Exploring Canadian Paramedic Leaders' Mental Health:
What's Helping
and
What's Hindering?
Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to explore what is helping and what is hindering Canadian Paramedic Leaders' mental health.
Who is eligible?
Canadian Paramedic Leaders eligible include those active, retired or left paramedic organizations from 2020 to present, from operations, communications and dispatch,
medical directors (physicians), administrative and support services roles.
For this study,
Canadian Paramedic Leaders include:
Frontline (Direct supervisor of frontline employees who is not responsible for the supervision of other leaders)
Intermediate (Direct supervisor of other paramedic leaders and/or employees)
Senior (Direct supervisor to multiple paramedic leaders who oversee other leaders or are responsible for significant organizational programs)
Executive (Highest level of leadership in your paramedic organization responsible for organizational, operational, fiscal accountability and governance)
Research Aims
1. To determine the current self-reported state of mental health among Canadian paramedic leaders.
2. To determine the perspectives of Canadian paramedic leaders on what is helping and what is hindering their mental health based on organizational, operational, or personal factors.
3. To determine the ‘wish list’ of what Canadian paramedic leaders would like in the future to mitigate mental health challenges based on organizational, operational, or personal factors.
Online Survey Link
If you are interested in participating in the online anonymous survey exploring what is helping and hindering Canadian Paramedic Leaders' mental health, please click the link below. You will be redirected to a secure and confidential survey hosted on Queen’s University’s survey platform.
Implied Informed Consent Form and Letter of Information for Prospective Research
To review the Implied Informed Consent Form and Letter of Information regarding the research study, please click the button below. During the online survey and one-on-one components, you will be asked if you have read the implied consent and letter of information. There is no requirement to complete or submit.
Mental Health Resources
Research Progress, Thesis and Publications
This section will be updated throughout the course of the research to indicate progress. Upon completion of the study, links to the final thesis and any resulting publications will be provided here.
The research study was launched on August 26, 2025.
About the researcher
Heather Edward has served as a Paramedic leader in various roles with Toronto Paramedic Services, Frontenac Paramedics, and BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS). She began her career as a Primary Care Paramedic in 1999 and advanced to the role of Advanced Care Paramedic in 2004. Over the course of her career, Heather held several leadership positions, including Superintendent (Education and Operations), Director of Operations, and Deputy Chief of Operations. She also contributed nationally as a member of the Paramedic Chiefs of Canada Leadership Development Committee, where she served as Chair.
Heather holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from the University of Guelph and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University. In 2023, she transitioned from paramedicine to healthcare philanthropy and now serves as Chief Executive Officer of a non-profit organization that supports hospital and healthcare initiatives within her community.
Heather resides on Vancouver Island with her husband, a retired police officer, their two children, and two French Bulldogs.
One-on-one online interview sessions
will go live in November
From November 2025 to January 2026, invitations to participate in one-on-one interview sessions will be emailed to leaders who completed the one-on-one interview participation survey (link above). The email contains a unique identifier required when booking the one-on-one interview.
