Dr. Lobchuk is most proud of her empathic communication app, "In Your Shoes," which provides an innovative tool based on self-reflection to learn how to engage in cognitive empathy.
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA, July 18, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Michelle Marie Lobchuk, RN, PhD, has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Leveraging more than two decades of excellence in education, nurse science and research on empathic communication, Dr. Lobchuk has earned distinction as an associate professor of nursing for the University of Manitoba in Canada. Since 2000, she has focused her efforts on teaching evidence-informed practice to undergraduate and graduate students while leading a research program in empathic communication for formal and informal caregivers. Graduate and doctoral students, and post-doctoral research fellows have worked closely with Dr. Lobchuk to advance empirical knowledge in in the area of cognitive empathy. She also co-investigates studies involving family caregiving, collaborating with numerous family caregiving groups across Canada and Australia. Additionally, because her work in empathic communication allowed her to develop a reputation in mentorship, she has been frequently assigned to mentor new faculty members.
Dr. Lobchuk is most proud of her empathic communication app, "In Your Shoes," which provides an innovative tool based on self-reflection to learn how to engage in cognitive empathy. The app allows users to create video recordings, obtain feedback and receive a score that indicates how well they are able to perceive a person's thoughts or feelings. This comes out of the notion of good communication based on empathy, addressing the failure to listen and understand others and helping to make people feel heard and valued, particularly in the areas of chronic care, long-term and dementia care, healthy behaviours, trauma care, interprofessional collaborative care, intercultural communication, and family caregiving.
Prior to her current role, Dr. Lobchuk began her career in 2000 as a research associate and mentor for the evidence-based practice teaching program of Dr. Lesley Degner, a pioneer in cancer nursing research in Canada. Following this time, she joined the University of Manitoba as an assistant professor in 2003. Over the course of her career, she has authored over 70 publications in peer reviewed journals, including in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Among her professional accomplishments, Dr. Lobchuk was honored with an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2003 from the University of Manitoba and a Research Manitoba Chair to develop her program in caregiver empathic communication from 2011 until 2016. With funding received from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Dr. Lobchuk established the CAregiver Research Environment (aka CAreLab) to advance her research program. She also received an Outstanding New Investigator Award from the Canadian Association for Nursing Research in 2006, a $10,000 Scholarship and Research Award in Health Sciences from the RH Foundation in 2009 and an Excellence in Nursing Research Award from the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology and Pfizer the same year. Added to these, the National Cancer Institute of Canada presented her with Research Scientist Awards from 2004 through 2010 and she received a Professional Nursing Award for Excellence in Nursing Research from the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba in 2022.
To prepare for her career, Dr. Lobchuk earned a bachelor's degree in restorative nursing in 1991 and a Master of Science in Nursing in 1993, both from the University of Manitoba. Following these achievements, she attained an individual interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy from the same institution in 2001. During this time, she developed an interest in the work of Dr. William Ickes, professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Arlington, who coined the phrase "empathic accuracy" and defined it as the perceptual understanding of a person through observation of communication cues and empathy. She decided to pursue research in the CAreLab, testing the concept descriptively and moving into locally- and federally-funded advanced research with experimental designs.
Within the coming years, Dr. Lobchuk intends to retire while still maintaining a role with the University of Manitoba to ensure the development of her empathic communication app. She also plans to supervise her former project coordinator before running the research and development unit of the small business they plan to establish while actively promoting the welfare of family caregivers by creating a support group for them in her city.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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