Edmund Walsh has long been drawn to leadership, policy, and the way organizations make decisions. That interest took on new meaning during his undergraduate nursing education, when he served on his university’s Board of Regents and its Audit and Risk Committee. The experience gave him early exposure to governance structures and organizational decision-making, as well as leadership and management principles, processes, and challenges. Mentorship from senior university leaders also helped shape his interest in academia and in examining complex organizational problems.
Today, Edmund is nearing completion of his PhD, with a dissertation focused on leadership, work environments, and workforce outcomes in long-term care. His study extends the authentic leadership research of his mentor, Carol Wong, into long-term care, examining whether relationships previously demonstrated largely in hospital settings are also evident in this context. With Canada facing an aging population, an aging healthcare workforce, and growing demand for long-term care, Edmund hopes his research will help build the evidence base for leadership in a sector facing significant challenges. He also sees the work as supporting a broader need for leadership and management education among nursing students and practitioners.
“Going forward, I want my research to focus on practical solutions and measurable outcomes. I want to ask: What matters to policymakers and senior administrators, and what evidence do they need to make better decisions?”
Edmund hopes to develop and test feasible interventions, including leadership development and retention initiatives. His recent scoping review of authentic leadership development allowed him to map what has already been done and provides a foundation on which to develop and test future authentic leadership interventions.
ALSN has played an important role in Edmund’s development as a scholar and leader.
“One of the biggest things ALSN has given me is community. It is so valuable to have colleagues who share my interests in nursing leadership and management research, especially because that is not a major focus in my current academic environment.”
Through ALSN, Edmund has developed connections with colleagues across the United States, some of which have grown into research collaborations. His work with the International Ambassador Program committee has also given him the opportunity to connect with nursing leaders from several countries around the world and to learn from their perspectives.
Edmund is excited to be leading ALSN’s second annual Global Virtual Conference in April 2027, following an inaugural conference that attracted nearly 200 participants.
“Through the Global Virtual Conference and our broader international work, I hope we can grow ALSN’s international membership, build sustained relationships across countries, make leadership scholarship more globally accessible, and bring a wider range of perspectives into our community.”
Outside of work, Edmund enjoys traveling, spending time with friends, and being home in Newfoundland.
As he completes his PhD, Edmund is beginning to explore tenure-track and postdoctoral opportunities. He looks forward to continuing his research in long-term care, contributing to ALSN’s international growth, and eventually pursuing leadership roles within academia.
If you would like to connect with nurse leaders like Edmund and be part of this community, learn more about ALSN membership at: ALSN.info/Membership
