Dr. Kathy Nixon Speechley, PhD
Children’s Health Research Institute
Scientist, Child Health and Well-Being Program
Lawson Health Research Institute
Scientist, Children’s Health Research Institute
University of Western Ontario
Section Head, Basic Science, Department of Paediatrics
Associate Professor, Departments of Paediatrics and Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Contact Information
Tel: 519) 685-8500 Ext. 52182
Fax: 519) 685-8156
E-mail: kathy.speechley@lhsc.on.ca
Brief Biography
Dr. Speechley received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 and Master of Arts degree in 1981 in Sociology at The University of Western Ontario. She obtained her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at The University of Western Ontario in 1987 and then spent two years as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University.
Dr. Speechley became an Assistant Professor at Western in the Department of Paediatrics in 1989 and in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in 1991. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997. Dr. Speechley’s research is currently funded by CIHR to conduct a study of quality of life in children living with epilepsy.
Research Interests
Dr. Speechley’s two main research interests are the social determinants of child health and the quality of life in children with chronic illnesses and their families.
Research Activities
Dr. Speechley is currently conducting a national study following children newly diagnosed with epilepsy for two years to document the course quality of life in these children and assess risk and protective factors for quality of life. She continues with collaborative research on the late effects of childhood cancer and its treatment as part of the Canadian Childhood Cancer Surveillance and Control Program. In the second area of social determinants, Dr. Speechley is collaborating on research regarding the impact of single parenthood on mothers’ and childrens’ health and the determinants of preterm birth.
Awards and Recognition
Funding in support of “A Life Course Analysis of Family Structure, Stress, and Mothers’ Mental Health: Setting the Stage for a Prospective Study of Families” - Awarded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Funding in support of “Fetal Growth Restriction: Mechanisms and Outcomes" - Awarded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Funding in support of “Maternal and Infant Health, Health Services Needs and Utilization Following Term and Preterm Birth, Outcomes in a Cohort Assembled Antenatally" - Awarded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research
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