Born in Edmonton, Alberta, and based in Calgary, Jenise Finlay (she/her) is a registered nurse and advanced practice nurse with over ten years of experience in sexual health. Her areas of expertise include women’s health, disability, sexuality, chronic pain, communicable diseases, public health, harm reduction, and sexual and reproductive health. She is pursuing a PhD in the Social Dimensions of Health at the University of Victoria, researching how chronic pain and sexuality are experienced and navigated by people of reproductive age living with chronic pain, as well as their sexual or romantic partners. Her academic journey includes a Master of Nursing degree from the University of Calgary, with her thesis, Emerging Adult Women with Chronic Pain: A Narrative Inquiry, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Vancouver Island University.
Jenise is a senior research assistant with the University of Calgary, serves as President of the Alberta Society for the Promotion of Sexual Health, and is an expert member for Statistics Canada’s Expert Advisory Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health. She also volunteers with the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine admissions program, as a medical consultant for chronic pain organizations, and as a patient navigator for individuals with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. In addition, Jenise founded Calgary Women & Trans Climbing to promote inclusivity in sport.
An adaptive alpine athlete, model, and Iyengar yoga practitioner, Jenise draws on her lived experience with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) to challenge misconceptions about disability and embodiment. She hopes the scholarship will amplify her work advancing health equity, fostering inclusive healthcare, and mentoring future healthcare professionals.
Multiple Perspectives on the Experiences of Chronic Pain and Sexuality Using Narrative Inquiry
This multi-perspectival narrative inquiry explores how chronic pain and sexuality are experienced and navigated by people of reproductive age living with chronic pain, as well as their sexual or romantic partners. The goal is to better understand how pain and sexuality impact identity and intimacy, how they are discussed in health care settings, and how care can be improved.
