Pamela Grassau

Pamela Grassau is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at Carleton University. Pam’s primary areas of research and practice are patient and family caregiver experiences of advanced illness; end of life and bereavement; interprofessional health care providers working in hospice and palliative care; public health approaches to illness, end of life and bereavement; and social work research and pedagogies.

In addition to numerous articles and research projects, Pam is the Principal Investigator of a 3 1/2-year (2019-2022) project called “Healthy End of Life Project (HELP) Ottawa: Offering, Asking for and Accepting Help; Creating an End of Life Collaborative Community Culture”. Based in four local community sites (two community health centres, and two faith communities), this project aims to build an integrated, local, and compassionate care network of health, social service, community and informal networks to support people with advanced age, frailty, and/or chronic and life-limiting illness to live and die, as well as possible, at home or in the community. Recognizing the essential role of carers (caregivers and care recipients) and the varying transitions and losses that unfold across our lives, this project focuses on ensuring people who are living with grief and loss have the care and support they need.

While working at the Bruyère Research Institute in Palliative Care Education and Research (2010-2017), Pam had the opportunity to be involved in a number of simulated-based education and research studies, which drew on OSCEs, Learning and Coaching OSCEs, and most important, Team OSCEs to build interprofessional team competences and capacities. Pam is Co-Investigator on Knowing and Not Knowing: Navigating Uncertainty in Social Work Practice and is excited to be affiliated with the SIM Social Work Research Lab.

Carleton University Faculty Profile
Healthy End of Life Project (HELP) Ottawa

Share: Twitter, Facebook
Short URL: https://carleton.ca/socialwork/simlab/?p=955