Danica [dan-ee-kah]
she/her | white settler | digital health researcher | intersectional feminist | activist
I am a full-time PhD student and part-time Graduate Fellow at Western University. My work focuses on understanding the acquisition, development, and use of critical digital health literacy skills across the lifespan, in addition to the social and cultural effects of digital health technologies within the context of young people's lives.
I have been fortunate to study at Western for many years under the brilliant instruction of Humanities and Health Science scholars which has made me into the interdisciplinary digital health researcher I am today. I have published on topics related to: digital surveillance within the health research context; digital health literacy; women's use of digital technologies to support their transition to parenting; children's use of digital technologies and information sharing practices across social media; as well as theoretical approaches to qualitative inquiry including critical understandings of 'voice' in research with young people. My research areas of interest include, but are not limited to: digital health; child/youth health; digital health technologies (i.e., smartphones, apps, wearables); critical digital health literacy; health equity; surveillance (technologies) in the health context; critical theory; digital methodologies; and qualitative inquiry, among others.
Teaching Experience
2022 (Lead) Graduate Teaching Assistant, Winter Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: Introduction to Media Studies (MIT 1020E/019)
2021 (Lead) Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: Introduction to Media Studies (MIT 1020E/019)
2021 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Winter Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: Introduction to Media Studies (MIT 1020E/011)
2020 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: Introduction to Media Studies (MIT 1020E/011)
2020 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Winter Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: Introduction to Media Studies (MIT 1020E/006)
2019 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: Introduction to Media Studies (MIT 1020E/006)
2019 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Winter Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: The Political Economy of Media (MIT 2100G/009)
2018 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Fall Term
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Course Title: The History of Communication (MIT 2000F/006)
2017 Teaching Assistant, Winter Term
Department of English and Writing Studies, Western University
Course Title: Speculative Fiction/Science Fiction (English 2071G/650)
2016 Teaching Assistant, Fall Term
Department of English and Writing Studies, Western University
Course Title: Speculative Fiction/Fantasy (English 2072F/650)
Pedagogical Training
2021 Decolonizing Your Online Classroom: Anti-Racist Approaches
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Western University
Course Code: Future Prof 2021
2021 Decolonizing Your Online Classroom: Indigenous Approaches
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Western University
Course Code: Future Prof 2021
2021 Preparing to Guest Lecture
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Western University
Course Code: Future Prof 2021
2020 Articulating Your Teaching Philosophy
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Western University
Course Code: Future Prof 2020
2020 Teaching Sensitive Topics Online: A Trauma and Violence-Informed Approach
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Western University
Course Code: Future Prof 2020
2020 Leadership in Wellness Part 1: Cultivating Student Mental Health
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Western University
Course Code: Future Prof 2020
2016 Teaching Assistant Training Program
Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Western University
Course Code: TATP Session 4
Research Experience
2022- Research Coordinator
St. Joseph's Health Care London / Lawson Health Research Institute
Supervisor: Dr. Jacobi Elliot
2021 Research Assistant
Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
Supervisor: Dr. Sara Grimes
2020 Graduate Fellow
School of Occupational Therapy, Western University
Supervisor: Dr. Gail Teachman
2019-21 Research Assistant Level II
School of Nursing, Fanshawe College
Supervisor/s: Dr. Jodi Hall and Dr. Lorie Donelle
2019 Graduate Fellow
School of Occupational Therapy, Western University
Supervisor: Dr. Gail Teachman
2018- Graduate Fellow
Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University
Supervisor: Dr. Lorie Donelle
Awards (Selected)
2022 Eugenia Canas Memorial Award
2021-22 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
2020-21 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
2020 HRS Graduate Research Conference Aspire Oral Presentation Doctoral Award
2019 FHS Health Information Science Graduate Conference Travel Award
2016 Western University Dean’s Entrance Scholarship
Refereed Articles
Facca, D., Hall, J., Hiebert, B., & Donelle, L. (Under Review). "(App)ropriating Good Motherhood: Navigating the Gains and Guilt of Transitioning into Motherhood within a Digital Health Context." Feminist Media Studies. Manuscript ID: RFMS-2022-0131
Hiebert, B., Hall, J., Facca, D., & Donelle, L. (Under Review). “Putting all my eggs into the app”: Self, relational, and systemic surveillance of mothers’ use of digital technologies during the transition to parenting. Digital Health. Manuscript ID: DHJ-22-0061
Hiebert, B., Hall, J., Donelle, L., Facca, D., Jackson, K., & Stoyanovich, E. (2021). "Let me know when I'm needed": Exploring the gendered nature of digital technology use during the transition to parenting. Digital Health.
Facca, D., & Kinsella, A. (2021). Emergence, multiplicity and connection: Rethinking ethical discernment in qualitative research through a rhizo-ethics approach. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.
Donelle, L., Facca, D., Burke, S., Hiebert, B., Bender, E., & Ling, S. (2021). Exploring Canadian Children's Social Media Use, Digital Literacy, and Quality of Life: A Pilot Study.JMIR Formative Research.
Donelle, L., Hall, J., Hiebert, B., Jackson, K., Szynal, E., LaChance, J., & Facca, D. (2020). Investigation of Digital Technology Use in the Transition to Parenting. JMIR Pediatrics & Parenting.
Facca, D., Gladstone, B., & Teachman, G. (2020). Working the limits of 'giving voice' to children: a critical conceptual review. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1-10.
Facca, D., Smith, M., Shelley, J., Lizotte, D., Donelle, L. (2020). Exploring the ethical issues in research using digital data collection strategies with minors: A scoping review. PLoS ONE, 15(8), e0237875.
Wuyou, S., & Facca, D. (2020). Digital Health in a Broadband Land: The role of digital health literacy within rural environments. Health Science Inquiry, 11(1), 140-143.
Rudkovska, A., & Facca, D. (2020).Your emotions are the newest hot commodity and there's an app for that. The Conversation Canada.
Published Research Reports
Facca, D., Grimes, S., Jacobs, A., Kim, J., King, J.P., & Ozceylan, M. (In press). KMDI Report: Academic TikTok. Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI), University of Toronto.
Research Reports (Selected)
Donelle, L., & Facca, D. (2019, March 27). Technology’s Influence on Growing Up (TIGU) Phase 1: Exploring the Link Between Technology Use and Health in Canadian Youth. Research Proposal presented to the Research Officer and Research Committee of the Thames Valley District School Board.
Facca, D. (2019, January 18). Exploring Screen Time and Loneliness Among Canadian Elementary and High-School Students. Research Proposal presented to the Research Officers of the London Catholic District School Board and the Thames Valley District School Board.
Facca, D., & Bender, E. (2018, February 10). Learning it Together (LiT) Research Report: Social Media Use Among Primary School Children. Research Report presented to the Learning it Together Executive Team at Western University.
Conference Presentations (Selected)
Facca, D., Donelle, L., Burke, S., Hiebert, B., Bender, E., & Ling, S. (2021, May 18). “You have to be careful”: Examining Children’s Perspectives Related to Digital Device and Social Media Use Through a Digital Health Lens. Oral presentation at the Western University Nursing Legacy 2021 Research Conference, Virtual Conference.
Facca, D. (2020, October 22). Big Data in the Digital Health Landscape. Paper presentation at the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) Mediations Workshop, London, ON.
Canas, E., Facca, D., Walugembe, D.L., Ikenyei, U., Veenendall, J., & Slominska, A. (2020, October 16). Health Information Science: Perspectives on a discipline in development. Panel presentation at CAIS2020: Diverging Trajectories in Information Science Open Virtual Conference.
Facca, D., Smith, M., Shelley, J., Lizotte, D., & Donelle, L. (2020, August 18). Towards the Co-Production of Ethical Practice in Big Data Research with Minors. Oral presentation at the Western Law & HELP Lab Colloquium. London, ON.
Facca, D. (2020, June 4). Through the technological mouthpieces of data: Thinking through the use of digital data in research with children. Virtual presentation at Beyond Giving Voice: Advancing theory and methodologies for qualitative research with children.
Facca, D. (2020, February 4). The ‘Digitally Health Literate Child’: Towards a Co-Designed Assessment Tool For Children. Oral presentation at the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Research Conference, London, ON.
Facca, D., Donelle, L., Burke, S., Hiebert, B., Bender, E., & Ling, S. (2019, April 7-11). An Exploratory Study of Digital Device Engagement, Social Media, and Wellbeing Among Young Children. Oral presentation at the 23rd IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion, Rotorua, NZ.
Recorded Virtual Conference Presentations (Selected)
You can view the recording of my talk from the CAIS 2020: Diverging Trajectories in Information Science Open Virtual Conference entitled iKnow: Towards a Co-designed Digital Health Literacy Assessment Tool for Children here.
You can view the recording of my talk from Beyond Giving Voice: Advancing theory and methodologies for qualitative research with children entitled Through the technological mouthpieces of data: Thinking through the use of digital data in research with children here.
Invited Talks (Selected)
Facca, D. (2021, March 22). What Does the Data Actually Say? Exploring the Dually Limited Nature of Digital Data in Qualitative Inquiry. Guest talk for Qualitative Query at McMaster University.
Background
To date, I have consistently served in community outreach programs and student associations during my time at Western. Throughout all four years of my BA, I volunteered with Learning it Together (LiT): a student-led health promotion mentorship program for elementary grade children in London, ON. In my fourth undergraduate year, I served as Director for LiT and restructured its programming to focus on digital literacy. I continued to volunteer with LiT while completing my MA, in addition to serving as a Councillor for the Graduate English Society (GES) at the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS).
At the start of my doctoral studies, I served as a PhD Faculty Council Representative for the Graduate Health Information Science Student Association (GHISSA) and advocated for its membership at departmental meetings. During the second year of my doctoral studies, I served as President for GHISSA and worked with my colleagues to strengthen intra- and inter-program collaboration within the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS).
Currently, I am serving again as SOGS President for the 2022-2023 year, following my two year tenure as Vice President Academic from 2020-2022.
During the fall of 2021, I was part of the organizing team of the September 17th 2021 Anti-Gender Based Sexual Violence Walk Out at Western University which mobilized a group of over 10,000 attendees and sparked a nationwide movement across postsecondary campuses to address gender-based violence within post-secondary communities. Following this event, I co-founded the Safe Campus Coalition (SCC) with those same colleagues. The SCC is committed to taking a trauma-informed approach to educating, supporting, and building community across Canadian post-secondary campuses to work against the perpetuation of gender-based violence within educational spaces and student populations. At Western, the SCC has been a consultant involved with the university's Action Committee on Gender-Based & Sexual Violence which is tasked with making an action plan and recommendations for changing Western's culture.
Positions
2022- President, SOGS
2021-22 Co-Founder, Safe Campus Coalition (SCC)
2021-22 Student Representative, Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS)
2021-22 Vice President Academic, SOGS
2020-21 Vice President Academic, SOGS
2019-20 President, GHISSA
2018-19 Faculty Council Representative, GHISSA
2016-18 Research Coordinator, LiT
2016-17 SOGS Councillor, GES
2015-16 Program Director, LiT
2014-15 Research Coordinator, LiT
2013-14 Assistant Team Leader, LiT
2012-13 Mentor, LiT
Professional Affiliations
2022- Member, Digital Health Canada
2021- Member, Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion
2021- Member, Canadian Association for Information Science
2020-21 Member, Canadian Association for Information Science
Education
2018- Doctor of Philosophy, Health Information Science
Western University
2017 Master's Graduate Specialization, Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Western University
2017 Master of Arts, English Language and Literature
Western University
2016 Bachelor of Arts Honours, Major English Language and Literature, Major Criminology
Western University
