Biography
Dr. Joelena Leader (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Management and Managing Director of the BRIDGE Knowledge Centre at the Edwards School of Business (Edwards), joined in January 2024. Originally from Watrous/Manitou Saskatchewan and born and raised on treaty 6 territory and homeland of the Métis, she is a qualitative, community-based researcher and educator. Dr. Leader’s research explores the complex interplay between technology and society, focusing on the perspectives and responses from communities, organizations, and industries to technology adoption, innovation, and their capacity for social and economic development. She has expertise in inclusive design, human-centered approaches to user experience/human-computer interaction, and participatory action research and visual methodologies.
Dr. Leader's research focuses on ethical, sustainable, and inclusive management practices, with a critical emphasis on understanding local perspectives in rural, remote, and Indigenous contexts. Her interdisciplinary work explores the impacts of disruptive technologies on society and organizations, using Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) and human-centered design principles aimed at co-creating practical outcomes for business and community partners. Dr. Leader's previous research examined community perspectives on telehealth and remote presence robotics in Northern Saskatchewan for building capacity for access to healthcare (PhD dissertation), and later she explored the impacts of disruptive technologies in the mining sector on rural communities and the future of work with Dr. Hall at the University of Waterloo (Postdoc) and has since joined as a co-lead (Co-I) for the Yukon region for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight project, “Remote Controlled: Technology in the Mining Sector & the Future of Development in Peripheral Regions.”
Dr. Leader is currently leading a SSHRC funded project on community-based technology adoption titled: "Building a Participatory Framework for Community Co-Design: Perspectives on Technology Adoption and Assessment" (PI) and is currently co-developing a project with the City of Saskatoon on "Digital Transformation Solutions Toward Inclusive AI: Addressing Equity and Ethics in Saskatoon’s Service Delivery." She is also a Co-Investigator on several funded projects, notably a CIHR Project Grant on “Improving Access to Ultrasound Services in Saskatchewan’s Rural and Remote First Nations and Métis Communities Using Telerobotic Technology”, as well as two grants from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) focused on a provincial virtual care strategy for the ministry of health and on telerobotic ultrasound in rural regions, and their impacts on health organizations and patients, a grant from the Business Schools Association of Canada on Allyship with Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and a SSHRC Connections Grant that aims to bring together researchers, industry, and governments to discuss northern innovation and community economic development.
Dr. Leader is a board member of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and co-editor of the 2024 edition of the State of Rural Canada. Her research has gained national recognition with an accolade from the Canadian Sociological Association in 2013 and was selected as one of 24 global participants to join the Arctic Frontiers Emerging Leaders program held in Tromsø, Norway in 2017. Additionally, she received the 2019 Research Excellence Award in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Saskatchewan.
Her work has been published in the International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge, and Society, Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, The Northern Review, and the Engaged Scholar Journal. She has current publications under review and development on a variety of topics from disruptive technologies in the mining sector, technology adoption models in business, AI and the future of work, trust-based philanthropy in the non-profit sector, rural entrepreneurship, and decolonized participatory design.
Through her research, Dr. Leader offers critical insights into how businesses and community partners can navigate technological changes in a more ethical and inclusive manner. Her work emphasizes the importance of ensuring that technological advancements, including those related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), address and support the perspectives of rural and Indigenous communities. This focus aligns with her broader commitment to exploring how technological innovations intersect with local community needs and experiences. By addressing these intersections, Dr. Leader's research provides practical guidance for innovation management, ethical decision-making, and technology policy, helping businesses to effectively respond to challenges such as workforce development and the future of work.
Courses
Dr. Leader is currently teaching courses in qualitative research methods and entrepreneurial thinking and innovation:
MGT 808 Qualitative Research Methods
COMM 341: Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovation
Recent Publications
Peer-Reviewed Papers:
Swanson, L., & Leader, J. (2023). The Case for Using an Intergenerational Multi-Methods Approach in Community-Based Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231184823
Leader, J., Bighead, C., Hunter, P., & Sanderson, R. (2023). “Working on a Shoestring”: Critical Resource Challenges and Place-Based Considerations for Telehealth in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Symposium: Rural Bioethics. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-023-10233-y
Leader, J. (2022). Mutual Shaping of Telehealthcare in Northern Saskatchewan: Community Experiences of the Socio-Technical and Spatial Dimensions of Care. The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge, and Society 18(2): 45-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/1832-3669/CGP/v18i02/45-64
O’Sullivan, B., Leader, J., Couch, D., and Purnell, J. (2020). Rural pandemic preparedness: the risk, resilience, and response required of primary healthcare. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 13: 1187–1194. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s265610
Hall, H., Leader, J., and Coates, K. (2017). Introduction: Building a Circumpolar Innovation Agenda. The Northern Review (Special Edition), 45: 3-10. https://thenorthernreview.ca/index.php/nr/article/view/664
Swanson, L., Leader, J., and Landrie-Parker, D. (2016). Effectively Engaging with Indigenous Communities through Multi-Methods Qualitative Data Collection and an Engaged Communications Plan. Engaged Scholar Journal, 2(1): 39-56. https://esj.usask.ca/index.php/esj/article/view/61477
Coates, K., Holroyd, C., and Leader, J. (2014). Managing the Forgotten North: Governance Structures and Administrative Operations of Canada’s Provincial Norths. The Northern Review, 38: 6-54. https://thenorthernreview.ca/index.php/nr/article/view/324
Refereed Conference Publications:
Leader, J., & Goodrum, A. (2021). Perspectives on Telehealth Projects in Northern Communities: Lessons Learned for Decolonized Participatory Design and Assessment. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of CAIS / Actes Du congrès Annuel De l’ACSI. Northern Relations: Connecting the Unexpected and Overlooked to Information Science. https://doi.org/10.29173/cais1201.
Reports:
Refereed Research Reports, Technical Papers and Policy Briefs:
Hall, H. M., Crabbe, M., Burdett, M., and Leader, J. (2023). Rural Canada, COVID-19, and the Canadian Mining Sector. Rural Insights Series: COVID-19, Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF). Accepted April 2021, published online October 2023.
Coates, K., Holroyd, C., and Leader, J. (2020). Cool Ideas: Remote Surgery. Conference Board of Canada. Paper Series (peer reviewed, article underwent blind review by 15 government officials and health professionals in northern Canada).https://www.conferenceboard.ca/in-fact/cool-ideas-robotic-surgery/
Selected Research Reports, Technical Papers & Community Reports:
Aussant, L., Benoit, K., Bourassa, M., Carriere, D., Carter, D., Delbaere, M., Leader, J., Listwin, B. (2023). Indigenous Allyship in Canadian Business Schools: Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Implementation. University of Saskatchewan. Prepared for the Business Schools Association of Canada (BSAC). April 30, 2023. https://www.cfbsd.ca/projects/13132966 and PDF link: https://www.cfbsd.ca/resources/Documents/BSAC-Projects/2021-2022/final_report-saskatchewan-Indigenous_partnerships-towards_a_comprehensive_framework_for_implementation.pdf.
Hall, H., Leader, J., and Softa, D. (2022). Understanding the Social Dynamics of Innovation in the Mining Supply & Services Sector in Greater Sudbury, ON. University of Waterloo. Prepared for the Creating Digital Opportunities for Canada Project.
Leader, J. (February 10, 2021). Digital Health Innovation: What does Telehealth mean for Northern communities? Online Article. Making Waves Series. Centre for the Study of Science and Innovation Policy. Available at: https://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/csip/documents/making-waves/2021.02.10_csip_making-waves_digital-health-innovation.pdf.
Leader, J. Shantz, B., Hall, H., Vinodrai, T. (2020, December). Disruptive Technologies in the Agri-Food Sector. Knowledge Synthesis. Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Available at: https://uwaterloo.ca/disruptive-technologies-economic-development/sites/ca.disruptive-technologies-economic-development/files/uploads/files/omafra_report-final.pdf
Leader, J., and Schmeiser, P. (2020, November). The Promise of Convergence Research: The Readiness of Canada’s National Research Facilities and Academic Partners to Support Policy Responses to Grand Challenges. Discussion Paper. Canadian Science Policy Conference.
Schmeiser, P., Poudrier, J., Chapman, D., Ballantyne, A., Wood, K., Leader, J. (2020, April 18). Big Enough Questions. Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC). Available at: https://sciencepolicy.ca/news/big-enough-questions.
Coates, K., Holroyd, C., and Leader, J. (2020, April 6). Fast-Tracked Innovations: Could COVID-19 Accelerate Health Technologies in Canada’s North? (Online Article). Conference Board of Canada. Available at: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/insights/blogs/fast-tracked-innovations-could-covid-19-accelerate-health-technologies-in-canadas-north