Natalie Matthews

Natalie Matthews serves as an Associate Professor of Teaching in the School of Nursing within the Faculty of Health and Social Development at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus. Her academic appointment reflects her commitment to nursing education and her role as a graduate student supervisor, specifically accepting Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) students.

Her educational background includes a BSc from Dalhousie University (1994), an RN from John Abbott College (1997), and an MSN from the University of British Columbia (2016). She also holds certification as a smartMindfulness Facilitator.

Professor Matthews' research focuses on innovative educational modalities with particular emphasis on mindfulness, moral injury, moral resilience, and compassion in nursing practice. Her work centers on creating sustainable relational practice courses through innovative and collaborative pedagogies (2025-present), exploring how these approaches can better prepare nursing students for professional practice. She brings a deep commitment to nurse well-being across the professional lifespan, creating spaces where students and nurses can reflect on their identity, presence, and cultivate connections with others—elements she considers foundational to effective care and sustainable nursing practice.

Her scholarly work reveals a consistent trajectory toward improving nursing education through relational approaches, mindfulness integration, and moral resilience development. The publications and presentations demonstrate her evolving focus from classroom innovation (flipped classroom techniques) to more specialized areas of moral resilience and relational practice in contemporary nursing.

• Ministry Funded – School of Nursing Leadership Development Scholar (2025-2026)
• UBC Golden Apple Teaching Award (2017) for Creating a safe classroom environment

As a graduate student supervisor accepting MSN students, Professor Matthews guides future nurses to embody and grow their leadership, moral resilience, relational capacity, and self-stewardship. Her professional service includes roles as UBC Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador, membership on the UBC Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, UBC Global Health Committee, and UBC College of Graduate Studies UBC Okanagan Neutral Chair Committee. She is a passionate advocate for well-being in healthcare environments, believing that mindful, relationally grounded, resilient nurses are key to transforming healthcare culture toward compassion and inclusive care.

Professor Matthews teaches across multiple undergraduate nursing courses including Relational Practice I, Global Health, and various Capstone projects in community, acute care, mental health, and community health settings.