Nancy Ross
Associate Professor

Email: nancy.ross@dal.ca
Phone: 902-494-4049
Fax: 902-494-6709
Mailing Address:
School of Social Work
Suite 3204, Mona Campbell Building,
1459 LeMarchant Street
PO Box 15000 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2
Research Topics:Suite 3204, Mona Campbell Building,
1459 LeMarchant Street
PO Box 15000 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2
- Peacebuilding and prevention of interpersonal violence
- Gender-based violence
- Childhood adversity and resilience
- Trauma and violence informed and family centered systems (Canadian Criminal Justice System, Mental Health and Addiction System, Child Protection Services)
- Mindfulness
- Culturally responsive care and calls to decolonize
Education
- PhD, Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford, UK
- Peace and Conflict Studies Diploma, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
- MSW,
- BSW,
- BA (Hons)
Courses Taught
SLWK 6660 | Social Work and Restorative Approaches: Theory and Skills for Dialogue, Peacebuilding, and Healing |
SLWK 2334 |
Beginning Social Work Practice |
SLWK 3135 | Social Work and Mental Health |
SLWK 3270 | Social Work in Addiction |
HLTH 5130 | Concurrent Disorders and Complex Case Work: Working with Persons, Families and Communities (Distance) |
SLWK 3030 | Theoretical Foundations of Social Work Practice |
SLWK 6540 | Critical Approaches to Mental Health & Addiction in Social Work Practice (Distance) |
SLWK 3130 | Women and Violence |
SLWK 2444 | Life Processes: Concepts and Practices for Critical Social Work (Distance) |
SLWK 4010 | Advanced Social Work Practice |
SLWK 6370 | Advanced Practice Skills |
Additional Teaching Duties | Supervision of Independent Studies, Graduate and PhD Thesis Committees |
Awarded Research Funding
2022 | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) & Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR). PIs: Ross, N. & Lewis, T. (Co-I): Awogiya, F. Partner Organizations: Association of Black Social Workers, Be the Peace Institute, Leave out Violence Nova Scotia and Generation 1 Leadership. Moving Forward Together: Unsettling Racism, Silence and Violence in Health and Social Services. Funds Awarded: $450,000. |
2022 | Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). PI: Brown, C., Co-Is: Ross, N., Johnstone, M. & Augusta Scott, T. Family violence online programming in rural and remote areas of Atlantic Canada (PEI, Newfoundland/Labrador, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia). Funds Awarded: $635,000. |
2022 | Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Ross, N. Bridge Funds for continuation of research program. Funds Awarded: $5,000. |
2022 | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. PI Torres, T. Co -Is: Hamilton-Hinch, B. & Ross, N. Collaborators: Moriah, J., Metallic, N., Gausdal, W., Grant, W. Knowledge Mobilization Focusing on Protective Factors for Children’s Welfare: The case of Urban Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, and Immigrant and Refugee communities. Value: $33,456. |
2021 | Justice Canada. Ross. N. Family-Centred and Trauma-Informed Responses to Gender-Based Violence-Implications for Transforming Justice and Community Systems Community Partners: Law Reform Commission of Nova Scotia & Be the Peace Institute. Funds Awarded: $252,000 |
2020 | Nova Scotia Covid-19 Health Research Coalition. Ross, N., Thomas-Bernard, & Bookchin, S. Culturally Responsive Healthcare to Reduce Gender Based Violence. Funds Awarded: $75000 + Mitac Training Awards x 2 = $6,000 |
2019-2021 | Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Ross, N. Bridge Funds Awarded: $11,103 |
2019 | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ross, N. & Ryan, C. Improving Lives of Families or Punishing Women? Understanding the experiences of criminalized women in Nova Scotia’s domestic violence court programs. Funds Awarded: $25,000 |
2019 | Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW). Brown, C., Johnson, M. & Ross, N.Repositioning Social Work Practice in Mental Health and HealthEquity in Nova Scotia.Funds Awarded: $19,846. |
2018 | SSHRF Explore Grant. Ross, N., Torres S., Gilbert, R., Munroe, A., Hamilton-Hinch, B. & Haslam, K. Project Title: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Profession Students: Measuring Prevalence and Identifying Preventative Approaches. Funds Awarded: $ 6,595. |
2018-2020 | Justice Canada. Ross, N. Are Pro-Arrest, Pro-Charge and Pro-Prosecution Policies the most effective response to domestic violence in NS? Community Partners: Halifax Police & Be the Peace Institute. Funds Awarded: $150,000. |
2018-2021 | Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Torres, S., Parada, H., Yohani, S., Ross, N., Andrew, C., Chiu, Y. & Campbell, K. Exploring the role of cultural brokers as intermediaries between immigrant and refugee families and child welfare workers. Funds Awarded: $187,107. |
2017-2018 | Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation. Ross, N., Torres, S., Savage, S., Gilbert, R., Ungar, M. & McDonald, S. Measuring Adverse Childhood Experiences, Current Health Challenges and Factors that Promote Resilience Among Patients of the Lunenburg Family Health Clinic. Funds Awarded: $15,000. |
2017-2018 | Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation. Torres, S., Waldron, I., Moriah, J., Downey, N., Metallic, N., Karabanow, J. & Ungar, M. Examining protective factors for children’s welfare: the case of Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, and Immigrant and Refugee Children in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Funds awarded: $14,988.00. |
2017-2018 | School of Social Work. ROSS, N. Adverse Childhood Experiences Study: Exploring Resilience Factors Among Adults. Funds Awarded: $1,200. |
Publications
- Ross, N., Raluca, B. & Zubriski, S. (November 21, 2022). University and school strikes across Canada are about workers’ rights — and protecting education as a public good.
- Ross, N.; Brown, C. & Johnstone, M. (2022) (in Press). Beyond Medicalised Approaches to Violence and Trauma: Empowering Social Work Practice. Journal of Social Work.
- Haslam, K.; Hamilton-Hinch, B; Torres, S.; Munroe, A.; Grant, T.; Gilbert, R.; & Ross, N.
(Submitted December 2022). Adverse Childhood Experiences, Maladaptive Coping Behaviours and Protective Factors in Undergraduate Students: A Descriptive Correlational Study. Social Sciences & Humanities Open.
- Doll, K., Brown, C., Johnstone, M. & Ross, N. (2022). "Neoliberalism, Control of Trans and Gender Diverse Bodies and Social Work". Resubmission in process.
- Haslam, K., Ross, N., Torres, S., Hamilton-Hinch, B. & Gilbert, R. (Submitted, November 29, 2021). "An Exploration of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Oral Health Students A Cross-Sectional Study". Journal of Dental Education.
- Ross, N.; Brown, C. & Johnstone, M. (2022). Dismantling Addiction Services: Neoliberal, Biomedical and Degendered Constraints on Social Work Practice. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction Service, 1-14. DOI: 10.1007/s11469-022-00779-0.
- Johnstone, M.; Brown, C. & Ross, N. (2022). The McDonaldization of Social Work: a critical analysis of Mental health care services using the Choice and Partnership Approach (CAPA) in Canada. Journal of Progressive Human Services,33(3) 223-243.
- Ryan, C., Silvio, D., Borden, T. & Ross, N., Senior Author (2022). A review of pro-arrest, pro-charge and pro-prosecution policies as a response to domestic violence in Canada. Journal of Social Work, 22(1): 211-238.
- Ross, N. & Zubriski, S. (September 8, 2021) Federal election 2021: Gender-based violence is an issue we should all prioritize” for publication.
- Ross, N. (2021) Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications for Social Work Practice Connection Magazine (3), 3:20-21.
- Ross, N. (2021) Pandemic Disruptions: The Subversion of Neoliberalism. Journal of Qualitative Social Work, 20(1-2):350-356.
Ryan, C., Silvio, D., Borden, T. & Ross, N., Senior Author (2021) A review of pro-arrest, pro-charge and pro-prosecution policies as a response to domestic violence in Canada. Journal of Social Work, 0(0) 1-28. DOI: 10.1177/1468017320979956.
- Ross, N. (2021) Pandemic Disruptions: The Subversion of Neoliberalism.Journalof Qualitative Social Work,20(1-2):350-356.
- Ryan, C., Silvio, D., Borden, T. & Ross, N., Senior Author (2021) A review of pro-arrest, pro-charge and pro-prosecution policies as a response to domestic violence in Canada.Journal of Social Work,0(0) 1-28. DOI: 10.1177/1468017320979956.
- Ross, N. & Morrison, J. (2020) Safety, Belonging and Voice: Critical Clinical Practice with Girls and Women Struggling with Substance Misuse. In C. Brown, & J. MacDonald, J. (Eds.)Critical Clinical Social Work Practice,pp.171-194. Canadian Scholars Press.
- Ross, N., Bookchin, S. (2020) Perils of Conversation: #MeToo and Opportunities for Peacebuilding.Gender and Management,35(4): 391-404.https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-12-2019-0237
- Ross, N., Gilbert, R., Torres, S., Dugas, K., Jefferies, P., McDonald, S., Savage, S. & Ungar, M. (2020) Adverse Childhood Experiences: Assessing the Impact on Physical and Psychosocial Health in Adulthood and the Mitigating Role of Resilience.Child Abuse and Neglect Journal,103(2020) 104440.
- Ross, N., Hall, C. & MacDonald, J. (2019) Myths, Misperceptions and Misunderstandings: the making of a social work documentary.Canadian SocialWork,20(2):135-151.
- Ross, N. (2019) Applying a Peacebuilding Framework to Gendered Partner Violence in Rural Canada.Peace Research: The Canadian Journal of Peace andConflict Studies,51(2):7-42.
- Ross, N. (2019) Imagining a Non-Violent World: ‘The Be the Peace, Make a Change Project’: A Rural Community Peacebuilding Initiative to End Gender-Based Violence.Peace & Conflict Studies, 26(1):1-23.
- Ross, N., Morrison, J. (2019) The Spiritual is Political: Owning our Interconnectedness in the Pursuit of Social Healing. In N. J. Profitt & C. Baskin (Eds.)Spirit in the Political Quest for an Equitable World: Spirituality, SocialJustice and Social Work,pp. 221-242. Canadian Scholars/Women’s Press.
- Profitt, N.J. & Ross, N. (2017) A critical Analysis of the Report Student Safety in Nova Scotia: Co-creating a Vision and Language for Safer and Socially Just Campus Communities. In E. Quinlan, A. Quinlan, C. Fogel & G. Taylor (Eds.)Sexual Violence at Canadian Universities: Activism, Institutional Responses andStrategies for Change,pp. 193-220. Wilfred Laurier Press.
- Ross, N., Morrison, J., Cukier, S., & Smith, T. (2015) Consuming Carcinogens: Women and Alcohol. In D. Scott (Ed.)Our Chemical Selves: Gender, Toxics, and Environmental Health.pp. 29-104. UBC Press.
- Ross, N., Morrison, J., Cukier, S., & Smith, T. (2015) (Peer reviewed) Consuming Carcinogens: Women and Alcohol. In D. Scott (Ed.)Our Chemical Selves: Gender, Toxics, and Environmental Health.Vancouver: UBC Press.
- Aston, S., Comeau, J. & Ross, N. (2007) Mapping Responses to Women with Substance Use Problems in Rural Canada In N. Poole & L. Greaves (Eds.)