Fran Racher

Biography

Dr. Racher has conducted a variety of research studies and received funding from SSHRC, CIHR, MHRC, BURC, Rural Secretariat, and the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada. Dr. Racher and colleagues developed the Community Health Action Model as a result of the research project Determinants of Health of Rural Populations and Communities funded by SSHRC. She shared the role of principal investigator on the project Rural Postsecondary Students Collaborate to Improve the Health of Their Campus Communities, funded by CIHR-MHRC. This two-phase campus project saw the use of participatory action research, online surveys, focus groups, and town hall meetings to determine the feasibility of using the Community Health Action Model with post-secondary student communities.

Research Interest

Dr. Racher’s areas of interest are rural health, access to health services, health promotion, community development, gerontology, and philosophy of nursing. She takes great pride in her almost 20 years as an educator in nursing, psychiatric nursing, and health studies. Dr. Racher is an avid supporter of the graduate program in psychiatric nursing and has participated in the ongoing development and delivery of the program. In addition to several years as a member of the Health Studies Graduate Committee, she will assume the role of Coordinator of the program while Dr. Renee Robinson takes a sabbatical leave from July 1 to December 31, 2015. Dr. Racher’s extensive experience in research is an asset as she focuses on supporting the work of graduate students in conducting their theses research.