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Faculty & Staff

Liza Choi, RN, BN, MN, MBA, EdD (She/Her)


Academic Title: Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery

Administrative Title: Current:  Member Engagement Officer, Executive Board, Mount Royal Faculty Association; Director-at-Large, CACUSS Board of Directors. 

Previous:  Interim Associate Dean, Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement, Faculty of Health, Community and Education, Mount Royal University

Contact Information

Email: lchoi@mtroyal.ca
Office: Y356
Phone: 403.440.6926
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/lizachoi

Education

Doctor of Education, Western University
Executive Master of Business Administration, Smith School of Business, Queen’s University
Master of Nursing, University of Calgary
Bachelor of Nursing, University of Calgary
Registered Nurse Diploma, Foothills Hospital School of Nursing

 

Dr. Liza Choi is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Mount Royal University and an award-winning educator, scholar-practitioner, community builder, and relational leader. Since joining MRU in 2007, she has taught across classroom, online, laboratory, clinical, and final-practicum settings, with a sustained commitment to inclusive nursing education, student success, professional identity formation, and leadership development.

Dr. Choi is the founder of MRU’s English-as-an-Additional-Language (EAL) Nursing Student Support Program, established in 2009. The program integrates academic support, psychosocial support, peer and faculty mentorship, intercultural learning, and leadership opportunities for EAL, newcomer, and international students. Under her leadership, more than 450 EAL students have benefited from the program, contributing to academic success, well-being, career development, volunteerism, cultural exchange, and leadership capacity. The program’s structure and impact have been published in peer-reviewed journals and featured through educational media and knowledge-mobilization activities.

Her scholarship is grounded in applied, relational, and equity-informed approaches to teaching, learning, leadership, and community engagement. Her areas of inquiry include EAL and international student support, inclusive nursing education, intercultural pedagogy, student belonging and agency, mentorship, community-connected learning, Chinese Canadian seniors’ well-being, organizational burnout, and leadership for healthier academic workplaces. Her doctoral dissertation, From Burnout to Breakthrough: Leading Change and Well-Being in Higher Education, extends her scholarly focus from student flourishing to faculty and staff well-being, organizational change, and sustainable academic work.

Dr. Choi’s leadership bridges education, health, community, and higher education systems. She has contributed to academic administration, faculty association leadership, student affairs leadership, community partnership, and knowledge mobilization. She currently serves as Member Engagement Officer on the Executive Board of the Mount Royal Faculty Association and as Director-at-Large on the CACUSS Board of Directors. She is also a volunteer advisor with CANOVA Global, a student-led mentorship and tutoring initiative supporting immigrant children and youth in Canada.

Across these roles, Dr. Choi is known for building inclusive, relational, and sustainable systems that strengthen belonging, engagement, leadership capacity, and organizational well-being. Her contributions have been recognized through the 2025 CBIE Emerging Knowledge Award, the 2024 Alberta Minister’s Seniors Service Award, recognition as a 2024 Calgary Herald Compelling Calgarian, the 2023 Alberta Newcomer Recognition Award in Career and Academic Contributions, and the 2019 MRFA Teaching Excellence Award. Across teaching, scholarship, service, and community engagement, Dr. Choi is committed to building educational ecosystems where learners, educators, and communities can belong, contribute, lead, and thrive.




Areas of Instruction

  • Inclusive nursing education and student success
  • Health promotion and holistic nursing assessment
  • Diversity, equity, intercultural learning, and health
  • Community health nursing and population health
  • Professional identity formation, leadership, and transition to practice
  • Clinical, laboratory, and practicum-based learning
  • Relational nursing practice and professional communication
  • Mentorship, reflective practice, and learner development
  • Foundational undergraduate nursing education
  • Online, blended, and experiential course design

 

Areas of Scholarship:

  • Inclusive higher education and equity-informed student support
  • EAL, newcomer, and international student success
  • Nursing education, intercultural pedagogy, and student belonging
  • Student agency, mentorship, leadership development, and academic confidence
  • Organizational burnout, faculty/staff well-being, and sustainable academic work
  • Relational leadership and change leadership in higher education
  • Community-connected and experiential learning
  • Chinese Canadian seniors, newcomer well-being, and social connectedness
  • Scholarship of teaching and learning in health professions education

  • Knowledge mobilization, educational media, and community partnership

 

Teaching Pattern

Teaching-Scholarship-Service

 

Selected Publications

  1. Lum, L., & Choi, L. L. S. (Manuscript in revision). A complexity-informed phenomenologic study of Canadian academic nursing leadership: Leading through the pandemic with lessons learned for managing future crises. Submitted to Journal of Nursing Management. 
  2. Lum, L., & Choi, L. L. S. (2025). Chapter 4: The baffling world of middle management in academia. In D. Conrad & W. Archer (Eds.), Portraits of Academic Life in Higher Education (pp. 60–74). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004716117_006
  3. Choi, L. L. S. (2025). From Burnout to Breakthrough: Leading Change and Well-Being in Higher Education. Western University Open Repository. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/38623
  4. Choi, L. L. S., & Brochu, N. (2024). Higher education student support program expansion: A decade of progress and success for English as an Additional Language (EAL) and international students. Research in Education Curriculum and Pedagogy: Global Perspectives, 1(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.56395/recap.v1i2.6
  5. Choi, L. L. S., & Brochu, N. (2024). Higher education student support program expansion: Insights for teaching and learning for English-as-an-Additional-Language (EAL) students. Research in Education Curriculum and Pedagogy: Global Perspectives, 1(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.56395/recap.v1i1.4
  6. Choi, L. L. S., & Brochu, N. (2022). English-as-an-Additional-Language (EAL) nursing student support group: Student leadership and engagement. Nursing Education Perspectives, 43(1), 41–43. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000746
  7. Choi, L. L. S., Jung, P., Harder, M., & Zhang, K. (2021). What matters most to older Chinese adults. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 33(2), 169–177. https://doi.org/10.1177/10436596211053655
  8. Choi, L. L. S. (2020). Highlights from an English-as-an-Additional-Language nursing support program. Nursing Education Perspectives, 41(2), 124–125. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000458
  9. Choi, L. L. S. (2019). Continued impact of an English-as-an-Additional-Language (EAL) nursing student support group. Journal of Nursing Education, 58(11), 647–652. https://search.proquest.com/docview/2310440445
  10. Jakubec, S., Olfert, M., Choi, L. L. S., Dawe, N., & Sheehan, D. (2019). Understanding belonging and community connection for seniors living in the suburbs. Urban Planning, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v4i2.1896
  11. Choi, L. L. S. (2016). A support program for English as an Additional Language nursing students. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 27(1), 81–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659614554014

 

Selected Presentations

  1. Choi, L. L. S. (2026). From Burnout to Breakthrough: Reclaiming Agency for University-Wide Well-Being in Teaching-Focused Institutions. International Consortium for Educational Development Conference, Salamanca, Spain.
  2. Choi, L. L. S. (2026). Faculty-Enabled Student Agency: A Scalable Model for International Student Support. International Consortium for Educational Development Conference, Salamanca, Spain.
  3. Choi, L. L. S. (2026). From Burnout to Breakthrough: Practical Tools to Protect Capacity and Restore Morale During Continuous Change. Invited presentation, University of Guelph Professional Staff Association, Virtual.
  4. Choi, L. L. S. (2026). Beyond the Grind: Reclaiming Agency, Well-Being, and Relational Leadership in Higher Education. Invited presentation, International Women’s Day, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB.
  5. Choi, L. L. S., & Lum, L. (2025). Leadership Matters: Driving Change and Innovation in Higher Education and Healthcare. International webinar, Virtual.
  6. Choi, L. L. S. (2025). Off-Campus Wellness, Food Banks and Temples: Identifying and Strengthening Community Supports for International Students in Canada. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Toronto, ON.
  7. Choi, L. L. S. (2025). Rethinking Togetherness: Addressing Organizational Burnout in Higher Education through Inclusive and Systemic Change. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Toronto, ON.
  8. Choi, L. L. S. (2025). Empowering the Whole Student: A Longitudinal, Inclusive Framework for International/EAL Support and Leadership Development. Canadian Association of College and University Student Services Conference, Halifax, NS.
  9. Choi, L. L. S. (2024). Sustaining Ourselves and Sustaining Hope in Challenging Times. Invited keynote/plenary panel, Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Montréal, QC.
  10. Choi, L. L. S. (2024). Cultivating Inclusive Nursing Education: A Two-Decade Exploration of the EAL Nursing Student Support Program. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education Conference, Montréal, QC.

 

Relevant Community Service

  • Director-at-Large, Board of Directors, Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS), 2026-2028.
  • Member Engagement Officer, Executive Board, Mount Royal Faculty Association, 2024-2028.
  • Founder and Director, English-as-an-Additional-Language Nursing Student Support Program, Mount Royal University, 2009–present.
  • Volunteer Advisor, CANOVA Global, supporting mentorship and tutoring for immigrant children and youth in Ottawa, 2025-2028.
  • Consultant (2024-2027) & Board of Directors (2021-2024), Happy 50+ Association, supporting culturally responsive health, mental health, seniors’ wellness, social connection, and community capacity-building initiatives.

 

 

Awards and Recognition

  • 2025 CBIE Excellence Award: Emerging Knowledge, Canadian Bureau for International Education
  • 2024 Alberta Minister’s Seniors Service Award, Government of Alberta
  • 2024 Calgary Herald Compelling Calgarian
  • 2023 Alberta Newcomer Recognition Award, Career and Academic Contributions, Government of Alberta
  • 2019 MRFA Teaching Excellence Award, Mount Royal Faculty Association 
  • 1991 Appreciation Award, Canadian Red Cross Society 

Other Professional Links


Professional Profile

Research

Awards & Recognition

Teaching & Student Success

Leadership & Professional Development

Professional Service & Community Engagement