett, A., Goodridge, D., Manji, M., & Dusek, B. (2013). Practice in Nursing Care of Dyspnea: The 6th Vital Sign in Individuals with COPD. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 3(1), 108-122.

Boyles, C.M., Bailey, P.H., & Mossey, S. (2011). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as Disability: Dilemma stories. Qualitative Health Research, 21 (2), 187-198.

Bailey, P., Bartlett, A., Duff Cloutier, J., Goodridge, D., Manji, M., McMillan Boyles, C., Dusek, B., & Vales, G. (2010). Nursing Care of Dyspnea: The 6th Vital Sign in Individuals Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Guideline Supplement. Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) Best Practice Guideline (BPG): Toronto, ON. (o) www.rnao.org (authors listed in alphabetical order)

Bailey, P.H., Montgomery, P., Boyles, C.M. (2009). "COPD Stories of Complex Causal 'Truths' "Sure I've smoked all my life /but I also put in 37 years at the mine." Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18(14), 1994-2002.

PocketSnips Team. (2009). PocketSnips: Health education, technology, and teamwork. Journal of Distance Education, 23(2), 147-155.

Boyles, C.M., Bailey, P.H., & Mossey, S. (2008). Representations of disability in nursing and healthcare literature: An integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(4), 428-437. 

​Bailey, P., Bartlett, A., Beatty, G., Bissonnette, J., Dabrowski, B., Manji, M., McMillan, C., Pollock, R. (2005). Nursing Care of Dyspnea: The 6th Vital Sign in Individuals Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) Best Practice Guideline (BPG).