Nancy McKeen

Nancy McKeen received her BA from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) and her MA and PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). She is also a Registered Nurse and worked as a midwife in Ottawa.

Her research has included studies of people across the developmental lifespan, including infants, children, and elderly people. One of her first research interests was in the area of infant and child temperament, especially motor activity and how lateral differences in motor activity relate to positive and negative emotions. She also studied how emotions (like happiness, frustration and anger) related to the health of older people. One current research interest is how infant motor milestones (like crawling, sitting, and walking) relate to young children’s cognitive and language development. A second research interest is evolving from new work with Dr Harvey Chochinov and Dr Sue McClement, who study psychological factors at the end of life. She studies how palliative cancer patients maintain their sense of dignity in the face of a terminal illness.

She has one son and two very engaging grandchildren. She is also the eldest sister of four siblings, the aunt of 12 nieces and nephews, and the daughter of great parents.