Jennifer Abbass Dick, PhD
Associate Professor
Nursing
Faculty of Health Sciences
Nursing
Faculty of Health Sciences
Establishing evidence-informed resources and frameworks to help families transition and thrive as co-parents.
Full biography
A ccessibility and knowledge translation of healthcare information ensures the best health outcomes and enables people to reach their full potential. This kind of empowerment motivates Jennifer Abbass Dick, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, to lend her voice and expertise to issues that significantly impact family health. As a registered nurse and lactation consultant, she has worked extensively with young families in hospital and community settings throughout her career. Now, she’s making it her mission to equip young families with the tools needed for a healthy and rewarding transition to parenthood. Dr. Abbass Dick’s research agenda focuses on the design and evaluation of interventions for new parents to increase health outcomes among infants such as breastfeeding. She strives to enable mothers and fathers/partners to work seamlessly as co-parents in meeting their family goals. In collaboration with Dr. Caroline Barakat-Haddad and Dr. Winnie Sun, she is also examining the link between personal and household products and environmental toxins in pregnancy and breastfeeding, with the aim of reducing infant exposure to toxins through pregnancy and breast milk. She grew up with the belief that there’s nothing more important than health in achieving human potential. This prompted her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. In 2009, she earned her Master of Nursing specializing in Community Health, and in 2013 she received her Doctorate in Nursing, both from the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. She has continued the research from her dissertation: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Co-parenting Breastfeeding Support Intervention on Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates at 12 Weeks Postpartum, and collaborated on the development of an innovative online breastfeeding resource for mothers and fathers/partners, as well as resources for Indigenous families. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including, Pediatrics and Midwifery. Dr. Abbass Dick received the 2016 Durham Region Health Department Friends of Health Award for her contributions in developing evidence-informed resources for families. She serves as an Advisory Committee member with the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario Best Practice Guidelines for Breastfeeding, and the Best Start Resource Centre on Ontario Populations with Lower Breastfeeding Rates.
Areas of expertise
Education
- 2013PhD in NursingUniversity of Toronto, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
- 2009MN in Nursing (focus on Community Health)University of Toronto, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
- 1995BNSc in NursingQueen's University
Media appearances
- Family Included December 31, 1969A digital breastfeeding tool for both mothers and fathers improves self-confidence and knowledge (Canada)An evaluation in Canada of a digital breastfeeding tool that engages both mothers and fathers/partners has been found to be effective in improving parents’ self-confidence in breastfeeding, their attitude to breastfeeding and their knowledge of breastfeeding. The study was led by Jennifer Abbass Dick at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in 2014-2015.
Fatherhood Global November 10, 2016Fathers are the biggest influence on breastfeeding according to many mothersMany studies have shown that mothers often rate the influence of the father on breastfeeding above all others, including professionals and other family members. Despite this, there is much other research that fathers often get no information about breastfeeding from health professionals. The world’s leading breastfeeding promotion programme, the 10 Steps, makes no reference to fathers and families at all.- The Family Initiative March 10, 2016Breastfeeding as family teamwork: a research to practice briefing (Vietnam, Canada)Support from family is critical for the success of breastfeeding: if fathers and family members are supportive of breastfeeding, the mother is more likely to initiate breastfeeding and to breastfeed for longer. Family influence is particularly salient where decision-making is more of a cooperative effort, such as in many developing countries.[1]
Ontario Tech University News December 2, 2015FHS researcher reports benefits of educating dads about breastfeedingThe World Health Organization recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed until six months of age. Health Canada goes as far as to encourage sustained breastfeeding for up to two years or longer with appropriate complementary feeding as an important source of nutrition, immunologic protection, growth and development for infants and toddlers.
Durham Region, Northumberland News and The Hamilton Spectator December 4, 2015Number of dads taking parental leave on the rise says UOIT professor“Fathers are more involved with their infants than they have been historically and this has proved to be very beneficial for both fathers and their children,” says Dr. Jennifer Abbass Dick, with the faculty of health sciences at Ontario Tech University.
Reuters January 12, 2014Teaching dads about breastfeeding may help moms stick to itWhen new dads were involved in a breastfeeding support program at the hospital, new moms were more likely to still be breastfeeding three months later, a new study showed. “This is consistent with what is in the literature suggesting fathers play an important role in breastfeeding,” said lead author Jennifer Abbass-Dick of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Canada.
Huffington Post March 12, 2014Teaching dads about breastfeeding may help moms stick to it, study saysWhen new dads were involved in a breastfeeding support program at the hospital, new moms were more likely to still be breastfeeding three months later, a new study showed. “This is consistent with what is in the literature suggesting fathers play an important role in breastfeeding,” said lead author Jennifer Abbass-Dick of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Canada.
Bravado Designs December 31, 19695 powerful ways to help you cope when you're fed up with breastfeedingYou see the subject lines on online forum posts once in a while: “Sick of breastfeeding” and “Breastfeeding and bored,” where moms candidly share and vent a bit. And it’s true—there are times when breastfeeding is blissful and bonding, and times when breastfeeding is a frustrating puzzle, and yes, there are times when you’re going to be a little tired of it.
Affiliations
- Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario
- College of Nurses of Ontario
Multimedia
Why Breastfeed?
Why mothers should continue to breastfeed.
The breast makes milk
Video discusses breast changes in pregnancy, hormones that help with the making and delivering of breast milk, and the stages of milk production.
Baby led latching
The video explains baby-led latching, how to help the baby latch well and signs the baby is breastfeeding well.
Mom and baby come together to feed
The video discusses how often babies should be breastfed, breast and nipple sizes and shapes, breastfeeding after breast surgery and the supply and demand of breast milk.