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From global collaboration to state-of-the-art simulation, UNB’s unified faculty of nursing and health sciences is driving innovation in education and workforce development to meet New Brunswick’s evolving healthcare needs.

As New Brunswick grapples with increasing healthcare demands and sustained system pressures, the University of New Brunswick sees a clear opportunity to innovate. Through the recent creation of a unified faculty of nursing and health sciences, the strengthening of strategic international partnerships and expanded access to modern education, UNB is educating more nurses and developing solutions that support recruitment, retention and long-term healthcare capacity across the province and beyond.

One faculty, one mission: advancing healthcare education

In January 2026, UNB introduced its new faculty of nursing and health sciences, uniting expertise from its nursing and health sciences programs in Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton. Now the largest of its kind in the province by student enrolment, the combined faculty creates scale, enhances efficiency and strengthens collaboration across campuses, enabling deeper integration of research, scholarly work and collaborative teaching. Importantly, the change is intentionally student-centred, reducing barriers to mobility and supporting smoother progression through the faculty’s programs. This significant step reflects the university’s response to growing healthcare demands and the need for greater innovation in education, research and workforce development.

“We exist to serve New Brunswick and the public good,” said dean Lorna Butler. “Across the province and through one voice and shared mission, we are working together toward supporting better healthcare for all New Brunswickers.”

Expanding horizons through global collaboration

UNB is also advancing health innovation through the first of its kind dual degree bachelor of nursing program developed in partnership with India’s Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). Through the program, students complete their studies in India while learning alongside students in New Brunswick. Graduates earn a recognized Canadian degree, prepare for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, a requirement to practice as a registered nurse in Canada, and are eligible for immediate recruitment by New Brunswick healthcare organizations, including Shannex, a long-term care partner associated with the program. This Canada–India collaboration offers students a global perspective and a world-class education, while strengthening healthcare workforce readiness in New Brunswick.

This fall, the first cohort of 25 students is expected to graduate. An additional 74 students are expected to complete their degrees over the next several years. The partnership rests on MAHE's commitment to add a supernumerary seat for every student entering the dual degree program, ensuring that potential nursing graduates are not drawn away from India’s healthcare system. This model positions New Brunswick as a national leader in ethical, sustainable international recruitment.

Expanding access to learning through state-of-the art simulation

Expanding access to nursing education here in New Brunswick is also a key priority for the faculty. UNB’s Learn Where You Live program was created to increase access to nursing education in communities where it previously did not exist, enabling students in rural and remote areas to study close to home. Many of these regions also experience acute nursing shortages, meaning this access-to-education strategy directly supports local recruitment and long-term workforce stability.

Using virtual reality and advanced simulation, students in communities such as Miramichi can complete much of their education without relocating or incurring significant additional costs. UNB is uniquely positioned to scale its state-of-the-art simulation ecosystem quickly and with significant impact. As of fall 2025, all nursing students now complete more than 100 simulated clinical experiences, gaining exposure to complex, high-risk scenarios that are rare in traditional placements.

No other Canadian institution uses simulation at this scale, and UNB is pursuing international accreditation that would make it the only postsecondary institution in Canada to hold it. UNB’s nursing program is also accredited by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, meeting rigorous national standards for quality and outcomes—an important distinction not held by all nursing programs across the country.

Collaboration as a catalyst for health innovation

The faculty of nursing and health sciences also strengthens UNB’s broader health innovation agenda and deepens community collaboration. This includes UNB’s flagship partnership with Horizon Health Network at the Fredericton Downtown Community Health Centre, which serves as both a living laboratory for research focused on improving care for underserved populations and a hands-on learning environment for students in an integrated primary care model.

Bringing nursing and health sciences together opens the door to more interdisciplinary perspectives, more collaborative research and more opportunities for students to learn alongside diverse healthcare teams. This approach is mirrored in the faculty’s partnerships with its computer science, engineering and leadership programs, where students gain experience in system design, future literacy and technology-enabled care—skills essential to modern health-care delivery.

Through innovative structural change, global collaboration and education grounded in real-world practice, UNB’s faculty of nursing and health sciences is not only responding to today’s healthcare challenges but actively building the workforce, systems and solutions needed for tomorrow.

“We are leading change. Our focus is on new ways of educating, new ways of supporting New Brunswickers, and new ways of creating a stronger, more resilient provincial healthcare system,” said Butler.