

My passion for and commitment to health for all are constant goals. I believe in thinking differently, challenging the status quo, and reaching for opportunities to make connections. I strive to be playful, curious, faithful, and kind.
My research interests include interdisciplinary leadership, quality improvement, and teaching and learning in higher education. My desire is to expand my research to recognize the cultural components present in our interconnected world, which will help me continue learning about my community. The three words that guided my choices during my first ten years of teaching in the EdD program at Creighton were Trust, Equity, and Together. As I anticipate the next several years, three words that are guiding me now are 'Connection, Loving Kindness, and Play.' These three words challenge and inspire me. What are your three words?
Prior to coming to Creighton University, I served as a health educator in the Health Promotion Department at the Saskatoon Health Region, a regional health authority in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. I have also served in the volunteer sector (a.k.a. – non-profit) at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan as a community action specialist; and before that, I served in the U.S. Army as a medical laboratory technician. And, before all of this, I was a student-athlete competing in multiple sports.
My philosophy on teaching and learning is to use stories, dialogue, and questions to illuminate ideas and solutions. My goal is to create a trusting atmosphere for engagement, acceptance, and giving our best selves so we can all thrive. This doesn’t mean the environment is comfortable, this means the environment is safe. Safe to explore, take risks, innovate, ask questions, and celebrate the gift of the human imagination and creativity. I believe education should cultivate the courage to be uncomfortable and teach how to accept discomfort as a part of growth. The experience of wrestling with issues and coming to your own conclusions might make it a little harder to get quick and easy answers, but it also gives us the perspective and knowledge from which we can evaluate the world and a lens through which we can view the many and quickly changing events that make up a typical day in our world today.
It is important for me to surround myself with people who care about making positive change for social justice through engagement and innovation.
Candace uses she/they pronouns.Interdisciplinary Studies
Associate Professor