Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work history:

I am a Professor in the Department of Nursing at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). I have a PhD in Nursing with an emphasis on Philosophy, Health and Society from UFSC. I am also the Leader of the Research Laboratory Práxis/UFSC - Laboratory of Studies on Work, Ethics, Health and Nursing which addresses the themes of: ethics and bioethics, public health policies, palliative care, court order hospitalization, health judicialization, nursing in intensive care - adult, nursing technologies, technobiomedicine, patient safety, safety management, and death. In addition, I am the Minister of Ethics and Bioethics courses for nursing and Qualitative Research, the Associate Editor of Texto & Contexto Nursing Journal and Nursing in Focus Journal, and the Organizer of the Nursing Update Program - Intensive Therapy - ABEn-Artmed Panamericana Editora.

What will you be doing or working on during your visit to the JCB?

I am conducting a mixed, multicenter study titled "Internation by Court Order: The Practice of Patient Advocacy by Intensivist Nurses." This research is being conducted in partnership with Professor Elizabeth Peter of the University of Toronto and the JCB.

What made you want to come to the JCB to do the work?

I have been a researcher in ethics and bioethics for many years, and I consider it important to articulate with a reference center on bioethics. Therefore, at the JCB I hope to improve the theoretical reference to be used in the analysis of research data. In addition, I would like to participate in JCB-related bioethics activities.

Is there anything that you're looking forward to doing in Toronto (for example any places you want to visit, or food you want to try)?

I arrived in July and have been to many interesting places so far. Toronto is a great multicultural city that provides a wide variety of cultural and leisure experiences.

Thanks, Mara! We're happy to have you with us at the JCB.

If you would like to get in touch with Mara, please email her at ambrosina.mara@ufsc.br.