Dr. Elizabeth Podnieks

odnieks, Dr. Elizabeth - holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto, a Master of Environmental Science from York University, Toronto and a Doctor of Education in Sociology from the University of Toronto. She has held nursing positions in Halifax; London, England; Boston; and Toronto. She is presently a professor emeritus at Ryerson University’s School of Nursing in Toronto. She conducted the “National Survey on Abuse of the Elderly in Canada” in 1991. This landmark survey was the first to be national in scope and marks an important step for understanding the extent of the problem of elder abuse in Canada. Her research includes “Raising Awareness of Elder Abuse in Faith Communities.” She was co-investigator on “A Study of Elder Abuse Prevention and Intervention Strategies in Five Countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America”, with Dr. Toshio Tataia principle investigator. She was responsible for Canada being included in an ongoing study by WHO/ INPEA on “A Global Response to Elder Abuse.” She is a pioneer in elder abuse work in faith communities, and raising awareness of elder abuse among children and adolescents. Dr. Podnieks has published extensively in the area of elder abuse and neglect, and has presented at numerous conferences, workshops, scientific and educational meetings at both the national and international level. She is on the Editorial Board for the Journal on Elder Abuse and Neglect (JEAN), and has been invited to be a guest editor in publishing three Canadian volumes of JEAN. She has also served on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. Included in the many conferences she has chaired and organized around gerontological issues was the First and Second National Conference on Elder Abuse held in Toronto in 1991 and 1999. Dr. Podnieks is founder of the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA), and Honorary Chair of their Board of Directors. She is the Vice-Chair of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) and founder of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA). She is a Board Member of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (USA). She was co-chair with Minister Cam Jackson on the Ontario Provincial Elder Abuse Round Table. She was co-investigator of the National Study on Services for Abused of Older Canadians. She is Principle Investigator of “The Worldview on Elder Abuse: Environmental Scam” and a research partner of “A Way Forward: Promising Approaches to Abuse Prevention in Institutional Settings.” Dr. Podnieks was awarded the Order of Canada (2000) in recognition for her work in the field of elder abuse.