Faculty & Staff

Office: Y320-F
Phone: 403.440.8631
Email: adosani@mtroyal.ca
 

 

 

Rooted in a rich foundation of maternal, newborn, and child health alongside community and public health practice, Dr. Aliyah Dosani serves as a Tenured Full Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Mount Royal University and holds an Adjunct Associate Professor appointment in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. Her academic mission centers on driving health equity, social justice, and decolonization across health systems nationally and globally. Her research investigates how interconnected social and structural drivers – such as systemic racism, gender disparities, and economic disadvantage – shape maternal-child health, mental well-being, and care access for communities that have been historically marginalized and rendered vulnerable. 

Dr. Dosani’s scholarly work relies heavily on community-partnered research, co-design, and participatory methods that center the voices of individuals with lived experience. Spanning North America, East Africa, and South Asia, her global initiatives tackle perinatal mental health, task-sharing models for lay counselors, physiological stress pathways linked to preterm birth, and systemic obstacles to care delivery. As lead editor and author of the foundational textbook Stamler and Yiu’s Community Health Nursing: A Canadian Perspective, she is widely recognized for advancing critical, anti-racist, and intersectional research methodologies across qualitative, quantitative, and community-driven paradigms. 

 In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Dosani provides executive leadership and strategic advocacy across institutional, national, and international health bodies. She has served as the national child health lead for the Aga Khan Health Board for Canada, worked as the Program Associate in Health for the Aga Khan Foundation in Geneva, partnered with the World Health Organization on health promotion and system strengthening, and served on national ethics, equity, and educational committees. Honored as a Distinguished Faculty member and profiled as one of Mount Royal University’s "Great Profs," Dr. Dosani has also been inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN) and named among Canada’s Most Powerful Women (Top 100) by the Women’s Executive Network. She continually uses her platform to champion epistemic justice, mentor emerging scholars, and catalyze systemic change in global community health. 

 

Areas of Instruction

• Community Health Nursing
• Population/Public Health
• Global Health
• Social Justice and Health Equity

Area of Scholarship

• Maternal Newborn Child Health
• Community Health
• Population/Public Health
• Social Justice and Health Equity
• Global Health

Teaching Pattern

Teaching-Scholarship-Service

 

Recent Publications

Sulaiman, S., Dosani, A. & Forcheh, N. (2026). Psychometric Properties of the Coparenting Relationship Scale in Primiparous Mothers and Fathers in Karachi, Pakistan. Children, 13(10),1329. https://doi.org/10.3390/children13101329.

Sulaiman, S., Dosani, A. Rose, M. S., Somani, R., Ali, G. (2026). Predictors of Postpartum Coparenting Relationship among Primiparous Couples in Karachi, Pakistan. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 17:1886830. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1886830

Walani, S., Kassam, S., Shahjani, Z., & Dosani, A. (2026). Public Health Nurse Advocacy as Essential for Addressing the Health Impacts of Climate Change. Public Health Reviews. 47:1609391. doi: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609391.

Kurbatfinski, S., Letourneau, N., Dewey, D., Hayes, A., & Dosani, A. (2026). A Global Index of Maternal Attachment Insecurity and Children's Behavioural Problems: Examining Sex Differences and Psychosocial Pathways in a Longitudinal Cohort. Children and Youth Services Review, 190, 109238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109238.

Suleiman, S., Yim, I. S., Dosani, A. (2025). Psychometric Properties of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire in Male Partners, Minerva Psychiatry,66(3), 144-151. doi: 10.23736/S2724-6612.25.02631-4

Dosani, A., Etowa, J., & van Daalen-Smith. C. (Eds). (2025). Stamler & Yiu’s Community Health Nursing: A Canadian Perspective, 6th Edition. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Canada, Inc.

Sulaiman, S., Dosani, A., Lalani, S., Yim, I. S., Forcheh, N., Premji, S. S. &  Maternal-infant Global Health Team (MiGHT) Collaborators in Research. (2025). A Prospective Study of Changes in Psychosocial Distress and Preterm Birth in Pakistani Women. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 22: 100946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2025.100964.

Kurbatfinski, S., Dosani, A., Hayes, A. F., Dewey, D., Letourneau, N., & APrON Study Team. (2025). Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences and Preschool Children’s Behavioural Problems: Exploring Mediation via an Adapted Measure of Adult Attachment Pattern. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1596613. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1596613.

Kurbatfinski, S., Letourneau, N., Dewey, D., & Dosani, A. (2025). Applying Different Frameworks to Understand the Etiology of Mental Health Conditions: A Narrative Review. Psychiatry International, 6 (65). https://doi.org/10.3390/psychiatryint6020065.

Cuncannon, A., Seitz, K., Brar, A., & Dosani, A. (2024). Lay Counselling Interventions for Perinatal Depression in the Global South: A Scoping Review. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 11, e85,1–11. https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2024.73.

Premji, S. S., Lalani, S., Ghani, F., Nausheen, S., Forcheh, N., Omuse, G., Letourneau, N., Babar, N., Sulaiman, S., Wangira, M., Ali, S. S., Islam, N., Dosani, A., Yim, I. S., on behalf of Maternal-infant Global Health Team – Collaborators in research. (2024). Allostatic Load as a Mediator and Chronic Stress as a Moderator in the Association between Maternal Mental Health and Preterm Birth during Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study of Pregnant Women in Pakistan. Psychopathology, 58(1) 13-32. https://doi.org/10.1159/000540579

Kurbatfinski, S., Dosani, A., Dewey, D., Nicole Letourneau, N. (2024). Proposed Physiological Mechanisms Underlying the Association between Adverse Childhood Experiences on Mental Health Problems: A Narrative Review. Children, 11(9), 1112. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11091112.

Kurbatfinski, S., Dosani, A., Fajardo, C., Cuncannon, A., *Kassam, A., & Lodha, A. K. (2024). Impacts of COVID-19 on Mothers’ and Newborns’ Health Outcomes in Regional Canada: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Heliyon, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34165

Yim, I. S., Akberali, N., Dosani, A., Lalani, S., Babar N., Sidrah, N., Premji, S. S., & Maternal-infant Global Health Team (MiGHT) Collaborators in Research. (2024). Strengthening Recruitment and Retention: Mitigation Strategies in two Longitudinal Studies of Pregnant Women in Pakistan. Maternal and Child Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-024-03957-9.

Kurbatfinski, S., Komanchuk, J., Dosani, A. & Letourneau, N. Validity, Reliability, Accessibility, and Applicability of Newborn-to-Preschool Children’s Developmental Screening and Assessment Tools Across Different Demographics: A Realist Review. (2024). Children, 11, 745. https://doi.org/10.3390/ children11060745.

Selected Presentations

Dosani, A. & Singh, S. (January 23, 2026). How to Begin to Leverage AI to Elevate your Scholarship. AI Masterclass Series, Faculty of Health, Community and Education. (Role: Invited Speaker).

Dosani, A. & Singh, S. (February 27, 2026). Building Your Research Programme with AI. AI Masterclass Series, Faculty of Health, Community and Education. (Role: Invited Speaker).

Brownell, C., Dosani, A. October 2, 2025. Social Justice and Equity Discussion. School of Nursing and Midwifery Council Meeting. Mount Royal University. (Role: Invited Speaker).

Bennett, M., Bertsch, C., Cuncannon, A., Dosani, A., Gruber, J., Kurbatfinski, S., & Nixon, K. (November 24, 2025). Alliance against Violence and Adversity Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Panel Discussion. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Role: Invited Panelist).

Sulaiman, S. & Dosani, A. Motherhood: Exploring Predictors of Coparenting Relationship among First-Time Mothers in Karachi, Pakistan. (October 4-6, 2026) Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses (CFMHN) 2026 National Conference: Mental Health Practice Built with our Community, Calgary, Alberta.

Cuncannon, A., Dosani, A., Etowa, J., Nadkarni, A., Agrawal, R., Singh, S., Hussain, S., Emmanuel, J., Premji, S., Sangha, S., Del Castillo, F., & Brar, A. Building Bridges in Global Perinatal Mental Health: Using Photovoice to Prioritize Local Voices and Advance Culturally Safe Care. (October 1-2, 2026). Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN) National Conference, Calgary, Alberta.

Kurbatfinski, S., Letourneau, N., Dewey, D., Hayes, A. F., & Dosani, A. A Global Index of Maternal Attachment Insecurity and Children’s Behavioural Problems: Examining Sex Differences and Psychosocial Pathways in a Longitudinal Cohort. (August 18, 2026). Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute: 2026 Maternal and Child Trainee Research Day, Calgary, Alberta. (Poster Presentation).

Sulaiman, S. & Dosani, A. Navigating New Motherhood: Predictors of Postpartum Coparenting Relationship in First-Time Mothers in Karachi, Pakistan. (June 17-19, 2026). Caring Beyond Walls: The Power of Nursing in Homes, Communities, and Primary Care Settings, London, UK. (Poster).

Sulaiman, S., Dosani, A., Rose, S., Somani, R. Chehade, Y. Navigating New Motherhood: Predictors of Postpartum Coparenting Relationship in First-Time Mothers in Karachi, Pakistan. (June 4-6, 2026). Children Hope Summit conference, Rome, Italy. (Poster Presentation).

Sulaiman, S., Dosani, A., Rose, S., Somani, R. Navigating New Motherhood: Predictors of Postpartum Coparenting Relationship in First-Time Mothers in Karachi, Pakistan. (June 4-5, 2026). Children Hope Summit conference, Rome, Italy. (Panel Discussion).

Sulaiman, S. & Dosani, A. Navigating New Motherhood: Predictors of Postpartum Coparenting Relationship in First-Time Mothers in Karachi, Pakistan (June 4-5, 2026). Global Summit of Women. Online Conference. (Oral Presentation).

Sulaiman, S. & Dosani, A. Navigating New Fatherhood: Predictors of Postpartum Coparenting Relationship in First-Time Fathers in Karachi, Pakistan. (March 30-31, 2026). Social Mission Alliance: For us all: transforming the health workforce, Los Angeles California. (Oral Presentation).

Lalani S., Premji S. S., Shaikh, K., Sulaiman S, Yim, I. S., Forcheh, N., Babar, N., Nausheen, S., Letourneau N, the Maternal-infant Global Health Team (MiGHT)-Collaborators in Research. (November 4-5, 2025). Individual and collective contribution of antenatal psychosocial distress conditions and preterm birth in Pakistani women. Building Thriving Communities: Promoting Brain and Mental Health (BMI) Conference, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Dosani, A., Etowa, J., Cuncannon, A., Nadkarni, A., Agrawal, R., Singh, S., Hussain, S., Emmanuel, J., Premji, S. S., Sangha, S., Del Castillo, F. & Brar, A. (July 30, 2025). Optimizing Global Perinatal Mental Health Through Multiple-Collaborative Partnerships: Prioritizing Local Voices while Engaging in Global Health and Implementation Research [Deep Dive Oral Presentation]. 7th International Global Network of Public Health Nursing Conference, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Suleiman, S., Dosani, A., Yim, I.S. (July 17 – 20, 2025). Psychometric Properties of EPDS and PHQ-9 Tools for Partners of Pregnant Women in Karachi, Pakistan. 36th International Nursing Research Congress 2025. Seattle, Washington, USA.

Dhalaria, M., Brar, A., Premji, S.S., Singh, S., Dosani, A., Nadkarni, A., Shergill, S. (June 16, 2025). Starving for Love: Decolonizing Maternal Depression in Rural India Through Visual Art – A Short Documentary Film Screening, Photo Exhibit, and Discussion. St. John’s College, University of Oxford.

Cuncannon, A., Letourneau, N., Brockway, M., Dosani, A., & Ross, K. (2025, March 6). Parent-child dyadic processes and immune biological pathways: A systematic review protocol [Conference poster]. Nursing Research Day, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Nadkarni, A., Agrawal, R., Singh, S., Emmanuel, J., Brar, A., Etowa, J., Premji, S. S. & Dosani, A. (2024, February 28 – March 3). Implementation and Scaling-Up Lessons from Khushee Mamta, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan - A Locally Adapted Version of the Thinking Healthy Programme. [Symposium]. 8th Asian CBT Congress, Delhi, India.

Emmanuel, J. Nadkarni, A., Agrawal, R., Singh, S., Brar, A., Etowa, J., Premji, S. S. & Dosani, A. (2024, February 28 – March 3). Capturing Lay Counsellor Experiences to Inform Scaling-Up of the Khushee Mamta Program. In Hollon, S. (chair). Nadkarni, A. (discussant), Implementation and Scaling-Up lessons from Khushee Mamta, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan - A Locally Adapted Version of the Thinking Healthy Programme. [Symposium]. 8th Asian CBT Congress, Delhi, India.

Singh, S. Nadkarni, A., Agrawal, R., Emmanuel, J., Brar, A., Etowa, J., Premji, S. S. & Dosani, A. (2024, February 28 – March 3). Using Photovoice to Examine the Lived Experience of Perinatal Women. In Hollon, S. (chair). Nadkarni, A. (discussant), Implementation and Scaling-Up Lessons from Khushee Mamta, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan - A Locally Adapted Version of the Thinking Healthy Programme. [Symposium]. 8th Asian CBT Congress, Delhi, India.

Khichi, N. Nadkarni, A., Agrawal, R., Singh, S., Emmanuel, J., Brar, A., Etowa, J., Premji, S. S. & Dosani, A. (2024, February 28 – March 3). Direct experiences of Khushee Mamta counsellors. In Steve, H. (chair). Nadkarni, A. (discussant), Implementation and Scaling- Up Lessons from Khushee Mamta, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan - A Locally Adapted Version of the Thinking Healthy Programme. [Symposium]. 8th Asian CBT Congress, Delhi, India.

Aggarwal, R. Nadkarni, A., Singh, S., Emmanuel, J., Brar, A., Etowa, J., Premji, S. S. & Dosani, A. (2024, February 28 – March 3). Training Counsellors and Digitizing the Thinking Healthy Programme for Use in Local Contexts. In Steve, H. (chair). Nadkarni, A. (discussant), Implementation and Scaling-Up Lessons from Khushee Mamta, Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan - A Locally Adapted Version of the Thinking Healthy Programme. [Symposium]. 8th Asian CBT Congress, Delhi, India.

Singh, S., Hussain, S., Chouhan, A. Cuncannon, A., Premji, S. Brar, A., Nadkarni, A., Agrawal, R & Dosani, A. (April 22 – 24, 2024). Decolonizing Global Mental Health: Capturing Lay Counsellor Experiences to Inform Scaling-up of a Perinatal Depression Program in Rural Rajasthan, India. Community Health Nurses of Canada Conference: Health for All. Toronto, Canada.

Kurbatfinski, S., Dosani, A., Hayes, A.F., Dewey, D., Letourneau, N., and APrON Team. (December 7-8, 2023). Opportunities for Intervention: Factors that Influence the Association Between Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences and Children’s Behavioural Problems. Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) Research Retreat. Banff, AB. Poster Presentation.

Sulaiman, S., Dosani, A., Lalani, S., Yim, I., Forcheh, N, Premji, S., S & MIGHT (October 16, 2023). Changes in psychosocial distress and preterm birth. Canadian Conference on Global Health. Ottawa, Ontario. Oral Presentation.

Dosani, A. Addressing Systemic Racism in the Workplace Using a Social Justice Perspective. Rebalance Annual lecture: Addressing Racism in the Workplace. (February 23, 2023). Rebalance Lecture, at the Centre for Global Mental Health (CGMH), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Webinar and Panel Presentation. (Role: Invited Speaker and Panellist).

Dosani, A. (February 22, 2022). COVID-19 and Inequities: Amplifying CHN Impact Through Social Justice Approaches. Community Health Nurses of Canada Webinar. (Role: Invited Speaker).

Community Service

• College of Reviewers, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2023 - present
• Human Research Ethics Board, Mount Royal University, 2020 - 2023; 2024 - 2027
• Co-Chair, 7th Global Network of Public Health Nursing Conference, 2021 - 2025
• Board Member, Alberta Public Health Association, 2024 - 2026
• Social Justice Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, MRU, 2025 - present
• Scholarship Review Committee, Office of Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement (2025 - present)