Elizabeth Donnelly

Elizabeth Donnelly is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Windsor's Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on mental health care delivery, particularly addressing stigma in social work practices and emergency medical services (EMS). She leads studies on paramedic occupational hazards, including violence prevention and competency frameworks, and explores behavioral health emergencies through interdisciplinary lenses.

Her work bridges social work and emergency medicine, emphasizing compassionate care for marginalized populations such as those with Borderline Personality Disorder and gender-diverse patients. Key projects include developing national competency standards for Canadian paramedics and analyzing systemic factors contributing to stigma in healthcare settings.

Donnelly has collaborated with organizations to improve EMS safety protocols, including the implementation of violence reporting systems and hazard flagging strategies. Her research also examines the mental health of paramedics and the impact of training programs on recognizing human trafficking and other critical incidents.

Selected scientific contributions include over 30 peer-reviewed articles between 2012–2025, with recent emphasis on paramedic occupational violence, stigma reduction in healthcare, and competency frameworks. She advises doctoral students like Aman Ahluwalia-Cameron and actively contributes to academic discourse through invited editorials on topics like LGBTQ+ healthcare and evidence-based practice.