Darryn DiFrancesco

DiFrancesco, Dr. Darryn

she/her

BA (Simon Fraser), MA (Ottawa), Ph.D. (UBC/Ottawa)

Assistant Professor
Phone
Campus
Fort St. John
Peace River-Liard

Biography

I am a medical sociologist with an interdisciplinary background. I completed a BA in Communication from Simon Fraser University, an MA in International Development & Globalization from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. in Sociology through the University of British Columbia and University of Ottawa. My MA research examined community-driven economic development in a Northern BC Indigenous community, while my Ph.D. research was a digital ethnography exploring the experiences of mothers using Facebook for information about health and parenting. Following my graduate studies, I worked as Qualitative Research Lead at the University of Calgary's Health Technology Assessment Unit in the O'Brien Institute for Public Health, where I studied clinician experiences and perspectives relating to health technologies/interventions as well as preferences around payment models among rural and remote physicians.

Research and Expertise

In my current role as Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, I am undertaking a research program related to the recruitment and retention of healthcare workers in Northern British Columbia.

I am interested in collaborating with other scholars or working with students on topics related to any of the following:

Gender, Maternal Health, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Environment and Health, Health Equity, Health Service Delivery, Media and Health, Social Media, Nursing, Patient Experiences, Perinatal Health Care, Social Determinants of Health, Social Studies of Medicine

Research Fields
  • Anthropology
  • Gender and Women's Studies
  • Health
  • Health and Well-being
  • Health Sciences
  • Northern Issues
  • Rural Health Services
Areas of Expertise
Gender, Maternal Health, Family, Social Media, Clinician Experiences, Rural and Remote Healthcare Workforce, Media misinformation
Languages Spoken
  • English
Currently accepting graduate students
Graduate Supervisor Details
I am interested in working with graduate students as supervisor or committee member. Please review my research interests and contact me if you believe I am a good fit for your project.
Available to be contacted by the media as a subject matter expert

Selected Publications