Lisa Merry

Lisa Merry is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Montreal, with over 15 years of research experience focusing on migrant populations, particularly pregnant and postpartum women. She is also a researcher at the SHERPA Research Centre, an Institute University focused on ethnocultural communities within the CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l'île-de-Montréal. Her academic journey includes a PhD from McGill University's Ingram School of Nursing (2015) and postdoctoral training at the University of Ottawa's School of Nursing, funded by the Quebec Health Research Fund.

Dr. Merry's research interests center on transnational family dynamics among migrant populations, with particular attention to how cross-border connections impact healthcare access and utilization for families with young children. Her work examines how healthcare systems can better adapt to serve migrant families who maintain strong ties with their countries of origin, recognizing that traditional healthcare models often fail to account for these transnational contexts. She investigates the social determinants of health affecting migrant women and children, including the impacts of immigration status, cultural background, and socioeconomic factors on maternal and child health outcomes.

Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent focus on migration health, with particular emphasis on reproductive health, postpartum care, and mental health outcomes for migrant women. Her research spans multiple methodological approaches including qualitative studies, systematic reviews, and large-scale quantitative projects across Canadian cities. A notable trend in her work is the examination of how immigration class (refugee, asylum seeker, immigrant) affects healthcare access and outcomes, highlighting significant disparities that require targeted interventions.

Dr. Merry actively mentors graduate students, with numerous Master's theses completed under her supervision focusing on diverse aspects of migrant health including language development in vulnerable children, diabetes management among migrants, and adaptation experiences of international nursing students. Her research program has secured substantial funding from major Canadian agencies including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Quebec Health Research Fund (FRQS), supporting multiple concurrent projects examining transnational family dynamics, migrant maternal health, and healthcare system adaptations.

Her laboratory work centers around the Transnational Families and Migration Research Group, which conducts community-based participatory research with migrant families in Montreal and other Canadian cities. This team works closely with community organizations serving migrant populations to ensure research is responsive to community needs and priorities, with particular attention to vulnerable subgroups including refugee claimants, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants.