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NEWSLETTER | Spring 2021
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In this issue:
News
- New report shows how COVID-19 affects mental health in New Brunswick*
- Researchers compile mounting research on COVID variants
- Virtual workshop marks the last phase of the Myeloma PSP project*
- CASCADES project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to health care, create low‑carbon ‘green’ health system
- Student Spotlight*
- Researcher Spotlight*
Engagement Opportunities
- New Patient Partner opportunities
- Collaborative Family Practice Teams (CFPTs) in Nova Scotia
- Family and caregiver experiences with MAiD
- Patient Reviewers wanted for CMAJ Open
- Tranquility App is seeking participants for Mental Health Research Study
- IHDCYH Talks Video Competition
- Doctors Nova Scotia Demographic Information Survey
- PUPPY Study recruiting Nurse Practitioners in Nova Scotia
Funding Opportunities
- Operating Grant: Understanding and mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, youth and families in Canada*
- CIHR funding opportunities*
Upcoming Events and Training
- Patients as Partners in Research
- MicroResearch NS Virtual Workshop
- Catch up on past events
Publications and Reports
- Recent publications and reports
SPOR Community Updates
- PORLET
- SPOR Update newsletter*
MSSU Updates
- New staff members and farewells
- Introducing the EDI, Sex and Gender Diversity, and Indigenous Allyship Mentees
*Le contenu est aussi disponible en français.
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New report shows how COVID-19 affects mental health in New Brunswick
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What impact is COVID-19 having on your mental health? New Brunswickers were asked this very question in a 2020 survey carried out by Mental Health Research Canada and Pollara Strategic Insights. At NB-IRDT, epidemiologist Dr. Sandra Magalhaes and her research team analyzed the survey responses to identify the impacts of social, economic, and recreational factors on mental health and the impacts of the ongoing pandemic on New Brunswickers' alcohol and cannabis use, their engagement in household conflict, and other negative behaviours.
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Researchers compile mounting research on COVID variants
IWK Health recently published a story highlighting work by Dr. Janet Curran, Leah Boulos, and colleagues to synthesize current evidence about COVID-19 variants of the concern. The resulting report, Public Health and Health Systems Impacts of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern includes a jurisdictional scan of provincial COVID-19 guidance in Canada. The report is the second produced through our ongoing collaboration with the SPOR Evidence Alliance to support COVID-END, a CIHR-funded, national network dedicated to coordinating Canada’s knowledge synthesis response to COVID-19.
Download Report and related resources:
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Virtual workshop marks the last phase of the Myeloma PSP project
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The Myeloma Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) entered its final phase with a virtual workshop that took place on April 28-29, 2021. At the workshop, a diverse group of 23 people living with myeloma, caregivers, and healthcare professionals came together to determine the Top 10 priority questions for future myeloma research, from a longer list identified through two previous surveys. The selection process was completely transparent and interactive, with participants discussing, debating, and ranking what they felt were the highest research priorities. The Myeloma PSP team are now working on a communications plan to share the research questions.
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CASCADES project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to health care, create low‑carbon ‘green’ health system
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Researchers at Dalhousie University are collaborating with colleagues across the country to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation linked to the healthcare system while raising awareness about sustainability through a nationally coordinated network that received $6 million in federal funding.
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Trainee feature: Worth more than a thousand words
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How capturing older adults’ experience of their environments is helping to make spaces more accessible
Katie Vaughan, 2020-21 MSSU Student Award recipient, is passionate about enabling accessible communities. Her research project, Spaces that Work for Me, collaborated with Community Links to engage older adults using photovoice to capture their experience of their environments to help make spaces more accessible. These perspectives are helping to inform an assessment of current accessibility standards and design guidelines and identify the priorities to better enable older adults to conduct safe, independent, and healthy lives.
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New OpenThink blogs about gaming
As a part of the Dalhousie University OpenThink program, MSSU Student Award recipient Karen Tang has authored a series of blogs about addiction and gaming disorder. The pieces cover a broad range of topics relating to her doctoral research, including explaining what gaming disorder is, highlighting potential benefits of gaming, and exploring its impact on physical and mental health.
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Student publication in the inaugural issue of the Healthy Populations Journal
Congratulations to Ifeoluwatari Ajadi and MSSU Student Award recipient Julia Rodgers who published their paper, Assessing the Representation of People of African Descent on Nova Scotia’s Community Health Boards, in the inaugural issue of the Healthy Populations Journal, a student-led, peer-reviewed, open access journal housed at the Healthy Populations Institute at Dalhousie University.
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UNB student places 1st in research competition using NB-IRDT data
Molly Gallibois was awarded first place in the poster competition at the Canadian Geriatric Society Conference for her poster “Prevalence of Frailty Among Hospitalized Older Adults in New Brunswick, Canada: An Administrative Data Based Study.” This research illustrates an important way to identify, at a population level through administrative data, how many of New Brunswick’s older adults who have been hospitalized are frail—the first time that researchers have been able to identify frailty in our province at a population level using administrative data. Molly is a graduate student in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick and fellow with the Canadian Frailty Network, who interned with the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Magalhaes. This work also involved Dr. Chris Folkins, Kyle Rogers, and Dr. Pamela Jarrett.
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Mathieu Bélanger named NBHRF Mentor of the Month (April 2021)
In 2021, the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF) is celebrating individuals that play a critical role in building the capacity and expertise for competitive health research. Dr. Mathieu Bélanger, MSSU Science Lead for Capacity Development, was named Mentor of the Month for April 2021, for his incredible efforts mentoring more than 100 students and medical students over the past 13 years.
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Congratulations to Dalhousie University Faculty of Health Research Award Winners
The Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University recently announced the Research Award winners: Dr. Janet Curran, MSSU Science Lead for Knowledge Translation and Implementation Science, received the Senior Research Excellence Award, and Dr. Barbara Hamilton-Hinch and Dr. Jeanna Parsons Leigh, MSSU Scientist, received the Early Career Research Excellence Award. Congratulations to all!
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Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DMHRF) Research Spotlight Series
The Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation (DMHRF) Research Spotlight Series recently featured conversations with two leaders in the MSSU community:
Dr. OmiSoore Dryden, James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies, Faculty of Medicine, and Associate Professor, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University.
Dr. Natalie Rosen, Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience and Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Dalhousie University.
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New Patient Partner Opportunities
The MSSU is looking for patients and caregivers who want to get involved in health research on a range of topics:
- Health Care in a Climate Crisis
- Current Management and Health Care Quality for Patients with Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis
- Scoping Review of Harm Reduction Strategies in Hospitals
The roles and time commitments for Patient Partners vary by project.
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Enablers and Barriers to Implementing Collaborative Family Practice Teams (CFPTs) in Nova Scotia
Do you work in a Collaborative Family Practice Team (CFPT) in Nova Scotia?
If so, please complete a short online survey (approx. 20-25 min) to share your experience and help us better understand enablers and barriers to implementing well-functioning CFPTs.
The study is funded by Nova Scotia Health, and led by the MSSU in collaboration with Dr. Ruth Martin-Misener (Dalhousie University), Tara Sampalli (NS Health) and an interprofessional research team.
Participants can choose to be entered into a draw to win one of five $100 gift cards.
The deadline to complete the survey is 30 July 2021.
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Patient Reviewers needed for Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Open
- Engage patients as partners
- Focus on patient-identified priorities
- Are intended to improve patient outcomes
All POR papers are reviewed by a Patient-Reviewer in addition to 2 content experts. In their review, Patient-Reviewers offer a lay opinion on the article and consider its merits from a patient's perspective. Training is available.
Learn more:
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Family and Informal Supports' Experience with Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)
Researchers from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia are seeking to interview family members or informal supports of individuals who requested and received Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada. The study aims to better understand the perspective of families and informal supports to help inform the provincial process of MAiD and to develop community supports.
Participants will be asked to complete an interview that will take approximately one hour. The researchers will ask about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences with the process. Interviews are being conducted in English or French by phone or video call.
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Tranquility App is seeking participants for Mental Health Research Study
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Are you a parent or caregiver of a child under the age of 18? Are you experiencing signs of anxiety or depression such as worry, trouble sleeping, low mood, or low energy?
If so, you may qualify for Tranquility App’s research study. For this study, you would complete an online intervention, Tranquility, for parents with anxiety and/or depression.
As part of the intervention, you would follow along through nine online modules that would help you learn about anxiety and depression and help build skills and strategies to help you cope with these mental health challenges. The intervention usually takes about 12 weeks to complete. You could choose to work through the intervention on your own or with the support of a coach. There is no cost to participate.
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IHDCYH Talks Video Competition
Who can apply?
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Independent researchers, trainees (all research pillars and career levels) and knowledge users.
- Representatives from Canadian non-governmental, and/or not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations).
- Members of the general public who are able to demonstrate a clear, evidence-based messae related to IHDCYH's mandate.
Registration deadline: September 10, 2021 at 5 pm AT
Submission deadline: September 20, 2021 at 5 pm AT
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Doctors NS Demographic Information Survey
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Are you a member of Doctors Nova Scotia? If so, DNS needs your help to inform its equity, diversity and inclusion policy and advocacy work. Please take 10 minutes to complete a survey. Your responses will be used to develop a demographic profile of physicians in Nova Scotia based on personal and professional characteristics. Your responses will ensure that DNS can be responsive to its members in creating programs and policies, and advocate on your behalf. They will also use your responses to help identify whether their programs and policies have any gaps.
Participants can choose to be entered into a draw to win one of two $100 Amazon gift cards.
The survey will be open until July 5.
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PUPPY Study recruiting Nurse Practitioners in Nova Scotia
Nurse Practitioners in Nova Scotia are invited to share their insights and experiences caring for patients before and since COVID-19 in a flexible 1-hour interview, as a part of a pan-Canadian study led by Dr. Emily Gard Marshall. Interviews may be done in one or more sessions, and will contribute to the study called “Problems Coordinating and Accessing Primary Care for Attached and Unattached Patients Exacerbated During the COVID-19 Pandemic Year” (PUPPY).
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Operating Grant: Understanding and mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, youth and families in Canada
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CIHR has recently opened a funding opportunity as part of the Government of Canada’s continued response to address the health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven CIHR Institutes, in partnership with the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, have committed funding to support this Operating Grant.
The total amount available for this funding opportunity is $3,455,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners participate. The maximum amount per grant is $150,000 for one (1) year.
Application deadline: July 27, 2021
Anticipated notice of decision: October 15, 2021
Funding start date: October 1, 2021
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CIHR Funding Opportunities
To learn more about CIHR's upcoming and open funding opportunities, please visit:
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Upcoming Events and Training
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Patients as Partners in Research
June 29, 2021 9 a.m. PST
David Wells, MSSU Patient Partner, and Dr. Monica Parry will be giving talk about engaging patients as partners in research. Hosted by the BC Diabetes Research Network, with members from Diabetes Action Canada, the workshop will provide examples of diabetes related research patient engagement strategies.
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MicroResearch NS Virtual Workshop
September 13 – 24, 2021
Are you in Halifax and interested in community-based health research? Join MicroResearch NS for a free virtual workshop series aimed at building capacity for community-based research. The workshop takes place via Zoom from September 13 - 24 (weekdays only, 1 - 5 pm daily), and will teach you how to design and conduct a research project and how to write a fundable research proposal.
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Catch up on past events
In case you missed them, we’ve gathered together some highlights from recent events.
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Watch the Science and Practice of Patient Engagement
Watch a recording of the fourth session of Keeping up with Knowledge Translation, our capacity development webinar series exploring the science and practice of KT. This session focused on the Science and Practice of Patient Engagement and featured presentations by Dr. Caroline Jose, MSSU Health and Patient Engagement Researcher, and Louise Tardif, MSSU Patient Partner.
Keeping up with Knowledge Translation is taking a break for the summer, but will be back with new sessions and speakers in the fall. In the meantime, all previous sessions can still be watched on our website.
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MSSU NS Bridge Event Model presented at KT Canada Scientific Meeting
At this year’s KT Canada Scientific Meeting, Julia Kontak, MSSU Knowledge Translation Coordinator, presented the model for the MSSU NS Bridge Events, which brings together patients, researchers, and decision-making partners to identify gaps in evidence and develop projects that will close these gaps to support evidence informed decision-making.
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Catch up with NB-IRDT on YouTube
The New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) is on YouTube! They’ve created a new channel where they’ll be uploading knowledge transfer sessions, most in both official languages, free virtual training, and more. Past events are available to watch now, including a Lunch and Learn series that discusses a variety of topics including consent when linking to administrative data and program evaluation.
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Magalhaes S, Gorman-Asal M, Somayaji C. Survey results on mental health impact of COVID-19 in New Brunswick March 1, 2021. Fredericton, NB: New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training; 2021 March. 30 p.
Curran J, Dol J, Boulos L, Somerville M, McCulloch H. Public Health and Health Systems Impacts of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern June 6, 2021. COVID-END: 2021 June. 108 p.
Ajadi I, Rodgers J. Assessing the Representation of People of African Descent on Nova Scotia’s Community Health Boards. Healthy Populations Journal: 2021. 1(1).
Dol J, Aston M, Grant A, McMillan D, Tomblin Murphy G, Campbell-Yeo M. Implementing Essential Coaching for Every Mother during COVID-19: A Pilot Pre-Post Intervention Study. Medrxiv: 2021 January 15. 24 p.
Hayden J, Ellis J, Ogilvie R, Boulos L, Stanojevic S. Meta-epidemiological study of publication integrity, and quality of conduct and reporting of randomized trials included in a systematic review of low back pain. J Clin Epidemiol: 2021 February 2.
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We can help spread the word! If we've supported your research and you've published your findings, let us know by emailing communications@mssu.ca. We'll include your paper in our next newsletter.
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SCPOR | Patient-Oriented Research Level of Engagement Tool (PORLET)
The Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) is undertaking an evaluation of their Patient-Oriented Research Level of Engagement Tool – or PORLET, for short. To support the evaluation, they’re gathering feedback from content experts, including researchers, policy-makers and Patient Partners, via an online survey. An honoraria is available for the first three Patient Partners who complete the survey.
The survey will be open until July 5 at 9 p.m.
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Looking for more SPOR news? Check out the SPOR newsletter!
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MSSU Welcomes New Staff Members
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The MSSU team is growing, and we're pleased to welcome four new staff members.
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Alexandra Ouedraogo, SIDR Manager
Alexandra Ouedraogo recently joined as the Secure Island Data Repository (SIDR) Manager, based with the MSSU team at the Centre for Health and Community Research (CHCR) at the University of Prince Edward Island. Before joining the CHCR, Alexandra was an Environmental Health Analyst and Program Coordinator at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) Western, where she analyzed data and facilitated research to better understand the impacts of environmental factors (e.g. heat, air pollution, geographical location) on health outcomes. Her research interests include environmental health, health services research, and access to healthcare. Alexandra holds a M.Sc. in Health Geography (University of Ottawa), a certificate in Population Health Data Analysis (University of Victoria), and a B.Sc. in Biology (Saint Mary's University).
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Sabrina Lopresti, Research Coordinator
Dr. Sabrina Lopresti recently joined as a Research Coordinator with the MSSU team at the Centre for Health and Community Research at the University of Prince Edward Island. Before joining the CHCR, Dr. Lopresti worked as a Provincial Team Lead for the Provincial Oral Health Office at Alberta Health Services. Her research interests include implementation science, Indigenous health and well-being, oral health, health promotion and socio-behavioural sciences, and health service delivery. Dr. Lopresti has a passion for volunteering and serving her community. She currently serves as a Director for the Canadian Foundation for Dental Hygiene Research and Education and volunteers for ElderDog PEI. Dr. Lopresti holds a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism (University of Alberta), a Master of Public Health (Western University), and a Bachelor of Dental Science (University of British Columbia).
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Kayti Baur, Research Assistant
Kayti Baur recently joined the MSSU team in Nova Scotia as a Research Assistant. Kayti is currently a Master of Science candidate in Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University. Kayti has previously worked on mental health and psychology related projects as a Research Assistant with the University of Exeter and Mount Saint Vincent University. She has also worked as the Director of Engagement and Equity at Students Nova Scotia, and as a Researcher at the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, where she was involved with public policy research at the provincial and federal level. Kayti serves on the Board of Directors of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) and is heavily involved in mental health and disability advocacy work. Kayti holds a Hon.BA. (Mount Saint Vincent University) and a BFA. (NSCAD University).
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Samantha Cullen, Student Research Assistant
Samantha Cullen recently joined as a Student Research Assistant, based with the MSSU team at the Centre for Health and Community Research (CHCR) at the University of Prince Edward Island. She is entering her fourth year of a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program with a specialization in Accounting at the University of Prince Edward Island. Samantha is excited to support the research team in PEI and gain valuable skills for her future career in finance. After completing her BBA, Samantha plans to pursue a Chartered Professional Accountant designation. Before joining the CHCR, she worked as a bilingual tour guide at the Green Gables Heritage Place and Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site with Parks Canada, where she gained experience in public communication in both of Canada's official languages. While working at Parks Canada, she developed a deep interest in the history of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the importance of protecting Canada’s historical and natural areas.
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New Mentees join MSSU community
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Last year, we were pleased to welcome new Science Leads to guide our work related to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (led by Dr. Katie Aubrect); Sex and Gender Diversity (led by Dr. Natalie Rosen), and Indigenous Allyship and Engagement (led by Dr. Jason Hickey).
To assist them in their work, the MSSU is supporting a mentorship program, and we’re pleased to introduce the mentees.
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Justin Dubé
Justin Dubé (he/him) is a fifth year Clinical Psychology PhD student in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University, and currently works in the Couples and Sexual Health Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Natalie Rosen. Justin’s research interests include emotion regulation and motivation in couples coping with sexual dysfunctions, and his dissertation is focused on completing an observational and longitudinal study to test whether emotion regulation predicts the psychological and sexual adjustment of couples over time. The overarching goal of this work is to identify targets for psychological treatments aimed at improving the wellbeing of understudied and underserviced clinical populations. Justin is delighted to be joining the MSSU as a sex and gender-based science mentee and looks forward to collaborating with members of Maritime health research community as they consider how to integrate sex and gender into their work. Justin holds an Hon.B.Sc.from the University of Toronto.
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Jackie Huberman
Dr. Jackie Huberman (she/her) is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Natalie Rosen’s Couples and Sexual Health Laboratory at Dalhousie University, where she is examining how couples navigate emotions when coping with sexual difficulties. She completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University in the Sexuality and Gender Laboratory. Her graduate research contributed to the development of gender-specific models of sexual response. Dr. Huberman completed a predoctoral residency in Health Psychology with Nova Scotia Health, providing psychological services to adults in areas of chronic pain, oncology, and transplant. She has worked at a Sexual Health Resource Centre, taught guest lectures on topics of sexual health and sexual dysfunction, and has been trained in Positive Space, which helps create inclusive spaces across genders and sexual orientations. Dr. Huberman has also received specialized training in trans and gender diverse sexual and mental health, including attending multiple workshops and providing psychological services for trans and gender diverse individuals. She is passionate about prioritizing the inclusion of gender and sexually diverse individuals in her research, including adapting measures to capture a broader range of experiences. Jackie is thrilled to be joining the MSSU team and looks forward to supporting Maritime researchers in thoughtfully considering sex and gender in their work and fostering more inclusive research programs.
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Andreína Márquez de la Plata Gregor
Andreína (Andie) Márquez de la Plata, born and raised in Ecuador, is a recent Honours undergraduate in the department of Sociology at St. Francis Xavier University. She completed her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Katie Aubrecht and was the recipient of the Canadian Sociological Association Award. Her timely project was funded by Research Nova Scotia and affiliated to the Seniors-Adding Life to Years (SALTY) Project, where she was part of the trainee network. Early findings of Andie’s research in the context of COVID-19 were presented in the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) 2020 Annual Meeting held virtually. Andie is currently working on publishing her manuscript based on her research, and is supporting Dr. Katie Aubrecht in developing an EDI tool for research in nursing homes.
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Prince Owusu
Prince Owusu is a PhD candidate (ABD) in Social Work with a specialization in Political Economy at Carleton University. Prince’s dissertation focuses on the experiences of racialized care workers, whiteness, conditions of care and work, and quality of care in long-term residential care. Prince utilizes feminist political economy, critical race theory and intersectionality in his research with social and political commitments to social justice and change for diverse communities. He has participated in several Canada-wide research studies and brings keen interest in health research to this postdoctoral position in EDI, which has an emphasis on accessibility and disability inclusion. Prince is looking forward to working with Dr. Aubrecht.
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Neil Forbes
Neil Forbes, Saddle Lake Cree Nation, is the Network Coordinator for the Wabanaki-Labrador Indigenous Health Research Network at Dalhousie University. Previously, Neil had worked for ten years as Director of Education for Lennox Island First Nation on Prince Edward Island. Neil is in the Second Year of his Interdisciplinary Studies Ph.D. at the University of New Brunswick. Neil's dissertation focuses on the Indigenizing of Early Childhood Education for urban Aboriginals through Indigenous ways of Knowing and Being. Neil's research interests include urban Aboriginals, Early Childhood Education, Health and Wellness, and Indigenous Research Methodologies. Neil lives in Summerside, PEI, with his wife, Wendy, three-year-old daughter, Lotty, and cat, Willy.
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We are saying farewell (for now) to Ashley Crawford, who recently left for maternity leave. Ashley will be back in 2022, and we’re all looking forward to meeting her newest family member!
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Trying to reach an MSSU staff member?
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