A conference this weekend will give a platform to the tremendous amount of scholarship done by nursing academic and practising professionals in Windsor, according to the professor organizing it.

“There is a lot of good work that happens in Windsor, and we need an opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from each other,” says Maher El-Masri, chair of the Great Lakes Biennial Nursing Conference, October 3 and 4 at the Caesars Windsor Convention Centre.

This year’s theme is “Integrating Research, Theory, and Practice to Maximize Patient Safety and Health Outcomes.” Dr. El-Masri says it is the first time the conference has extended over two days, which helped to attract attendance from further afield.

“We have registrants from Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto and Hamilton, Toledo and through Michigan,” he says. “But I am most excited about the number of our own nursing students who are attending.”

In addition to the chance to learn from health care leaders, the weekend event gives students an invaluable conference experience, says El-Masri.

The conference features two keynote addresses: health reporter André Picard of the Globe and Mail discussing the state of the Canadian health care system, and Laurie Zimmer, manager of emergency department and alternative level of care for the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network.

Find more information, including a full agenda and registration details, on the conference website.