Winter 2024 Projects
Policy-facing knowledge mobilization: urban sprawl
Project Supervisor
Professor Chris Barrington-Leigh
Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy | Bieler School of Environment
Project Description
Urban sprawl, particularly in fast-growing cities in the developing world, will fundamentally affect future pathways of vehicle travel, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. For most of the planet, however, there is little data that quantifies the internal structure of urban areas, nor shows how trends are evolving. We have recently developed the first global time series of street-network sprawl — that is, sprawl as measured through the connectivity of the urban street network — calculated across countries, cities, and smaller geographies, and over time since 1975. The successful intern, with skills in programming, GNU/Linux, Python, and some web development, (and possibly an interest in database-driven GIS) will help to finalize a public facing interface for some of the large datasets we have generated. This will help to make our policy-relevant findings accessible to decision-making stakeholders, as well as to other research teams.
Project Team
This project will be independent with supervision from and regular meetings with Professor Barrington-Leigh.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
Deliverables will be an updated set of code, mostly written in Python but generating also javascript and html, all curated on gitlab.com, as well as a short report explaining the key algorithmic approaches / innovations and describing the output of the project. A simultaneous outcome of the work will be a live website featuring the output generated by the code.
Technical Skills
There is flexibility in the scope and details of the project based on an intern’s background. In all cases, expertise in Python is needed, and some familiarity with geospatial data will be key. Also helpful would be knowledge of javascript and html programming for the web, Git, and GNU/Linux environments.
Supplemental Materials
A writing sample is required; it can be from a course assignment.
A link to some coding portfolio is required. Please include this link in your application when responding to the prompt "Describe your relevant skills and experience."
Knowledge mobilization through videos on science and policy of wellbeing
Project Supervisor
Professor Chris Barrington-Leigh
Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy | Bieler School of Environment
Project Description
Wellbeing policy is gaining momentum worldwide. There is an emerging global movement to bring better concepts and measures of human wellbeing to the centre of policy-making.
The Canadian federal government, several provinces and an increasing number of municipal governments and community organizations are approaching policy and budget decisions based on a growing body of knowledge about what makes life good. A global pandemic has also increased public understanding of what really matters for wellbeing and there is a call for governments to make wellbeing or quality-of-life a central policy objective and source of accountability for current and future generations.
The Canadian Wellbeing Knowledges Network brings together organizations and individuals from public, private, academic and community sectors to share ideas for advancing and supporting wellbeing policy approaches in Canada. Our common purpose is to provide opportunities for people to engage in catalytic conversations and idea sharing about how they conceptualize, measure, research or support wellbeing and how policy decisions can use a wellbeing lens; to build, exchange and leverage our collective knowledge on the latest wellbeing policy evidence, initiatives and practices; and to activate and strengthen a cross-sectoral and inclusive collaboration network for wellbeing policy across Canada.
Prof Chris Barrington-Leigh (PI), who co-leads the CWKN, has a research focus on life satisfaction, measured as individuals' subjective, quantitative assessment of how good life feels, overall. This is one leading approach for deriving evidence about human outcomes for policy-making.
This project is to generate release-ready edited videos from raw interviews and panels with CWKN leaders and network members, for dissemination online and in our network. Several raw recordings have already been carried out, but supporting the scheduling of some further ones may be part of the responsibilities of this position.
Project Team
This project will be independent with supervision from and regular meetings with Professor Barrington-Leigh and possibly another project co-lead.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
Deliverables will be a series of edited videos, and possibly support for other outreach-related tasks (for instance, writing a press release). Generally, a transcript from raw video can be used to design short and longer versions of an interview, on the way to generating the actual video.
A short written final report will be due at the end.
Technical Skills
Familiarity with a video editing software for basic cutting, mixing, annotation, and simple effects is required. Slight preference for Shotcut or Openshot or Kdenlive or other advanced open source software. These are free and open source, and there are tutorials available online for those who do not yet have this skill.
Supplemental Materials
A writing sample is required; it can be from a course assignment.
If you have an example of an edited video you made, feel free to share the link with us.
Social Determinants of Medical Assistance in Dying
Project Supervisor
Professor Jonas Sébastien-Beaudry
Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy | Faculty of Law
Project Description
This project is a component of a larger research initiative focusing on the delineation of ageist and ableist forms of oppression within the legal, ethical, cultural, and social dimensions of medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Given MAiD's integration into the Canadian context, it is imperative for policymakers to ensure its implementation is accompanied by robust safeguards and continuous assessment of the requirements of individuals contemplating end-of-life decisions.
Intern Deliverable(s): The intern will conduct a literature review on the social determinants influencing the utilization of medical assistance in dying across various jurisdictions. This review will encompass two primary aspects. Firstly, it will involve an examination of existing empirical data, highlighting both its current status and identified gaps. Secondly, the intern will compile anecdotal reports from reputable newspapers, media outlets, and organizational sources to present illustrative instances of challenging scenarios necessitating monitoring and resolution.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern will conduct a literature review on the social determinants influencing the utilization of medical assistance in dying across various jurisdictions. This review will encompass two primary aspects. Firstly, it will involve an examination of existing empirical data, highlighting both its current status and identified gaps. Secondly, the intern will compile anecdotal reports from reputable newspapers, media outlets, and organizational sources to present illustrative instances of challenging scenarios necessitating monitoring and resolution.
Technical Skills
There are no mandatory required skills. However, it would be an advantageous asset if applicants for this internship possess one or more of the following qualifications: (1) experience in conducting literature reviews and/or (2) a keen interest in the social determinants of healthcare, and/or (3) proficiency in additional languages, including French, Dutch, Spanish or Portuguese.
Comparative Analyses of Jurisdictional Differences in Addressing Homelessness for Vulnerable and Marginalized Communities
Project Supervisor
Professor Pearl Eliadis
Max Bell School of Public Policy
Project Description
The central purpose of this project is to develop and publish a comparative analysis of jurisdictional differences between Canada and selected countries (France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Finland and Spain) by examining how legislative frameworks that provide recourses for people experiencing homelessness. The objectives include an assessment of resources and recourses for people with precarious migration status, women experiencing domestic violence and ethnic, and ethnic and linguistic minorities. Preliminary research undertaken in the project (as part of the Quebec Homelessness Prevention Policy Collaborative) indicates that countries with a stronger legislative frameworks are able to provide more meaningful individual recourses, greater security of tenure and stronger accountability frameworks for states to respect their international obligations. More specific analysis will test this hypothesis, and focus on: protection from eviction; access to second-stage or second step housing, and access to affordable and social housing. These outcomes have a direct impact on reducing homelessness. The second principal objective is to provide a comparative analysis of Canadia jurisdictions with specific domestic violence legislation, and the extent to those laws provide improved outcomes for security of tenure and access to family/matrimonial homes, as compared to Quebec lacks dedicated legislation on domestic violence.
Project Team
Interns will be interacting with myself, with community partners(s) including the Shield of Athena Family Services with whom we have a developed relationship and whose Executive director as co-Chair of the Q-HPPC Gender Strem. Other Faculty members in the Project include Lara Khoury, Professor, Faculty of Law who is a project member. Team meetings will be held regularly, as has been the case in the project to date.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
Interns will be responsible for analyzing and updating the preliminary research on the selected jurisdictions and developing an analysis, resulting in publishable “policy capsules” on the issues noted above. The research will also be presented and discussed during a case study at the Max Bell School of Public Policy.
Technical Skills
Students should have a background in law, public policy, political science or social work and at least one student should have capacity in quantitative skills and analysis.
Students should be able to work in Microsoft Office, and have good team collaboration skills. Experience in working in area sof social justice and social band economic rights is preferable.
Supplemental Materials
Please submit a recent short writing sample.
Community Involvement in Research Governance
Project Supervisor
Professor Phoebe Friesen
Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy | Social Studies of Medicine
Project Description
This SSHRC-funded project involves an examination of the various strategies that communities (broadly defined – e.g. Indigenous, BIPOC, rare disease) have used to have a say in governing research that impacts them. The project involves a scoping review of the strategies, demands, and justifications that communities have put forward in relation to their involvement in governing research, as well as interviews with community members and other stakeholders who have been involved in these initiatives. Project outputs will be developed with an eye to supporting other communities who hope to have a say in overseeing research that concerns them.
Project Team
The work will be primarily independent with supervision from Professor Friesen.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The scoping review is nearly finished and the intern will contribute to helping develop a public facing document that summarizes our findings. The findings will focus on the strategies, demands, and justifications that communities have put forward in relation to their involvement in governing research.
Technical Skills
Assets: graphic design, experience with public-facing writing
Transferable Skills
Required: ability to work independently, communication
Assets: problem solving
Supplemental Materials
Optional:
- Demonstration of graphic design experience
- Writing sample (especially if public facing)
The Placebo Effect and Personality
Project Supervisor
Professor Phoebe Friesen
Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy | Social Studies of Medicine
Project Description
This FRQ-funded project examines challenges created by the placebo effect for Evidence-Based Medicine. Since the 1990s, we have seen a tremendous surge in research into the placebo effect, with publications increasing dramatically, and dedicated labs and programs opening up at Harvard, Stanford, and across the world. In both academic and public venues, the placebo effect is now receiving recognition as a real and powerful phenomenon that plays a significant role within medical encounters. However, issues emerge along with this recognition, related to the methods, boundaries, and biases of medicine.
Project Team
The work will be primarily independent with supervision from Professor Friesen.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern will be responsible for conducting a review of research focused on the intersection of placebo science and personality.
Technical Skills
Required: research skills, especially scoping/literature reviews.
Transferable Skills
Required: organizational skills
Asset: writing skills
Supplemental Materials
Optional: Literature/scoping reviews, if experience with these
Ethical features of personalized breast cancer screening strategies: mapping the landscape
Project Supervisor
Professor Matthew Hunt
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy
Project Description
Personalized breast cancer screening strategies are emerging in Canada and other global jurisdictions. The general aim of personalized breast cancer screening is to maximize the ratio of screening benefits to harms. Strategies vary with respect to how individuals for screening are identified and what screening methods are used. These features have important ethical implications. Mapping the specific goals of these strategies and how these strategies work is an important step to support analysis of the ethical and social implications of personalized breast cancer screening.
The DEEP intern will conduct a review of personalized breast cancer screening strategies in Canada and other jurisdictions globally. This will involve identifying strategies that are currently being used, or that have been proposed for use, through searches of the peer-reviewed and grey literature for documents such as clinical guidelines, protocols, evaluations, health technology assessments, and others. The DEEP intern will work with the research team to identify features of these strategies that may be relevant for ethics research on this topic, guided by considerations such as (but not limited to) benefits and harms, autonomy, and justice.
The DEEP intern’s research will contribute towards an empirical bioethics study about culturally responsive personalized breast cancer screening policies for South Asian Punjabi communities in Canada. This study is the postdoctoral research of Dr. Manisha Pahwa, who is supervised by Dr. Matthew Hunt, a Professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University.
Project Team
The DEEP intern will join a project team comprised of a postdoctoral fellow, faculty members, and a community advisory board. The postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Manisha Pahwa, is leading this research with supervision from Dr. Matthew Hunt, Professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. Three additional faculty members are involved in this research as advisors: Dr. Ananya Banerjee (McGill), Dr. Elizabeth Anne Kinsella (McGill), and Dr. Ryoa Chung (Université de Montréal). The community advisory board is comprised of lay members impacted by breast cancer and representatives from organizations serving the health of South Asian Punjabi communities in Québec and Ontario.
The DEEP intern will participate in weekly project meetings and 1-2 meetings during the term with the wider project team (i.e., faculty and community advisors). The DEEP intern will work independently with close supervision from Dr. Pahwa and Dr. Hunt to ensure their timely and high-quality contribution to the research activities listed in the above responsibilities, and to produce their final deliverable for the project.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
Responsibilities:
- The DEEP intern will be responsible for the following research activities:
- Developing a search strategy for identifying peer-reviewed and grey literature about personalized breast cancer screening strategies;
- Executing the search strategy on multiple relevant databases and sources;
- Selecting relevant literature and documenting selection decisions;
- Producing a written summary of the search methods and the findings in the literature, which may include tables and/or thematic organization of the findings; and,
- Identifying what characteristics of personalized breast cancer screening strategies found in the literature search may be relevant for ethics research on this topic.
Deliverables:
The DEEP intern’s final deliverable for this project will be a written report about personalized breast cancer screening strategies in Canada and other jurisdictions globally.
Technical Skills
Required technical skills:
- Fluent in searching for peer-reviewed literature via McGill Library
- Fluent in using MS Office (e.g., Word, Excel, etc.) and reference management software (e.g., EndNote)
Assets:
- Experience with searching for grey literature using a variety of sources and methods
- Basic knowledge of bioethics and/or public health ethics
Transferable Skills
Required transferable skills:
- Excellent skills in producing written summaries of literature
- Collaboration and research professionalism
Supplemental Materials
Applicants are welcome to submit a writing sample of a literature review that they have ideally written as the only author or as the lead author. If the latter, applicants should specify their contributions to the research and writing. The literature review may be the background section of a course paper, research protocol, etc. or a standalone document.
Just Give Cash
Project Supervisor
Professor Nicholas King
Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy
Project Description
This project formulates an empirical and ethical case for making unconditional cash transfers the 'default option' for public health research and policy. The intern will perform background research and potentially contribute writing in support of the following proposition: If the goal is promotion of health and social justice, then one always has the burden of presenting a positive case for not giving cash directly to the worst off. Our default intervention should always be “give them cash,” and we must have a reasonable belief in the superiority of an alternative intervention to prefer it.
The end result of this project will be an academic paper.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern will prepare a written literature review of unconditional cash transfer programs.
Technical Skills
Required: familiarity with reviewing, summarizing, and synthesizing academic literature, including quantitative social science research
Assets: familiarity with structured/systematic review methodology; experience with quantitative analysis (e.g. biostatistics, economics).
Supplemental Materials
Writing sample
Pathways2Equity
Project Supervisor
Professor Claudia Mitchell
Department of Integrated Studies in Education
Project Description
Pathways2Equity: Youth-led, Indigenous-Focussed, Gender-Transformative, Arts-Based Approaches to Challenging Gender Norms in Addressing GBV (2021-2023). This project expands the work of More Than Words and responds to the calls from Indigenous girls and young women, in all their diversity, to include boys and young men in gender-based violence (GBV) prevention. Both More Than Words and Pathways2Equity are made possible through funding from Women & Gender Equality Canada (WAGE).
P2E is a girl-informed project, focusing on work with Indigenous boys and young men in communities across Canada. Now more than ever there is a recognition of the importance of working with boys and young men in separate and non-threatening, yet inclusive and integrated ways to address SGBV. The leadership of Indigenous girls and young women critically informs and frames the engagement of Indigenous boys and young men in participatory and creative ways. Specific objectives of the project include: fostering leadership with Indigenous girls and young women, engaging Indigenous boys and young men in ending GBV, creating local and culturally relevant dialogues and knowledge-sharing around the root causes of gender inequality and violence. Indigenous youth are supported in establishing a Pathways2Equity Youth Framework based on local and national engagement and promising practices.
Project Team
The intern will collaborate with the staff and students of the Participator Cultures Lab (PCL), particularly Leann Brown, Project Coordinator for Pathways2Equity and Angela MacDonald, the Administrative Coordinator for the lab. There are several graduate students working as Research Assistants on the project that the intern will collaborate with. Ideally work will be done on-site in the PCL (2001 McGill College, suite 930) and the intern will take part in project meetings alongside staff and students.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
A key focus of our funder, WAGE, is a commitment to gender-transformation and deepening an understanding of how Indigenous boys and young men can play a role in combating gender-based violence through policy dialogue. Central to this internship, we would involve the intern in two key components of the project: (1) helping to assemble the data with and about boys and young men that we have collected through Pathways2Equity fieldwork and assisting in the creation of visual resources to represent the findings and promising practices; (2) assembling literature between 2021 and 2023 on boys and young men in policy dialogue. This literature review will complement a previous literature review, Collaborating Masculinities, conducted in 2021-2022. The output from #1 will be an up-to-date inventory of the data, and compilation of visual resources. The output for #2 will be a draft literature review.
Technical Skills
Students with interests and experience with participatory visual research methodologies (e.g. arts-based approaches, photovoice, cellphilming) and qualitative data collection and analysis will be particularly suited to this position. Strong writing skills are required. A base level of design experience in regard to representing findings graphically (posters, infographics and diagrams) as an asset. Knowledge of Indigenous worldviews and approaches as an asset.
Transferable Skills
Responsive, two-way communication is an important component to the success of our team. Interns will need to be organized and able to manage, and communicate about, their schedules and commitments. The ability to work both independently and as part of our wider team is important. Interns will be responsible to drive their projects, but will have continuous access to support from our team.
Supplemental Materials
A writing sample and/or examples of resources (posters, infographics, tools...) would be appreciated.
Quebec youth homelessness prevention: Proposed action and policy recommendations
Project Supervisor
Professor Christine Stitch
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health
Project Description
This project takes place in the broader context of the Quebec Homelessness Prevention Policy Collaborative, a partnership between the Old Brewery Mission and McGill’s Department of Equity, Ethics, and Policy. Founded in 2021, the Q-HPPC is a cross-sectorial policy collaborative focused on homelessness prevention. It is made up of distinct working groups that focus on provincial policy intervention for homelessness prevention.
This project is conducted by the youth homelessness working group, led by Cécile Arbaud, Director of Dans la rue, and Christine Stich, Associate Professor in the School of Global and Population Health at McGill University. The objectives for this project are to a) provide an overview of youth homelessness services (intervention and prevention) offered and policies implemented in Quebec, b) identify challenges and gaps and c) develop policy recommendations for youth homelessness prevention in Quebec. Working with key stakeholders at various levels, this project will take a participatory approach to the identification of objectives, recommendations, and a proposed action plan to implement policy recommendations for youth homelessness prevention in Quebec. Methods will include collecting relevant information from stakeholders through document analysis, key stakeholder interviews, and focus group discussions. As a community-based, participatory project, this project will be conducted entirely in French.
Project Team
The intern will be supported directly by the co-chairs of the youth group, Cécile Arbaud and Christine Stich on this project.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
Supported by the co-chairs of the Q-HPPC youth group, the intern will be analyzing documents, conducting key stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions to identify objectives, draft policy recommendations, and propose an action plan for youth homelessness prevention in Quebec. The final deliverable for this project will be a written report presenting the policy recommendations to various audiences including youth with lived experiences, community partners, researchers, and policymakers.
Technical Skills
- Demonstrated analytical capacity
- Excellent writing skills in French
- Bilingual reading and oral skills
- Sense of synthesis
- Experience with writing policy recommendations an asset
- Capacity to work independently
Transferable Skills
Good interpersonal and communication skills
Supplemental Materials
When responding to "Why are you interested in this project?" and "Describe your relevant skills and experience" on the application form for this project, you must respond in French in order to be considered.
Fall 2023 Projects
Creating guidance for youth-engaged, youth-led research - Alayne Adams, Department of Family Medicine
Project Description
ListenUp! for Youth Wellbeing is a global initiative of researchers, policymakers and young people that aims to transform the way in which youth mental health research is conducted by exemplifying interdisciplinary, resilience-focused context-sensitive approaches, and valuing diverse, meaningful and ethical youth engagement. ListenUP! encourages collaborative, youth-led, policy-relevant research and advocacy to address gaps, strengthen the youth mental health and well-being evidence base, and produce guidelines for assessing and developing future policies and approaches. Its collaborations with key policymakers, funders and youth organizations locally and globally prioritize co-creation and equitable partnership in efforts to maximize research relevance, reach, and impact.
To date, ListenUP!’s activities have included: 1) a series of reviews and consultations to identify youth-led policy opportunities and strategies to support youth mental health; 2) guidance on cross-disciplinary definitions of youth and their implications for research and policy 3) a national youth-led mental health forum, and; 4) implementation research that tests a model for incubating innovation and promoting youth mental health and well-being by enabling intergenerational connection around climate change action. The prospective DEEP intern will contribute to a new area of work focused on the creation of guidance supporting youth-led/engaged research addressing youth mental health. In addition, the DEEP intern will take part in regular biweekly meetings, and participate in seminars and other ListenUP! activities. The intern will also benefit from the mentorship and support of team members, many of whom are experts in the field of global mental health, climate change, and youth engagement.
Project Team
The student will be interfacing with members of the ListenUP! Initiative, a group comprised of interdisciplinary faculty, students and knowledge brokers who are advancing a youth-led/informed research and policy agenda supporting youth mental health and wellbeing.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern will conduct a rapid review of the published and grey literature with the goal of compiling guidance/best practices for youth-led/engaged research.
Technical Skills
- Experience in searching websites and the published literature.
- Qualitative data analysis skills to formulate evidence-based findings.
- Skills in technical writing.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office.
- Experience with Covidence or Rayyan is an asset.
Transferable Skills
- Creativity in developing an effective search strategy for formal and grey literature, as well as websites and social media.
- Problem-solving and critical thinking skills to support data interpretation.
- Time management and organizational skills to undertake self-directed work.
- Experience working in teams.
- Communication skills with respect to reporting progress on tasks accomplished, key insights andnext steps.
Ethics and humanitarian project closure: development of a guidance framework for the Canadian Red Cross - Matthew Hunt, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy
Project Description
A crucial component of any humanitarian emergency response is planning a strategy for transitioning from emergency to recovery or long-term development assistance. Ideally humanitarian exits are planned at the start of a response or as early as is feasible. More understanding is required around how to best design and implement a project closure process that contributes to minimizing and mitigating harm, while also attending to sustainability and project legacy, and upholding ethical commitments. This project is a collaboration between the Canadian Red Cross and the HumanitarianHealth Ethics Research Group. The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is a leading humanitarian organization that responds to humanitarian needs, nationally and internationally, in collaboration with national societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of RedCross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The CRC is interested to examine how ongoing research on ethics and humanitarian project closure can be integrated in their operational guidelines and to develop resources to guide closure strategies. Guidance around important ethical considerations can support field teams in the planning and implementation of closure strategies. The project has three phases. The intern will participate in phase 2 which focuses on collecting feedback on an initial draft of a guidance framework for ethics and project closure, and revising the framework based on the input received.
Project Team
The intern will join a team that includes members of the Health Intelligence Research and Development department (HIRD) of the Canadian Red Cross, and researchers at McGill and McMaster Universities. The intern will participate in regular project meetings and Dr Hunt’s biweekly lab meetings.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern will support the second phase of this project by gathering feedback from program implementers, heads of regions and other key people working at CRC. They will contribute to the process of revising the initial draft framework based on this feedback. The intern will produce summaries from the feedback consultations and a detailed report synthesizing key elements that are relevant for the revision of the initial framework.
Technical Skills
- Training in a relevant field (e.g., bioethics, social sciences, public health, global health or a relateddiscipline).
- Prior experience in research.
- Familiarity with qualitative analysis methods.
- Experience in manuscript writing and academic reporting.
- Familiarity with data analysis software (e.g., NVivo, MAXQDA) is an asset.
Transferable Skills
- Excellent communication, organizational, and time-management skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Supplemental Materials
Please provide a writing sample.
Class actions in health as tool for social change: Case law analysis - Lara Khoury, Faculty of Law
Project Description
Faced with government inaction on health and environmental crises, citizens around the world are becoming increasingly critical of governments that fail to protect their health. As a result, many societies have seen their populations rise to bring about necessary social and political change. This project aims to demonstrate and analyze this emerging global phenomenon of the judicialization of health governance through liability class actions in four areas: public health, environmental protection and climate change, healthcare safety, and health innovation. Based on research collecting Canadian class actions in these fields that has been 90% completed, the intern will 1) use a quantitative research methodology to collect and report key information on court proceedings and decisions collected to demonstrate overall trends in the judicialization of health and environmental governance; 2) analyze the discourse of judges to reveal their view of the social role that liability litigation plays and their view of the institutional and systemic factors that may place limits on their role (e.g. separation of powers, judicial capacity, expertise and independence, the legitimacy of judicial incursions into health policy); (3) analyze how judges' treatment of the evidential and procedural issues raised by the litigation under study may promote or hinder the social role of that litigation.
Project Team
Independent with collaborations with Prof. Khoury.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
Complete excel table for the collection of quantitative data. Prepare analytical sheet for each class action decision selected. The number of selected class actions will depend on the time available. Prepare a short research report based on the analytical sheets completed under #2.
Technical Skills
- Experience in reading complex judicial decisions.
- Willingness to learn about class action proceedings.
- Interest in health law.
Toward a Canadian Framework for Brain Health - Laurence Kirmayer, Department of Psychiatry
Project Description
Professor Kirmayer has two positions available for this project.
The project will contribute to the development of the Canadian Framework for Brain Health (CFBH), a key deliverable of the Healthy Brains for Health Lives program (HBHL: www.mcgill.ca/hbhl). The CFBH aims to position Canada as a leader in understanding and addressing the social determinants and impacts of brain disorders and mental health by providing a conceptual framework and guidelines for translating research into evidence-based policies and practices for health and well-being. By connecting researchers with key stakeholders in the community, professional organizations, practitioners, policy makers, and funding agencies, the CFBH will facilitate the development of a knowledge exchange hub for mobilizing neuroscience research to achieve transformational impact on society.
Project Team
The intern will participate in weekly meetings of the Culture and Mental Health Research Unit and monthly meetings of the CFBH workgroups. There will also be opportunities to take part in workshops.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
A literature review on key topics related to the CFBH. e.g. ethical issues in the use of big data in neuroscience; or (ii) an analysis of social determinants of health relevant to policy in current neuroinformatics databases.
Technical Skills
Knowledge of neuroscience, social science and psychology or psychiatry.
Transferable Skills
Excellent analytic and writing skills.
Supplemental Materials
- CV.
- Writing sample.
CHILD: Canadian Health Indicators for Children with Disabilities - Keiko Shikako, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy
Project Description
Background: Wellbeing, often used interchangeably with quality of life is a complex term, incorporating physical and psychological health, levels of independence, relationships, beliefs and the role of the environment in shaping people’s outcomes and experiences. The World Health Organization defines wellbeing as "individuals' perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns” (1). According to Statistics Canada (2), wellbeing pertains to people’s wealth and comfort, taking into consideration material and non-material factors of importance to them, such as their health, their social connections and their material resources.
Objectives: Our overall objective is to develop the CHILD: Canadian Health Indicators for chiLdren with Disabilities: a measure of the quality of life and well-being of children with disabilities in Canada. The CHILD will consider the needs of children with disabilities of all ages (0-24 years old, considered the age limit for most pediatric services in most provinces), their families, and the environmental factors shaping their health, also known as the social determinants of health.
The CHILD project will generate a framework for data collection on the quality of life and well-being of children with disabilities that is evidence-informed and contextualized for Canada. The framework can inform current policy strategies and the development of policy options for federal-provincial collaborations in collecting data to inform comprehensive programs, structures and generate better outcomes for this vulnerable group.
Project Team
This project gathers experts in disability rights and public policy, health and rehabilitation based atMcGill University. The project lead, Dr. Shikako is the Canada Research Chair in Childhood Disability: Participation and Knowledge Translation. She is known for her expertise in children and youth with disabilities, accessibility, community inclusion, human rights, and public policy.
The Intern will take part in (in-person and online) team and lab meetings where they will have the opportunity to attend presentations from members of our team on various topics related to childhood disability, knowledge translation and policy. The students will be asked to present summaries of their tasks and accomplishments and will receive extensive guidance from our team on form and content.We hope that by being present in a dynamic research environment, the student will build important skills for their career development.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern will support conducting policy reviews. The intern will be taught and be responsible for data screening and data collection (federal, provincial, and territorial disability policies, regulations and standards) as well as creating knowledge mobilization tools such as infographics and lay summaries.
Technical Skills
- Experience in research project, data collection, data extraction, analysis, interpretation and writing reports.
- Strong computer skills (Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint) specifically database management and reporting.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, French is an asset.
- Field of study/Discipline: Health & Social Sciences related professions, public policy, disability, childhood studies.
Transferable Skills
- Having experience working with persons with disabilities or being part of a research on different disabilities.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently and within a team and take initiative.
- Strong organizational, managerial, and interpersonal skills.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Excellent adaptability.
Supplemental Materials
Submit a short (max 500 words) independently produced writing sample.
Jurisdictional Rapid Reviews of Public Remedial Programs for Excluded Health Services - Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy
Project Description
Canada has a quasi-universal health care system, with “narrow” and “deep” coverage. “Narrow”, because the guarantee of universal coverage is limited to services provided by physicians and in hospital, but “deep” because this limited coverage is comprehensive. This structure implies that numerous services are excluded from the public basket (e.g., dental care, pharmaceuticals). As a remedy, Canada allows for deemed “vulnerable” groups, such as children, to be publicly insured for services that fall outside of the basket of publicly insured services. However, these programs vary significantly across Canada creating uneven access. A comprehensive understanding of the policy variation between jurisdiction is currently lacking.
The objective of this project is to conduct a series of comparative jurisdictional (i.e., provinces and territories) rapid reviews to understand the policy characteristics of public remedial programs for excluded health services for children (i.e., less than 18 years old). Rapid reviews aim to synthesize knowledge on a particular policy or program in a relatively short time frame to disseminate results. In addition to the systematic review methods imbued in this approach to ensure rigour and reproducibility, more types of documentation are examined (e.g., government, peer-reviewed) to cover the breadth and depth on a topic. Four excluded services are of interest: 1) mental health services, 2) vision care, 3) pharmaceuticals and products, and 4) dental care. Data on three policy characteristics will be extracted: 1) eligibility, 2) enrolment, and 3) restrictions.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern is expected to support the rapid reviews by searching databases, extracting results and organizing data according to a standardized template. The intern is expected to work independently but will receive support and mentorship from the research team on a weekly basis. Completed reviews (i.e., search, extraction and organization of results) for two excluded services per jurisdiction per week are expected (i.e., 5-6 hours per excluded service). Preliminary review results and standardized templates will support the intern’s progress. The intern will also be a co-author on any public reports or peer-reviewed publications stemming from the rapid review.
The intern will have the following responsibilities: (1) conduct rapid reviews of the materials on the research topic in grey (e.g., government) and peer-reviewed articles, (2) compile research materials in a standardized worksheet, (3) thoroughly and systematically document the research process, (4) report to research team on a weekly basis on progress and concerns. The intern will have the opportunity to learn about Canadian health policy, as well as develop skills in review methodologies.
Technical Skills
Working knowledge and experience with programs like Microsoft Office/Word/Excel and SharePoint/Dropbox.
Transferable Skills
Required:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrate good time management to work independently, as well as under the direction of a supervisor.
- Display strong attention to detail and logical reasoning.
- The intern will contribute to collaborative research, and should therefore also be comfortable with teamwork.
Assets:
- Experience in (health) policy research, data management or analysis preferred.
- • Working knowledge and experience with Zotero software an asset.
- Fluency in French is an asset.
Supplemental Materials
Writing sample (e.g., a term paper, published article).
Transnational environmental standards: Assessing quality - Jaye Ellis, Faculty of Law
Project Description
Transnational environmental quality standards are increasingly produced by non-state actors, including civil society organisations and industry associations. Their quality is hard to assess, but given their increasing influence, quality assessment becomes increasingly important. This project addresses chemical risk management and greenhouse gas emission reduction, and seeks to develop metrics to help assess various bodies of standards in a range of ways, including robustness, effectiveness, appropriateness, fairness, and others. Research has shown that it is not enough for environmental standards to be ambitious (e.g. requiring significant emissions reductions): the manner in which they are adopted, the types of knowledge and information that they draw on, the extent to which they can be implemented not only by large, well-resourced firms but also by smaller ones, their impacts on the communities in which they are implemented, and the degree to which they can be adapted as learning occurs, are all crucial as well. In short, transnational environmental standards are not just technical rules; they are important governance instruments. They ought therefore to be evaluated on a number of dimensions. Developing means of carrying out this evaluation, for example through the development of metrics – standards for standards – is essential, as the technical nature of standards makes them inaccessible to many important actors, including smaller firms, community members, even governments.
Project Team
The internship involves mainly independent work, but there will be many opportunities to interact with and learn from colleagues at McGill who are working on sustainability standards. These include colleagues in sciences and engineering as well as social science. The intern will meet and discuss with an RA who will also be working on this project.
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The main deliverable will be the development of a structure for a database in which various approaches to measuring the effectiveness of standards are to be entered. The intern will draw on literature to begin to develop the parameters for the database, will enter further information drawn from the literature into the database, and will make adjustments to the database parameters as appropriate.
Technical Skills
- Experience with databases of secondary sources essential.
- Experience with building or working with simple databases an asset.
- Experience with text analysis an asset.
Transferable Skills
- Organisational skills and good communication skills (oral and written) essential.
- Capacity to self-motivate essential.
Autism and the Welfare State - Antonia Maioni, Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy
Project Description
This project will examine policy and services for individuals with autism, in the context of national frameworks and sub-national innovations. The cases chosen are Canada and the United States (as federations with sub-national policy capacity). Ideally, if the intern has time, we can add the UK (as a unitary country with significant innovations) and (if the intern has sufficient linguistic capacity in the French language), France (as a unitary country with an overarching responsibility to EU declarations on autism).
Key background references:
Summary and comparison of autism policy in Canada:
https://cahs-acss.ca/autism-assessment/
Zeidan, J., Shikako-Thomas, K., Ehsan, A., Maioni, A. & Elsabbagh, M. Progress and gaps in Quebec’s autism policy: a comprehensive review and thematic analysis. Can J Public Health 110, 485–496 (2019).
Zeidan, J. et al. Global prevalence of autism: A systematic review update. Autism Research 15, 778–790 (2022).
Student Responsibilities and Deliverables
The intern will be responsible for 1) summarizing global/regional standards with reference to autism policy (e.g., WHO, EU, ADA); 2) building a literature review that traces comparative policy development in Canada and the US (and takes into account sub-national innovations and/or variants where relevant) and possibly UK and France; 3) tabulating country-specific data (prevalence) and policies related to autism, with reference to labour, social services, education and health care.
Technical Skills
- Some understanding of and/or interest in policy development.
- Good writing skills, including literature review.
- Language competency in French is an asset.