Leong Fellows

Christina Belza, NP, PhD has been a nurse practitioner for the past 13 years in the pediatric intestinal failure program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. In her clinical capacity she manages inpatient and outpatients on long-term parenteral nutrition with intestinal failure. Academically, she recently completed her PhD in clinical epidemiology with a focus on evaluating burden of care for caregivers of children with intestinal failure. Future research directions include further exploration of the impact of caregiving on caregivers long-term physical and mental health with the goal of implementing services and programs to support the high level of care that they provide in the home setting. Christina is incredibly excited to work with Dr. Eyal Cohen and the Leong Centre for Healthy Children, as caregivers are an integral part in promoting child health. The impact of caregiving on mental and physical health has lasting effects on the caregiver, as well as the children themselves. Through exploring the factors that contribute to caregiver burden and understanding the long-term physical and mental health outcomes we can have a direct impact on improving outcomes for children and their caregivers, allowing the entire family to thrive.