Dr. Karen Benzies: a valued partner and leader of social innovation
Dr. Karen Benzies continues her legacy of improving community welfare and wellbeing
Not only is she a nurse, but she’s also an esteemed professor in the Faculty of Nursing and an adjunct research professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Community Health Services, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary (UCalgary). And don’t forget that she’s won multiple awards and published more than 110 articles in peer-reviewed journals (over a dozen of which are in partnership with CUPS), 40 technical reports and two books showcasing her research. It’s not surprising given her extensive and impressive career that Dr. Karen Benzies was appointed as UCalgary’s director of social innovation.
What is social innovation?
As Dr. Benzies explores more about social innovation; she's diving deep into a collaborative process that explores both existing and emerging processes that have the potential to improve quality of life.
As a CUPS key investor, Dr. Benzies epitomizes social innovation and has dedicated her career to addressing and finding real world solutions to complex social issues. It all started twenty years ago when she teamed up with CUPS to collect data to support an evaluation plan for the Child Development Centre, a unique two-generational program for low-income families with pre-school and kindergarten children. Every Friday morning, Dr. Benzies worked to collect data and map it to write papers and establish credibility for the Child Development Centre and CUPS’ social innovation network.
“Families bring years of baggage, and the whole family needs support” says Dr. Benzies. “Many of the children who come to the program are babies born into families that misuse alcohol and drugs. CUPS supports these families in very intensive ways, and by teaching parents to value themselves, a large portion of those families can stay together. What is truly different about CUPS is that its focus is on building resilience in the parents, who in turn build resilience in their children.”
Over the years, Dr. Benzies has worked in partnership with CUPS to discern what data to collect, understand how best to use it and write papers that feed information back to the organization and other frontline service agencies. Some of her most notable papers written in conjunction with CUPS are Assessing Resiliency in Vulnerable Populations and the Effects of Two-Generation Canadian Preschool Programs on Parenting Stress, Self-Esteem, and Life Skills. Learn more about Dr. Benzies research.
“Karen Benzies’ long-term dedication to CUPS helped us develop a deeper understanding of the role research plays in helping people become more resilient,” says Carlene Donnelly, CUPS executive director. “Her countless hours over the years allowed us to grow into an entity that combined research, practice and policy. This gave us a leading edge to become an innovative evidence-based organization. Without her tenacity and staying power, we would not be where we are today.”
Looking ahead
At UCalgary, Dr. Benzies will lead the Social Innovation Initiative where she will enable faculties to engage in social innovation and help scale existing academic experience, disciplines and expertise to advance these efforts. Her experience and research with CUPS will help her to make informed changes that provide maximum societal benefit, advance the social innovation field and help those in need in Calgary and beyond.
“It has been my joy and honour to partner with CUPS,” says Dr. Benzies. “I look forward to further strengthening and providing social innovation solutions to Calgary and surrounding communities through my new role.”
You can learn more about strengthening community bonds with Dr. Karen Benzies in this UCalgary podcast.