Schiller, Dr. Catharine
PhD (UNBC), JD (Western University), MSc (University of Toronto), BScN (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Biography
Dr. Schiller is licensed as a practicing Registered Nurse in British Columbia, a nonpracticing Lawyer in British Columbia, and a nonpracticing Registered Nurse in Ontario.
Dr. Schiller is currently the Chair, School of Nursing at the University of Northern British Columbia. She is also a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, teaching both undergraduate and graduate degree nursing students about healthcare law, bioethics, and nursing leadership. Dr. Schiller completed her PhD (Health Sciences) at the University of Northern British Columbia with a dissertation focus on medication errors committed by undergraduate nursing students.
Dr. Schiller's past experience includes her practice as a Registered Nurse at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and as a Lawyer in the health law department of a large Toronto law firm where she regularly advised hospitals and their nursing staff on various professional responsibility, privacy, contractual and risk management issues. She has also acted as an Investigator for The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and as In-House Legal Counsel for Trillium Health Centre and 3M Canada.
Research and Expertise
- Ethics
- Health
- Rural Health Services
- English
Selected Publications
Pesut, B., Thorne, S., Variath, C., Hall, M., Schiller, C., Sharp, H., Wiebe, G., Robertson, W. D., McKenzie, M., & Plewes, L. (2025). A life disrupted: Perspectives on Track 2 MAiD from persons living with chronic illness. Canadian Journal of Bioethics. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Pesut, B., Thorne, S., Chambaere, K., Hall, M., & Schiller, C. (2024, January-December). The evolving complexities of MAiD care in Canada from a nursing perspective. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/23333936241228233
Leslie, K., Myles, S., Alraja, A., Chiu, P., Nelson, S., Schiller, C. J., & Adams, T. L. (2024). Professional regulation in the digital era: A qualitative case study of three professions in Ontario, Canada. PLOS One, 19(5), Article e0303192. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303192
Nelson, S., Leslie, K., McCormick, A., Gonsalves, J. P., Baumann, A., Thiessen, N., & Schiller, C. (2023). Workplace violence against nurses in Canada: A legal analysis. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 24(4), 239-254. https://doi.org/10.1177/15271544231182583
Leslie, K., Myles, S., Schiller, C. J., Alraja, A., Nelson, S., & Adams, T. L. (2023). Protecting the public interest while regulating health professionals providing virtual care: A scoping review. PLOS Digital Health, 2(4), Article e0000163. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000163
Leslie, K., Myles, S., Stahlke, S., Schiller, C. J., Shelley, J. J., Cook, K., Stephens, J., & Nelson, S. (2023). Regulating during crisis: A qualitative comparative case study of nursing regulatory responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 14(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(23)00066-2
Leslie, K., Myles, S., Adams, T. L., Schiller, C., Shelley, J., & Nelson, S. (2023, March 6). Protecting the public interest while regulating health professionals providing virtual care: A scoping review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 12. Article 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-023-02198-1
Koopmans, E., & Schiller, C. J. (2022). Understanding causation in healthcare: An introduction to critical realism. Qualitative Health Research, 32(8-9), 1207-1214. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323221105737
Pesut, B., Thorne, S., Wright, D. K., Schiller, C., Huggins, M., Puurveen, G., & Chambaere, K. (2021, November 4). Navigating medical assistance in dying from Bill C-14 to Bill C-7: A qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 21. Article 1195. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07222-5
Leslie, K., Adams, T. L., Nelson, S., Shelley, J., Schiller, C., Myles, S., McCormick, A., & Lin, M. S. N. (2021, August). Regulating professionals in virtual practice: Protecting the public interest in rapidly changing digital workplaces. SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant Final Report. https://auspace.athabascau.ca/handle/2149/3657
Pesut, B., Thorne, S., Schiller, C., Greig, M., Roussel, J., & Tishelman, C. (2020). Constructing good nursing practice for medical assistance in dying in Canada: An interpretive descriptive study. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 7. Article 2333393620938686. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333393620938686
Pesut, B., Thorne, S., Schiller, C. J., Greig, M., & Roussel, J. (2020). The rocks and hard places of MAiD: A qualitative study of nursing practice in the context of legislated assisted death. BMC Nursing, 19, Article 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-0404-5
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Banner, D., Schiller, C. J., & Freeman, S. (2019). Medical assistance in dying: A political issue for nurses and nursing in Canada. Nursing Philosophy, 20(4), Article e12281. https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12281
Schiller, C. J., Pesut, B., Roussel, J., & Greig. M. (2019). But it’s legal, isn’t it? Law and ethics in nursing practice related to medical assistance in dying. Nursing Philosophy, 20(4), Article e12277. https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12277
Pesut, B., Thorne, S., Stager, M. L., Schiller, C. J., Penney, C., Hoffman, C., Greig, M., & Roussel, J. (2019). Medical assistance in dying: A review of Canadian nursing regulatory documents. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 20(3), 113-130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154419845407
Banner, D., Freeman, S., Kandola, D., Meikle, M., Russell, B., Sommerfeld, A., Flood, D., & Schiller, C. J. (2019). Community perspectives on end-of-life preparedness. Death Studies, 43(4), 211-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1446060
Hanson, S. E., MacLeod, M., & Schiller, C. J. (2018, April). “It’s complicated”: Staff nurse perceptions of their influence on nursing students’ learning. Nurse Education Today, 63, 76-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.01.017
Schiller, C. J. (2018). Teaching concept analysis to graduate nursing students. Nursing Forum, 53(2), 248-254. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12233
Schiller, C. J. (2017). Medical assistance in dying in Canada: Focus on rural communities. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(9), 628-634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2017.07.017
Schiller, C. J. (2016). Critical realism in nursing: An emerging approach. Nursing Philosophy, 17(2), 88-102. https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12107
Schiller, C. J. (2015). Self-regulation of the nursing profession: Focus on four Canadian provinces. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 5(1), 95-106. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v5n1p95