Celina Carter

Background

About Celina Carter

Advancing whole-person care through research, clinical insight, and education. I'm a registered nurse, researcher, and educator with a passion for improving how we die. My work sits at the intersection of palliative care, public health, and the human experience of suffering, meaning, and connection. I hold a PhD in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, where my research focused on the sociopolitical factors shaping end-of-life conversations in primary care. I view dying as a public health issue—one that calls for compassion, creativity, community support, and intelligent, person-centred policy. My work spans critical qualitative research, arts-based knowledge translation, and interdisciplinary clinician training. In 2024, I was the recipient of a CIHR Planning and dissemination grant to plan for ways to advance workplace wellbeing for hospice providers caring for people experiencing homelessness using mindfulness. My research has been shared not only in publications, but also through performance and public engagement. In clinical practice, I offer mindfulness-based psychotherapy through Present at the End, supporting individuals and caregivers facing serious illness with explore the practical and profound challenges that arise when faced with mortality. Outside of work, I find restoration in long-distance hiking—having completed the Camino de Santiago, West Coast Train, Annapurna Circuit, and currently section-hiking the Bruce Trail.