University of Calgary

Christine Walsh

  • Professor
  • Advocacy
  • Child & Adolescent Development, Child Welfare, Child Trauma, Youth in the Criminal Justice System
  • Family Issues & Family Violence
  • Homelessness
  • Mental Health

Currently Teaching

About

Degrees: PhD in Social Work (University of Toronto), MSW (McMaster University), MSc and BSc in Human Kinetics (University of Guelph)

Interests: Child and family health, child maltreatment, family violence, health and mental health, Aboriginal health, social policy, advocacy.

Dr. Christine Walsh is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work and holds an adjunct assistant professorship at McMaster University.

Before coming to the Faculty in 2004, Walsh was employed as a clinical social worker at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, where she conducted parenting assessments and maltreatment evaluations as part of a multidisciplinary team. She also worked at the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University as a research associate, investigating the epidemiology of child maltreatment, women’s mental health and Aboriginal health.

Walsh’s research interests involve contributing to the understanding of violence across the lifespan, and populations affected by social exclusion, poverty and homelessness. Current research projects include:

  • Telling: Examining Cross-Cultural Patterns in Adolescent Maltreatment Disclosures, Social Science and Humanities Research Council.
  • Centre Street Urban Design and Social Strategy Project- Phase II & III, City of Calgary and Torode Realty
  • Elder Abuse: Developing an Approach to Measure Prevalence and Determinants, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
  • Optimal Shelter Design for Homeless Women: Site, Situation, and Service, Social Science and Humanities Research Council.


Recent publications include:

  • Walsh, C. A., MacMillan, H. L., Trocmé, N., Boyle, M., & Jamieson, E. Measurement of victimization in adolescence: development and validation of the Childhood Experience of Violence Questionnaire. Child Abuse and Neglect (accepted)
  • Walsh, C. A., Olson, J., Ploeg, J. Lohfeld, L., & MacMillan, H. Elder abuse and oppression: Voices of marginalized elders. Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect (accepted)
  • Walsh, C. A., Hewson, J., Shier, M., & Morales, E. Unravelling ethics: Reflections from a community-based participatory research project with youth. The Qualitative Report (accepted)
  • MacMillan, H. L., Walsh, C. A, Jamieson, E., Wong, M., Faries, E. J., McCue, H., MacMillan, A. B., & Offord, D. R., with The Health Coordination Unit of the Chiefs of Ontario. Partnerships in Research: The Ontario First Nations Regional Health Survey. Native Aging and Health (accepted)
  • Rutherford, G., Walsh, C. A., & Rook, J. Teaching and Learning Processes for Social Transformation: Engaging a Kaleidoscope of Learners.Journal of Teaching in Social Work (accepted)
  • Walsh, C. A. & Krieg, B. Roma Identity: Contrasting constructions. Canadian Ethnic Studies (accepted)
  • MacMillan, H. L., Georgiades, K., Duku, E. K., Shea, A., Steiner, M., Niec, A., Tanaka, M., Gensey, S., Spree, S., Vella, E., Walsh, C. A., De Bellis, M. D., Van der Meulen, J. Boyle, M. H., Schmidt, L. A. Cortisol response to stress in female youths exposed to childhood maltreatment: Results of the Youth Mood Project. Biological Psychiatry (accepted)
  • MacMillan, H. L., Jamieson, E., Walsh, C. A., Wong, M., Faries, E. J., McCue, H., MacMillan, A. B., & Offord, D. R., with The Health Coordination Unit of the Chiefs of Ontario. (2008). First Nations Women’s Mental Health: Results from the Ontario First Nations Regional Health Survey. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 11(2), 109-115.
  • Walsh, C. A., Este, D. & Krieg, B. (2008). The enculturation experience of Roma Refugees: A Canadian perspective. The British Journal of Social Work, 38(5), 900-917.
  • Nixon, N., Tutty, L. M., Weaver-Dunlop, G & Walsh, C. A., (2007). Do Good Intentions Beget Good Policy? A Review of Child Protection Policies to Address Intimate Partner Violence. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(12), 1469-1486.
  • Shier, M., Walsh, C. A., & Graham, J. R. (2007). Conceptualizing optimum homeless shelter service delivery: The interconnection between programming, community, and the built environment. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 16(1), 58-75.
  • MacMillan, H. L., Jamieson, E., Wathen, C. N., Boyle, M., Walsh, C. A., Omura, J., Walker, J., & Lodenquai, G. (2007). Development of a policy-relevant child maltreatment research strategy. Milbank Quarterly, 85(2), 337- 374.
  • Walsh, C. A., Ploeg, J., Lohfeld, L., Horne, J., MacMillan, H. & Lai, D. (2007). Violence across the lifespan: Interconnections among forms of abuse as described by marginalized Canadian elders and their caregivers. British Journal of Social Work Special Issue – Caring for People: Social Work with Adults in the Next Decade and Beyond, 37(3), 491-514.
  • Walsh, C. A., MacMillan, H. L., Jamieson, E., & Boyle, M. (2007). Child abuse and chronic pain in a community survey of women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(12), 1536-1554.
  • Walsh, C. A. & Krieg, B. (2007). Roma immigrants: A profile of health, education and social welfare needs. Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, 5(1), 5-27.


Walsh is a founding member of the Downtown Community Initiative, a partnership between the Faculties of Social Work and Nursing and the Salvation Army Centre of Hope; a core member of the research team for the Child Development Centre; and an executive member of the Child and Maternal Health Institute.

She has been awarded two teaching grants (2006 Spring Summer Innovation grant and 2007 Students’ Union Grant for Teaching Innovation) to develop courses reflecting her research interests. She also teaches an online course, “Violence and victimology across the lifespan.”

Research Projects:

  • Sieppert, J. (Co-I). & Walsh, C. (Co-I). Downtown Community Initiative (DCI). (VP External Office, University of Calgary; 2005-2005).
  • Walsh, C. (Co-I). Health Impacts of Violence across the Lifespan: A Multidisciplinary Approach. (CIHR New Emerging Team Grant; 2002-2007).
  • Walsh, C. (PI). Sharing Secrets: Exploring Pathways to Adolescent Maltreatment Disclosures University of Calgary, Start up Grant. (University of Calgary Start-up Grant; 2005-2006).
  • Walsh, C. (PI). Telling: Examining Cross-Cultural Patterns in Maltreatment Disclosures. (University of Calgary, SSHRC Development Grant; 2005-2005).
  • Walsh, C. (Co-I). Enhancing Self-Understanding and Social Integration for Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities. (SSHRC; 2005-2008).
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