Valerie Damasco
Assistant Professor, Sociology
Honours B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D. (University of Toronto)
Durham Campus, B334, valeriedamasco@trentu.ca
Classes I teach:
- SOCI-ADMN 2340: Work and Social Inequalities
- SOCI-ADMN 3320: Workplace Organizations, Diversity, and Inclusion
- SOCI 1001: Introduction to Sociology I: Critical Foundations
- SOCI 1002: Introduction to Sociology II: Exploring Social Life
- SOCI 3151: Practicing Social Research
Research interests:
- Immigration, work, and racialization processes
- Interprofessional labour of immigrants and racialized workers in regulated professions (i.e., nursing, medicine, teaching)
- Mental health services for immigrants and racialized communities
- Inter/intragenerational inequality and social mobility
- Social organization of work/labour in healthcare system and institutions, public health, and community health
- Social policy, public policy, and governance in local, national, and international contexts
- Community development and public sociology
My current or recent projects:
Healthcare professionals are enduring stress and mental health issues due to increasing workloads, attrition rates, instances of violence and abuse, discrimination, and a lack of labour protections. Despite the significant representation of Filipino women on the frontlines of healthcare across Canada, many of whom have recently immigrated to the country, the manner in which they navigate mental health services, care, and access social supports remains unclear. This research investigates the economic, political, social, and cultural determinants of health that impact the mental health and well-being of Filipino nursing professionals (i.e., nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and registered practical nurses) who have been employed in hospitals in northern Ontario and other remote areas during the pandemic (i.e., Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie). Understanding the challenges faced by racialized workers in obtaining supports within regulated professions is vital for developing equitable and inclusive organizational and management strategies and policies (i.e., in healthcare, public health, labour, and immigration), and improving their retention within the healthcare system.
Problematizing the Resilience of Filipino Healthcare Workers: Implications for Organizational Policy, Equity, and Health Professions Education (Toronto COVID-19 Action Initiative Grant)
This community-based research investigates how institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the health, well-being, and work effectiveness of Filipino healthcare professionals (i.e., nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, nursing assistants, and personal support workers). Several participants have been involved in multiple migrations, working in healthcare systems in other countries (i.e., Southeast Asia, East Asia, Middle East, UK, and Europe) prior to arriving in Canada. We examine the dynamics between work, migration, and accessing supports across different healthcare systems. The findings from this study will be utilized to formulate meaningful recommendations in policies aimed at fostering equitable healthcare practices, optimizing service delivery, and enhancing health professions education and training. A community mobilization approach involving collaboration between government and public policy administrators, health and public health officials, community and non-profit organizations, and organizational leaders is imperative to address the labour, economic, social, health, and mental health needs of those affected by structural inequality in these positions. The retention of healthcare professionals is pivotal for ensuring the efficient functioning of healthcare systems, provision of patient care, and effective mentorship of new workers.
Circumventing Border Control and Restrictive Immigration Policies: The International Labour Migration and Mobility of Filipino Nurses to Canada from the Philippines and via the United States, 1957-1969
This study examined the labour migration of Filipino nurses who were actively recruited by Canadian hospital administrators and immigration officials during the mid-twentieth century from the Philippines and the United States. This recruitment occurred in response to the acute shortage of nursing professionals in Canada. The findings from this earlier investigation offer insights into the complex processes of racialization within the nursing profession, and how Filipino women become channelled into a continuous process of deskilling and deprofessionalization. By analyzing oral history interviews with retired Filipino nurses and historical documents from government archival repositories in Canada and the United States, this research illuminates the socio-political context and interconnected dynamics that contributed to their recruitment (i.e., restructuring of healthcare systems, nursing education and accreditation practices, immigration policies, and labour market demands) and formative factors that shaped racialization processes in nursing. I am working on a book project that synthesizes insights from this research and contemporary recruitment practices of Filipino nurses to Canada, providing an historical overview of their leadership in healthcare institutions across North America.
How does your research translate into your teaching, both through courses and supervision?
I have had the privilege of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses related to my research areas and community development work, which provided insights into social problems and the broader sociopolitical and economic factors and policy frameworks that underlie them. In foundational and advanced research methodology and methods courses, I introduce students to a diverse array of approaches equipping them with the essential skills to conduct rigorous and ethical research. I guide them in designing projects that skillfully integrate multiple methods or data sources and analysis techniques, leading to rich and nuanced insights. Additionally, I underscore the significance of utilizing research findings to develop evidence-based recommendations that hold practical implications for policy and practice.
As an educator, my teaching methods and supervisory practices are firmly grounded in the principles of anti-oppression, anti-racism, and decolonial pedagogies. I prioritize supporting each student’s unique learning journey, fostering their active engagement, and infusion of their lived experiences into the learning process. To prepare them for graduate studies and diverse career paths, I integrate experiential, community-based, and social justice learning into the curriculum. By encouraging critical reflection and practical experience, I aim to enhance their learning outcomes, cultivate career readiness skills, and empower them to learn from and contribute reciprocally to communities and workplaces.
My research serves as a foundation and extension of my work as an educator, community member, advocate, and global citizen. I actively collaborate with racialized and immigrant communities, forging partnerships with non-profit organizations to spearhead community-engaged research, outreach, and organizing initiatives. These endeavours span various domains such as employment, immigration, social and cultural adjustment, healthcare, mental health, education and literacy, and housing. The outcomes of these initiatives aim to garner support from the broader community and various levels of government. Additionally, I am involved in pedagogical initiatives in non-formal learning settings, spanning local, national, and international contexts.
Five publications that exemplify my work:
Nazareno, J., Cranford, C., Lledo, L., Damasco, V.G., & Roach, P. (2022). Between Women of Color: The New Social Organization of Reproductive Labor. Gender & Society, 36(3), 342-367. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432221089630
Damasco, V.G. (2021). Reciprocity Policies, Accreditation Bodies, and Institutional Practices as Exclusionary Exceptions: Filipino Nurses as Recruited and Excluded Subjects. In R. Torres, K. Leung, & V. Soepriatna (Eds.), Outside and In-Between: Theorizing Asian Canadian Exclusion and the Challenges of Identity Formation. Studies in Critical Social Sciences Series (pp. 84-99). Leiden: Brill Publishers.
Damasco, V.G. (2021). Transnational Labour Migration of Filipino Nurses to Canada: An Organized Historical, Institutional and Social Process. In R. Torres, K. Leung, & V. Soepriatna (Eds.), Outside and In-Between: Theorizing Asian Canadian Exclusion and the Challenges of Identity Formation. Studies in Critical Social Sciences Series (pp. 34-47). Leiden: Brill Publishers.
Damasco, V.G. (2012). The Recruitment of Filipino Healthcare Professionals to Canada in the 1960s. In R.S. Coloma, B. McElhinny, E. Tungohan, J.P. Catungal, & L.M. Davidson (Eds.), Filipinos in Canada (pp. 97-122). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Torres, R., Damasco, V.G., Fernando, Y., Traveson, V. (Accepted). Kalusugan at Mamayan: Challenges in Accessing Mental Health Services for Filipino Healthcare Workers.
What achievements and/or contributions in research are you most proud of?
My research on the recruitment of Filipino nurses hired in Canadian hospitals during the 1950s and 1960s, gained media attention during the COVID-19 global health crisis. In December 2020, when the first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Canada, three of which were administered to Filipino healthcare professionals, I was interviewed by CityNews Toronto and OMNI News. While this moment marked a significant milestone in Canadian history, I underscored the necessity for additional health and labour protections for racialized workers. Subsequently, in May 2021, I discussed issues of accreditation and deskilling that continue to impact Filipino and other racialized frontline healthcare workers in an interview with the Toronto Star. Moreover, in May 2023, I was interviewed by CBC News about the historical migration of Filipino nurses to Canada during the mid-twentieth century, drawing connections to the current recruitment of Filipino nurses. Segments from this interview is scheduled to be aired in late summer or early fall.
Over the years, I have contributed to several interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary funded research projects that span across local, national, and international contexts. These studies have significantly advanced knowledge pertaining to the Filipino diaspora community in Canada, transnational migration trajectories of immigrant women professionals from China and India to Canada, and labour markets and personal care work in the Philippines, Korea, and Hong Kong. Lastly, I have been collaborating with communities through the integration of research, practice, lifelong learning, community mobilization, and public policy initiatives to redress institutional and structural inequalities and promote equity.