Kathleen Charlong
Kathleen (Katie) Charlong recently graduated with her MSc from the University of Calgary, under the supervision of Dr. Amy Metcalfe. Katie completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree (2018) at the University of Calgary and began working as a Registered Nurse (RN) with Alberta Health Services thereafter.
After four years of labour and delivery nursing Katie became interested in the root cause of some of the complications related to gestational diabetes that we observe in the acute maternity setting. As such, Katie was encouraged to pursue an MSc degree in epidemiology – her MSc experience deepened her appreciation for how the “temporary” conditions specific to pregnancy are actually warning signals for future cardiometabolic health complications.
When reflecting upon her time as a CHAT Trainee, Katie stated “the CANet CHAT community shows genuine interest and support for trainees. I attended the Expert Knowledge Exchange symposium in 2023 and felt immediately welcomed and encouraged by everyone”.
In October 2023, Katie presented her research during the CANet Expert Knowledge Exchange poster competition in Montreal, titled “Investigating the association between prenatal provider specialty and postpartum glucose testing in people with gestational diabetes: a retrospective analysis of a population-based Canadian cohort.” Katie won 3rd place in the Scientific Poster Award category! Prior to attending the conference Katie also won the Libin Cardiovascular Institute Masters Scholarship in Cardiovascular Health Promotion in September 2023!
Katie is passionate about teaching nursing and medical trainees at work, stating that she “wholeheartedly believes that every person in a mentorship role has a part to play in fostering safe and supportive learning environments for the next generation of our medical colleagues”. For the last few years Katie has also enjoyed playing beginner-level beach volleyball and loves to cook! She is always up to the challenge of attempting new delicious recipes.
Recent awards:
- Alberta Registered Nurses Educational Trust – Patricia Walker Foundation Scholarship, June 2023
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute Master’s Scholarship in Cardiovascular Health Promotion, September 2023
Cardiovascular Network of Canada, CANet Expert Knowledge Exchange Conference – Scientific Poster Award (3rd Place), October 2023