Dr. Winnie Sun completed her PhD in Nursing and collaborative graduate program in Health Services and Policy Research at the University of Toronto, Canada. She is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Ontario Tech University, and she is holding a research appointment as the Co-Research Director of the Advancement in Dementia Care Centre (ADCC), collaboration between Ontario Tech University and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, in Ontario Canada. In 2024, Dr. Sun received the Research Excellence Chair Award from Ontario Tech University where she is leading the development of AVOID frailty model of care to promote healthy aging and dementia care.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with Higher Education Digest, Winnie shared insights on the future of dementia care and research, the secret mantra behind her success, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Winnie. What inspired you to pursue a career in nursing and gerontology, and how have you seen the field evolve over time?
The legacy of Florence Nightingale was the role model that inspired me to pursue a career in Nursing. She was the Founder of Nursing and Public Health. I deeply admire her leadership in the development of professional nursing through a formalized education; her dedication to advance infection prevention and environmental health, as well as her advocacy for social justice in the world. My interest in gerontology stems from my early career in Home Healthcare Nursing. I’m passionate about the care of older adults with the goal of finding innovative approaches to promote their independence and create a safe environment for them to age in place as long as possible. As the field of nursing evolves over time, I witness the increasing challenge of attracting and retaining nurses in he field of gerontology due to factors related to stress and burnout, inadequate educational training and professional development, unfavorable work environment, as well as stigma and stereotypes about working with older adults. Therefore, one of the current focuses of my research agenda is to explore approaches and strategies to build capacity of healthcare workers to promote workforce retention in the field of gerontology.
What do you love the most about your current role?
I love my current role as a Nurse Scientist in AgeTech where I could develop, co-design and implement technologies with older adults, people with dementia and caregivers to promote their quality of life. I enjoy the opportunities of generating new ideas; thinking outside the box; imagining the possibilities and challenging the status quo.
What are some common misconceptions or myths about aging and dementia that you’d like to debunk?
I would like to debunk the misconception about “older adults and people with dementia don’t want to or don’t know how to use technologies”. In my research program, I worked with older adults and people with dementia using advanced technology including virtual reality reminiscence experiences and conversational artificial intelligence (AI). The preliminary findings indicate that they truly enjoy the opportunities of accessing these technologies to enable them to become physically and mentally active, as well as staying engaged and socially connected. Older adults and people with dementia need adequate time, appropriate training and caregiver support to facilitate learning and overcome barriers of technology use.
How do you approach leadership and mentorship in your role as a professor and researcher?
Leadership and mentorship are inter-related and complementary to support the goal of capacity building. As a leader in academia, I believe that a visionary leader must also be an empowering mentor. This includes taking leadership in advancing a priority of research and educational agenda that are important and timely while inspiring and motivating teamwork and collaboration. As a leader-mentor, I provide student mentorship to nurture their talents, provide guidance and support them to create a positive professional network and community of learning that are conducive to achieving their career goals and aspirations.
Can you share your thoughts on the future of dementia care and research, and how you see your work contributing to this broader landscape?
The future of dementia care and research should focus on advancing an integrated model of care to foster early detection and prevention, use of technology-enabled innovations, application of non-pharmacological interventions, enhancing caregiver well-being and addressing equity, diversity and inclusion in dementia care. Examples of my current initiatives that address these priorities include an integrated approach to prevent physical and cognitive frailty using AVOID Frailty Care Model (Activity/Vaccinate/Optimize Meds/Interact/Diet); co-designing of technological innovations to address accessibility and disability considerations; application of virtual reality, multi-sensory reminiscence therapy and exergaming as the non-pharmacological approaches to enhance cognitive simulation, memory recall, physical activity; using conversational AI and social robots to promote social connectedness and relationship building with caregivers; developing micro-credential simulation-based learning to educate healthcare workers and build capacity in dementia care workforce; and exploring the potential of implementing a Dementia Village Care Model to catalyze the creation of a dementia-friendly community.
You were recently recognized as one of the Rising Star Women Leaders in Healthcare for 2025. Our readers would love to know the secret mantra behind your success.
Thank you for the recognition! I really appreciate the accolades and am deeply honored to be recognized for the work that I’m doing. One key success ingredient is to have the courage to persevere. Don’t give up easily and don’t be afraid to be challenged by other people. Believe in your passion and always remember the motivation of your work and the “why”. Always set realistic goals and achieve them through seeking feedback, continuous learning and building a strong professional network. Don’t overly fixated on the accomplishments on your CV but rather stay focus on the humanistic impact of your work. Teamwork and collaboration (encouraging, supporting, building and lifting each other) is the essence of what makes our work meaningful!
How do you prioritize your own well-being and self-care given the demands of your work?
Balancing own well-being and work demands are no easy tasks! Setting boundaries and making sure to make space for “breathing room”. For example, I make room to “breath” by making time for spirituality, reflection and meditation. Be kind to yourself! Task delegation is one way to be kind to myself, allowing me to focus on the priority tasks. Making efforts to allow for regular scheduling of “ME” time, such as going out with my colleagues and friends for social activities is invaluable in promoting a sense of well-being, establishing social connection and building meaningful relationships.
Is there a particular person you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are?
First, I would like to express my gratitude for AGE-WELL (Canada’s Technology and Aging Network), where I completed my Post-Doctorate Fellowship and developed a deep passion in AgeTech innovations for the care of older adults and people with dementia. Additionally, I’m grateful to my mentor in Nursing who believed in me and invited me to join her project as the Principal Investigator, where I took the lead in completing my first dementia care research. This community-based dementia care research project ended up growing into a larger program of research that I’m now leading as a Research Excellence Chair. I hope to role model my mentor and help my students to believe in themselves, as well as cultivating their strengths and maximizing their potential.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years, I plan to focus on capacity building for the future generation of women in STEM. Florence Nightingale once said: “Why have women passion, intellect, moral activity – these three – and a place in society where no one of the three can be exercised?” It is my hope that our society will recognize the value of women’s intellect, passion, and moral capacity, such as their contributions in STEM and leadership in the field of AgeTech! Additionally, I would like to take leadership (with my Co-Research Director Dr. Amer Burhan) in broadening and expanding the operations of Advancement for Dementia Care Centre (ADCC), collaboration between Ontario Tech University and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences. My vision is to foster national and international partnerships to expand ADCC as an integrated hub to advance dementia-friendly communities through spreading and scaling up its innovations, research, and evidence-informed practices to support knowledge translation initiatives and workforce capacity-building in both the Durham Region and beyond.
What advice would you give to students or early-career professionals looking to make a difference in the field of gerontology?
My advice for future generations of gerontologists is to focus on combating ageism, challenging stereotypes, as well as raising awareness about the stigma related to dementia care. We need to build a healthy workforce that will cultivate empathy and compassion to connect with older adults and understand their needs and experiences. Together, we can create an inclusive age-friendly and dementia-friendly community for all.