The Faculty of Nursing welcomes Professor Rebecca Balasa to the University of Windsor. Her experience in nursing and public health, along with her research on child health equity, brings valuable insight to our community. (SUBMITTED BY REBECCA BALASA/University of Windsor)
By Sara Meikle
For Dr. Rebecca Balasa, the path to nursing didn't start in a classroom.
Her own experiences as a pediatric patient introduced her to the role nurses play, not only in delivering treatment, but in providing comfort and connection.
“I was really inspired by my own healthcare team,” she said. “It was through my relationships with nurses and seeing everything they do that I decided to go into the profession.”
That sense of purpose continues to guide her as she joins the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing.
Relocating to Windsor to make it her permanent home, Balasa is eager to become part of the faculty and the broader community.
She was drawn to Windsor not only for its geography, but also for the faculty’s emphasis on community, social justice and Indigenous health. All priorities closely aligned with her research program.
Balasa began her career in pediatric emergency care with enthusiasm and optimism. Working at the bedside quickly revealed challenges that patients don’t often see.
“I started to see the gaps and hierarchies within the health-care system, and how that can impact the care nurses are able to provide,” she said.
Those observations led her to pursue graduate studies, culminating in a PhD in public health, where she examined how research could be used to better understand and address systemic gaps in care.
Her clinical work, including as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, further shaped that trajectory deepening her focus on vulnerabilized patient populations.
That focus sharpened even further during the pandemic, when she saw an increase in youth affected by sex trafficking presenting in pediatric emergency departments. Balasa realized even Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners lacked the education, resources and institutional supports needed to respond effectively.
That experience led Balasa to develop early recommendations aimed at helping pediatric emergency professionals in Ontario better identify and respond to trafficking — work that continues to inform her broader research program today.
At UWindsor, she is expanding into a wider exploration of child health equity.
Her work advances equity-oriented health and social systems to improve care for all children and youth experiencing complex forms of vulnerability across the life course.
“How can we make these systems better for all pediatric patients? By taking small steps to shift structures that are deeply ingrained,” she said.
Windsor’s location as a border city, close to major transportation routes including Highway 401, also adds relevance to her research on human trafficking and population movement.
In the classroom, Balasa brings an interdisciplinary perspective shaped by her background in nursing and public health, broadening her understanding of how social, behavioural and structural factors influence health outcomes.
She hopes to help students connect those broader concepts to their clinical practice.
“I want students to see how everything is interconnected,” she said. “Whether it’s global health, public health or human rights. All of these pieces shape how care is delivered.”
Mentorship is another area Balasa looks forward to being involved in at UWindsor. She describes the experience as mutually enriching.
“To learn from students and work together in that creative space is really meaningful,” she said.
Beyond her academic and clinical work, Balasa is passionate about disability justice initiatives, including the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides and Epilepsy Toronto. She also practises ballet, a lifelong interest she said helps her maintain a healthy balance.
Her work has also extended internationally, including projects in Kenya and Benin focused on sexual- and gender-based violence and human rights. These experiences have broadened her understanding of health systems and the role nurses can play within them.
“It has shaped my research and teaching and highlighted the global impact nursing knowledge and leadership can have,” she said.
While her career has spanned disciplines and borders, her identity as a nurse remains her proudest achievement.
“It’s the only thing I’ve ever done that feels like a true calling,” she said.
Balasa’s commitment to advancing more equitable health systems aligns closely with the Faculty of Nursing’s strategic priorities in research, community impact and improved care for the populations it serves, making her a strong addition to the program.