Colleen Varcoe, RN, PhD, FCAHS, is a professor in the University of British Columbia School of Nursing. Building on her hospital-based diploma in nursing, she has a baccalaureate in nursing, Masters degrees in both nursing and education, and a PhD in nursing. She has taught for over 40 years in clinical settings (critical care and community settings) and educational institutions. Her teaching approach emphasizes learner engagement and promoting relational inquiry as an approach to nursing practice, policy and research. Her research focuses on violence and inequity, emphasizing both interpersonal and structural forms of violence such as racism and poverty. Her completed research includes studies of risks and health effects of violence and how to promote health for women who experience violence, including a specific focus on Indigenous women. She has studied how to promote equity-oriented health care (cultural safety, harm reduction, and trauma- and violence-informed care) at the organizational level. She has worked with various Indigenous communities, organizations and issues, including in health care and the criminal justice contexts. She has published over 150 articles and book chapters and several books.