Darryn DiFrancesco

Darryn DiFrancesco is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing within the Faculty of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), based at the Fort St. John campus in the Peace River-Liard region. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of British Columbia and the University of Ottawa, an MA in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa, and a BA in Communication from Simon Fraser University.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, University of British Columbia / University of Ottawa
• MA in International Development and Globalization, University of Ottawa
• BA in Communication, Simon Fraser University

Darryn is a medical sociologist with an interdisciplinary focus on how health and environmental knowledge are produced and experienced in everyday contexts. Her research is grounded in a critical feminist approach, examining social and structural forces shaping engagement with health and science. Key areas include gender, mothering, maternal health, rural and remote healthcare, clinician experiences, environmental justice, Indigenous health sovereignty, climate change, and the role of visual media and online communities in health communication.

Her current research includes a community-based study with Dr. Elyse Caron-Beaudoin (University of Toronto) on the health, environmental, and cultural impacts of fracking on Indigenous peoples in the Peace River region—an initiative centering Indigenous health sovereignty. As a 2025–2027 BCcampus Research Fellow, she is leading a pilot study exploring the use of graphic novels and memoirs in death education for nursing students, reflecting her interest in creative and arts-based pedagogy to enhance social, emotional, and health learning.

Scientific Awards:

• BCcampus Research Fellow (2025–2027)

Darryn has over 12 years of experience as a post-secondary educator and is actively involved in graduate supervision, welcoming students whose research aligns with her expertise. She has worked as Qualitative Research Lead at the University of Calgary's Health Technology Assessment Unit in the O'Brien Institute for Public Health, where she studied clinician perspectives on health technologies and physician preferences for payment models in rural and remote settings. She is also available as a media expert on her subject areas.

Her methodological strengths include qualitative research, digital ethnography, community-based participatory research, and arts-based methods. She collaborates across disciplines and institutions, emphasizing equity, inclusion, and community-centered knowledge production.