This month's ALSN Member Spotlight features Ryan Chan, PhD(c), MScN, RN - an Assistant Professor (Teaching Scholar) at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. He currently serves as Faculty Lead for Simulated Education in the undergraduate nursing program and teaches nursing informatics in both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Given the potential value of his recent work related to Artificial Intelligence in nursing education, Ryan was recently named as one of the AMS Healthcare Fellows in Compassion and Artificial Intelligence, an honor awarded by Associated Medical Services, a Canadian organization that advances healthcare innovation and compassionate care.
Ryan is currently completing his doctoral studies under the supervision of Dr. Richard Booth and will soon defend his dissertation, which is focused on exploring the influence of machine learning–decision support systems on nurses’ clinical decision-making process. Further, Ryan’s research and scholarly interests include digital health, nursing informatics, and nursing leadership in health services delivery. His research explores how emerging technologies shape healthcare delivery, highlighting their effect on patient care and leadership practices. Given the deep interconnection between technology and leadership, his work emphasizes that technology-enabled care requires strong leadership to guide adoption and innovation.
Leadership is central to Ryan’s professional development and career trajectory to date, where he continues to contribute and give back to the nursing profession through his active involvement in leadership roles locally and nationally. Specifically, Ryan currently serves as President of the Canadian Nursing Informatics Association. “During my tenure as President, I am committed to connecting the digital health and leadership communities to promote and advance the collective voice for nurses to shape and influence technology‑enabled care,” he notes. Locally, Ryan is completing his second term as President of the Iota Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International.
In 2024, Ryan joined ALSN as the Canadian representative in the International Ambassador Program. "I am incredibly honored and humbled to be part of this incredible organization, and to be part of the inaugural group of ambassadors. I am thrilled to connect with and be part of a global network of nurse leaders and scholars to advance leadership science in nursing," he shares.
As an emerging nursing scholar, Ryan exemplifies leadership and scholarship in action. Through his teaching, scholarship, and service contributions, Ryan demonstrates the significant value and potential nurses bring to positively influencing practice, education, and policy. His work highlights the diverse ways in which nursing leaders are shaping the future of healthcare at the intersection of technology and leadership.
If you would like to connect with nurse leaders like Ryan and be part of this community, learn more about ALSN membership at: ALSN.info/Membership
