UWindsor nursing professor leads cross-border study highlighting lung transplant care
Apr 22, 2026
Jane Simanovski (left) and her team of colleagues and students stand with their research poster at the WE-SPARK conference in March,
highlighting a cross-border study on caregivers supporting lung transplant patients. (SUBMITTED BY EDWARD CRUZ/University of Windsor)
It takes more than medical expertise to support a patient after a lung transplant.
As April marks Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month, a new cross-border study examines an often-overlooked part of the transplant journey — the family members and friends who provide care after surgery.
Jane Simanovski, a nurse practitioner and professor in the University of Windsor Faculty of Nursing, is leading a first-of-its-kind cross-border research study examining the experiences of informal caregivers supporting lung transplant patients in Ontario and Michigan.
Her work is grounded in years of clinical experience in transplant care.
“My clinical expertise informs my research interests,” she said. “Transplant is such a scarce resource, and there is a shortage of organ donors, so this is a very important time to talk about it.”
While the focus of transplant medicine is often on patients, Simanovski’s research shifts attention to the people who support them throughout their transplant journey.
“Patients go home with a lot of needs, medical, financial, psychosocial, physical,” she said. “It takes a village to help someone get through a lung transplant, and that includes family members and personal relationships.”
The study, supported by a $15,000 WE-SPARK Health Institute grant, builds on a scoping review conducted by Simanovski and some of her faculty colleagues titled Unsung Heroes, which examined existing literature on informal caregivers of lung transplant recipients. The review revealed a significant gap in research.
“There’s not a lot of information out there. That created the impetus for our work,” she said.
The research project is the first of its kind to take a cross-border approach, recruiting participants from Ontario and Michigan.
“Most transplants are done in North America,” Simanovski said. “Windsor offers a unique geographical area where we can explore the positive and negative experiences of informal caregivers on both sides of the border.”
While caregiving can be deeply meaningful, Simanovski noted it also comes with significant challenges.
“A lot of people derive meaning from taking care of their loved ones and seeing them get better, but at what cost?” she said. “The literature shows caregivers often face higher mortality rates than non-caregivers, simply because of the demands placed on them.”
The study has now received ethics approval and is currently in the recruitment phase. Participants are being recruited through partnerships with Ontario Health’s Trillium Gift of Life Network, Gift of Life Michigan and the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program.
“These partnerships have been incredibly important,” Simanovski said. “Trillium and The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program have supported us through social media and will be featuring the study in their newsletters, and Gift of Life Michigan is helping us reach the Michigan cohort.”
Outstanding Scholars Siya Pandey and Harveer Mashiana present their award-winning research poster at the WE-SPARK conference in March.
(SUBMITTED BY EDWARD CRUZ/University of Windsor)
The study also includes a strong student research component. Outstanding Scholars students Siya Pandey and Harveer Mashiana are contributing to the project and shared a poster on the research at both the WE-SPARK and UWill Discover conferences in March, earning an award at WE-SPARK and a silver medal at UWill Discover.
“They’ve done an incredible job presenting the project and where we’re at,” Simanovski said. “We began recruitment two weeks ago, so it’s exciting to see the momentum already building.”
She is encouraging continued student involvement and dissemination of findings, including submissions to the upcoming Faculty of Nursing Research Symposium on May 12 during Nurses Week.
The research uses a mixed-methods design, combining survey data with in-depth interviews to better understand caregiver experiences. The interview guide is being co-developed with input from families connected to the transplant community through national research partners.
The project also comes at a significant moment in the global transplant community, as the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation will hold its annual conference in Toronto from April 22 to 24, which Simanovski will be attending.
As the only researcher at the University of Windsor focused specifically on lung transplant, Simanovski said she sees a unique opportunity to expand awareness and scholarship in the field.
Looking ahead, Simanovski hopes the study will contribute to a broader understanding of transplant care that includes not only patients, but also the people who support them. The work also reflects the Faculty of Nursing’s strong emphasis on advancing research that improves care and outcomes for patients and families.
“I’m just so passionate about this project,” she said.
Lung transplant caregivers interested in participating in the study can contact JSResearch@uwindsor.ca for more information.
