McGill Global Health Scholars - Undergraduate Program

Location

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro + Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho

Location

Cali or Bogota, Colombia and/or Salvador Bahia

Project Summary

The Pan-Diaspora project is a CIHR-funded program assessing inequalities in the Pan-American region. The Co-PI Dr. Sharrelle Barber is the Director of Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity.

The Pan-American region is highly diverse and comprises Canada, the United States (US), the Francophone and Anglophone Caribbean, and 21 other Spanish-speaking countries or territories from the Latin American subregion. However, outside of the context of administrative data in the US, Afro Diasporic populations (AD), including Black, Afro descendants, African American, and Caribbean populations are statistically invisible in the Pan-American region. Afro-descendants make up 30% of the population in the Latin American region and in Montreal and Toronto, the most diverse cities in Canada, Afro descendants make up 10% and 4% of the population, respectively. Likewise, Latinx are a growing population in Montreal (5%) and Toronto (3%). Yet, Afro descendants and Latinx individual, although invisibilized populations, are overrepresented on the burden of COVID-19, police fatal encounters and chronic conditions. Our project will use already available national census data, health surveys and health surveillance systems and vital statistics registries aiming to: 1) Examine the current data collection practices on race/ethnicity in the region; 2) Evaluate the use and scope of population-based race/ethnicity data in the context of major health outcomes inequalities in the region; and 3) Generate practical and technical guidelines for the collection, utilization, analysis, and interpretation of race/ethnic data in the Pan-American region.

There are several options for the student participation that could be agreed upon with the preferred task, activity of the student.

1. The student could be on site and work remotely with the teams at Drexel, in Philadelphia US, Canada, Colombia and Brazil.
2. The student could participate in data collection, revision in Colombia (Universidad de los Andes, Escuela de Gobierno in Bogota, Colombia or at Universidad ICESI in Cali, Colombia) or Brazil (at Universidade Federal da Bahia, Institute of Collective Health (Instituto de Saúde Coletiva)
3. The student could participate in data collection, data analysis and the generation of the guidelines with the Pan-Diaspora team. This involves the review of the documentation available or participating in the literature synthesis, organizing the meetings or workshops and or establishing communication channels with other stakeholders that are part of the program.

If the sanitary conditions change, and the student could not visit the sites for in-person data collection, the student could participate remotely in data collection (from Canadian sources only), and for the data analysis and the generation of the guidelines with the Pan-Diaspora team (using Zoom, MS Teams or other alternative resources). This involves the review of the documentation available or participating in the literature synthesis, organizing the meetings or workshops and or establishing communication channels with other stakeholders that are part of the program.

Project Objectives for student:

There are different potential activities that the students could carry out.

• To document the presence, quantity, and quality of the data .
• To identify potential issues associated with the data collection, report, and availability, including consult the normative around the data collection forms and consultation with representatives (e.g., interviews) of the institutions collecting the data.
• To participate of qualitative and quantitative data assessment, to identify any patterns of data collection and parameterization that could be useful for future harmonization processes and eventual systematic assessment of inequalities in the region.
• To participate of the comprehensive assessment of scientific evidence on the use of race/ethnicity data on the analysis of inequalities in the region, as a member of any of the three series of systematic reviews of the literature ideally (or a comprehensive scoping review according to data availability).
• To participate of the generation of practical and technical guidelines for the collection, utilization, analysis, and interpretation of race/ethnicity data in the Pan-American region.

Technical Skills

• Motivation and interest to work in the field of inequalities.
• Strong organization skills, willing to travel to Colombia or Brazil for data collection and therefore, Spanish or Portuguese language knowledge will be highly desirable.
• Self-identify as Latinx, AfroDescendant, or BIPOC or affinity and sensitivity to the racial inequalities topic will be desirable
• Knowledge of statistical softwares like R will be an asset, specially for the quantitative data analysis.

Transferable Skills:

• Demonstrated good communication skills (written and oral)
• Affinity and sensitivity to the racial inequalities topic.
• Team player, experience or willingness to work with a highly ethno-diverse group.
• Highly adaptable and motivated to work with collaborators form academia, NGOs, government institutions, etc.

Timeline:

Flexible

Onsite supervisor(s):

• Mabel Carabali - McGill University (faculty)
• Dandara Ramos or Emmanuelle Goes - Universidade Federal da Bahia, Institute of Collective Health (Instituto de Saúde Coletiva.)(faculty)
• Diego Lucumi - Universidad de los Andes, Escuela de Gobierno (faculty)

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The student will arrange their travel with the supervisor's advice and the supervisor a member of their research team, will arrange their accommodation.

More information:

Dr. Mabel Carabali is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University. Dr. Carabali obtained her medical degree from the Universidad Libre in Colombia, a PhD in epidemiology from McGill University and did her postdoctoral training at the Social Epidemiology Lab at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Dr. Carabali also held a position as Assistant Professor at Université de Montréal and has more than 14 years of experience in international epidemiological and biomedical research of infectious diseases and social epidemiology. Dr. Carabali is a social and infectious diseases epidemiologist. Given the importance of accurate measures when studying the presence and effect of the disparities, her current research on racial and socioeconomic inequalities includes: (1) assessing the effect of underreporting and misclassification of the outcome, socioeconomic exposures, and the racial and ethnic groups in infectious diseases; (2) the expansion of statistical methods for the study and understanding of intersectionality in different health outcomes; and (3) the integrating qualitative/mixed-methods in empirical analysis of the intersectional effects of racism and discrimination. Other projects include fever surveillance studies for emergent pathogens in Latin America, the analysis of social determinants and socioeconomic disparities for different outcomes in urban settings of the Pan-American region, and racial inequalities and spatiotemporal distribution of police fatal encounters in the US.

• McGill faculty bio
• Collaborating center at Drexel University
• Science and better health for Black people (Featured Research)

Location

Jinnah Hospital and Allah Iqbal Medical College/Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

Project Summary

Background: It is estimated that approximately 5 billion people do not have readily available access to surgical services, the vast majority of whom inhabit low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Pakistan.  As such the demand for novel and cost-effective perioperative surgical interventions, such as enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is ever increasing. ERAS is a set of evidence based perioperative guideline aimed at reducing postoperative recovery time and postoperative complications. Successful implementation of ERAS has not only highlighted the postoperative improvement in patient outcomes but also demonstrated a decline in hospital and patient expenses. Therefore, initiatives at implementing ERAS in LMICs should be of concern as the benefits of ERAS are bound to be more profound given the burden of disease. However, a lack of data regarding the current perioperative protocols being utilized in different surgical subspecialties, necessary to undertake any quality improvement implementation of ERAS, exists in Pakistan. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the current perioperative protocols being utilized at a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan & compare these protocols to the ERAS guidelines for each specialty. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study design will be used to assess the current perioperative guidelines being utilized in different surgical subspecialties. Significance: Collecting data regarding current perioperative protocols will help highlight the differences between current practices and the ERAS guidelines. These differences can then be used to create quality improvement projects aimed at piloting ERAS in hospitals across Pakistan.

The student will be responsible for coordinating meetings with the group locally and internationally, data collection, extraction, analysis, synthesis, and writing of any relevant pieces of literature. Data collection will require the student to attend the international site to retrieve access to patient medical records and extract relevant information for the project. The student will have to coordinate with the staff abroad to identify opportunities to do so. The student will be responsible for organizing meetings with the local and international staff to provide updates regarding the project and seek help when necessary.

Should travel be cancelled, the project would be adjusted to enable a feasible data collection period. The student will be responsible for maintaining contact with the group we will be collaborating with internationally to conduct the study as planned. Data collection will be conducted virtually through direct communication between the student and members of the group internationally. The student will be responsible for organizing these meetings to ensure that they can collect the necessary data for the project. All other aspects of the project such as data extraction, analysis, synthesis, writing of any relevant pieces of literature, and more will not be significantly changed as they can be performed locally as well as internationally.

The student will be responsible for assisting in the development of the protocol, coordinating meetings with the group locally and internationally, data collection, extraction, analysis, synthesis, and writing of any relevant pieces of literature. Data collection will require the student to attend the international site to retrieve access to patient medical records and extract relevant information for the project. The student will have to coordinate with the staff abroad to identify opportunities to do so. The student will be responsible for organizing meetings with the local and international staff to provide updates regarding the project and seek help when necessary.

Project Objectives for student:

• Perform a thorough literature review on the topic and gain insights into the current known body of knowledge.
• Coordinate with experts on the topic and methodology to further understand the nuances involved in such a project.
• Assist in the development of the study protocol and submission to relevant ethics board to receive ethical approval.
• Collect and extract data necessary for completion of project
• Perform preliminary analysis of data and synthesize the results of the project into a manuscript/poster-presentation to disseminate information to the scientific and academic community.
• Coordinate with the local staff and the supervisor to ensure a timely progression and completion of the project.
• Develop an appreciation for the opportunities and challenges of conducting clinical research in a low-income country.

Technical Skills

• Prior experience with research methods and statistical analysis
• Critical thinking
• Ability to visualize patterns and interpret data
• Problem-solving
• Language proficiency in English, Urdu and/or Punjabi is strongly preferred
• Interest in collaborating with internal and external stakeholders

Transferable Skills:

• Motivated
• Adaptable
• Team player
• Displays Punctuality and Responsibility

Timeline:

• Flexible

Onsite supervisor(s):

• Dr. Tayyab Pasha, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore Pakistan.
• Dr. Waqas Shedio, Cardiac Surgeon, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore Pakistan.

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

Student with supervisor's advice

More information:

Dr. Dan Deckelbaum is assistant professor at the Divisions of Trauma and General Surgery at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), associate member of the Department of Epidemiology, biostatistics and occupational health at McGill University, and honorary associate professor of the National University of Rwanda. He obtained his subspecialty training in trauma surgery and critical care at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. During his fellowship, he also completed a Masters of Public Health at the University of Miami.

In addition to his passion for clinical practice, he has developed an avid interest in global surgical education and development, as well as disaster preparedness and response, establishing and co-directing the MUHC Centre for Global Surgery. His interest in global health is founded upon on-site clinical experience in government hospitals in East Africa as well as disaster response activities in Somalia, Kenya, Turks and Caicos, and Haiti. This clinical experience is the basis for ongoing capacity building programs in resource limited settings across the globe. This includes education programs in resource limited setting.

Centre for Global Surgery website

Location

Jinja Regional Referral, Uganda

Project Summary

Family Integrated Care (FICare) is a model of care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in which parents are active participants of the care team. We have previously demonstrated that FICare can be adapted to a neonatal hospital unit in Uganda. Mothers were trained to assess for signs of clinical deterioration, weigh their infant daily, and track their infants' feeding. The main barrier to implementation, however, is the resources required to train mothers to participate in their infants' care. We have created a video to assist with the education. The aim of the current project is to determine the time required to teach mothers how to monitor their infant using video-assisted education in a neonatal hospital unit in Uganda. The Global Health Scholar will be involved in the data collection and analysis of the study

The student will participate in data collection and serve as the recorder and time keeper during the study. The student will assist the research nurse in recruiting participants and entering data into RedCap.

If travel is not feasible, the student will assist with data analysis at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Understand why newborns are admitted to hospital in low-income countries
2. Be able to describe the benefits of Family Integrated Care for hospitalized infants
3. Become familiar with the landscape of the healthcare workforce shortage in low-income countries
4. Learn how to conduct a time-motion study
5. Learn how to work in a multi-disciplinary team

Technical Skills

1. Familiarity with RedCap is preferred but not required
2. Strong writing skills

Transferable Skills:

1. Adaptable
2. Motivated
3. Strong problem solving skills

Timeline:

Flexible (dependent on timeline of ethics approval for project)

Onsite supervisor(s):

Dr. Abner Tagoola, pediatrician

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

Student with advice from the supervisor

More information:

Reiter A, De Meulemeester J, Kenya-Mugisha N, Tagoola A, Kabajaasi O, Wiens MO, Duby J. Parental participation in the care of hospitalized neonates in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Pediatr. 2022;10:987228

Franck LS, O'Brien K. The evolution of family-centered care: From supporting parent-delivered interventions to a model of family integrated care. Birth Defects Res. 2019;111(15):1044-1059.

Location

University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Project Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women, especially in low-and middle-income countries. This impact has further magnified health inequities globally. In collaboration with our partners in Nigeria, we are conducting a large-scale global health project to understand the gendered impact of COVID-19 on young self-employed Nigerian women, and co-produce solutions that will foster better systems and wellbeing. Specifically, the project has three aims:

1. To conduct a gendered situational analysis of how the COVID-19 pandemic and significant life events (childbirth, family/health emergencies, etc.) affect the paid and unpaid work, and mental, physical, and social wellbeing of self-employed young women in Nigeria;
2. To examine the strategies these young women use for coping with such events;
3. To co-produce and pilot a nationally scalable intervention to support self-employed young women in Nigeria to cope better with disruptions to their work and well-being.

This project is funded under the Women Rise Initiative of the International Development Research Centre. It will roll out between 2022-2024 and use a variety of methods, including knowledge synthesis, digital storytelling, Theory of Change driven co-design workshop, interviews and tools to assess the co-produced intervention.

Throughout, self-employed young women in Nigeria, Ministry and community partners will work closely with researchers at the University of Ibadan and McGill University to ensure reach, relevance and results.

The global health scholar working on this project will participate in knowledge synthesis to curate literature on the intersection between gender, paid and unpaid work, and well-being in the context of the pandemic.

• Weeks 1 - 2: Familiarize with project: Review grant and ethics applications; Meet partners
• Weeks 2 – 3 : Participate in rapid review (literature review, document analysis)
• Weeks 3– 5 : Participate in data collection activities (e.g., sharing circles, group interviews, arts-based approaches) and associated administrative activities (e.g., scheduling, managing data storage)
• Weeks 4 – 6: Participate in data analysis and summary of findings, and continue to engage and share with partners.

*Flexible dates and timelines. Project can be completed part-time over 16 weeks (15h per week) for example.

Travel is not mandatory but will allow the Scholar to work with Dr. Olayinka Omigbudon and also meet with partners there such as Ms. Funmilayo Akinpelu (Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Oyo State, Nigeria) and self-employed young women partners in the project.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Become familiar with knowledge synthesis methods (narrative review, scoping review, review of grey literature)
2. Learn to develop knowledge translation outputs for uptake by different stakeholders (press briefs, pamphlets, informative articles, social media outreach)
3. Become familiar with co-design approaches to conducting global mental health research by working closely with partners in Nigeria
4. Become familiar with qualitative research methods including interviews, focus groups, and arts-based approaches
5. Learn about the intersection between work and young people's mental health and well-being in varied contexts

Outputs/deliverables

1. Develop a knowledge translation output (e.g., press brief, pamphlet, informative articles, social media outreach)
2. Oral presentation of research project (including analysis and interpretation of findings). Student to present to members of the research lab and co-investigators on the project.
3. Abstract submission of research project to a relevant conference (if available)

Technical Skills

• Experience with literature review
• Strong writing skills
• Experience with working with youth
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
• Experience working in global or diverse contexts

Transferable Skills:

• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Collaborative
• Organized, can manage tasks with multiple moving parts
• Good time management
• Motivated

Timeline:

Flexible. May to August

Onsite supervisor(s):

Dr. Olayinka Omigbudon

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The student will arrange their travel with the supervisor’s advice and the supervisor, or a member of their research team, will arrange their accommodation

More information:

Srividya N. Iyer, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Associate Member of the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She is a licensed psychologist and a Researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis (PEPP) in Montreal. She is a member of McGill’s Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, its Global Mental Health Program, and its Indigenous Special Interest Group. Dr. Iyer is part of the steering committee for the Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre. She leads ACCESS Open Minds, a pan-Canadian network of 250+ diverse stakeholders that is seeking to transform mental healthcare for urban, rural, Indigenous, post-secondary and homeless youths across Canada.

Dr. Iyer has been contributing to several other youth- and early intervention-focused services, research, and capacity-building efforts in Canada and globally. Dr. Iyer is committed to helping ensure equitable mental healthcare access and outcomes to underserved populations such as Indigenous youths, visible and linguistic minority youths, homeless youths, youths in low- and middle-income countries and looked-after youths. As a psychologist, Dr. Iyer gained assessment and treatment experience in India, the United States, and Canada. Her interests are in the design and delivery of mental health services and learning health systems; cognitive-behavioral therapy; mindfulness-based approaches; clinical supervision; and program leadership.

About the larger IDRC Women RISE initiative

Further information on research activities:

• Douglas Research Centre page
• Access Open Minds

Location

Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative Council, East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Project Summary

The project, which is funded by CIHR and the IDRC, is a collaboration between Dr. Rice and several academic and community partners in South Africa. It aims to address key issues related to the precarity of women in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic as a starting point for post COVID-19 rebuilding. It seeks to document and explore women lives before and during the pandemic to identify trends and triggers that elevate or depreciate the livelihoods and health statuses. The project uses this analysis, which we associate with the application of a ‘peoples science’ action approach, to first explore a series of strategies and actions to enhance prevention both the health and livelihood spheres. We explore dependencies both on the state and the biomedical model and how these might be transformed into more locally sustain approaches and strategies so that future external shocks and distance, such as pandemics, might be better managed by and for women. But the work will go further than this by exploring how new and innovative approaches and strategies, developed through the ‘co-production’ of solutions and action by local women and other stakeholders and partners might “rebuild better”, especially in the field of public health and livelihood strategies.

One of the project partners is Ian Assam. The student(s) will be based at the ECSECC in East London and will work with a project team led by Ian and Aneza (a South African recent PhD graduate and full-time project employee ) to accomplish the project. We would like the student(s) to initially spend a couple days in Cape Town being oriented to the project by Dr. Leslie Bank (South African Project Principal Investigator; Dr. Rice is the Canadian PI). More info about Dr. Bank.

The student(s) will have the opportunity to work with a dynamic team that includes a lot of young trainees.

If travel is not possible, the content of the work will be the same (working with the team to analyze provincial and national data as it relates to the project), but the student will communicate remotely with the team in South Africa.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Identify and analyze South African provincial and national data (qualitative) that may speak to/illuminate the themes that our project seeks to address (in collaboration with colleagues at the Health Data Hub of the Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative Council [ECSECC; a project partner],
2. Identify and analyze South African provincial and national data (quantitative) that may speak to/illuminate the themes that our project seeks to address (in collaboration with colleagues at the Health Data Hub of the [ECSECC].
3. Work with graduate student data-collectors ( a team of 12, all South African Master's and PhD students) to identify how provincial and national data relates to the data that the graduate students will be collecting in the rural Eastern Cape using life history interviews.
4. Gain experience liaising with community organizations and local government in a middle-income country in the sphere of Global Health
5. Gain knowledge of how health systems can be structured to advance or hinder gender equality

Technical Skills

The skills that most advanced McGill undergraduate students have will be sufficient for this project.

Skills/personal qualities that are absolutely essential include a commitment to non-racism and gender equality, and willingness to work in a high multi-ethnic environment. A background in qualitative and/or quantitative data collection and/or analysis with respect to health is ideal but not imperative.

Experience in a low or middle-income country with heightened security concerns relative to Canada would be an asset but is not essential. Fluency in a Bantu language (isiXhosa, isiZulu, Swahili etc.) would be a huge asset but is not expected (the workplace is English-speaking).

Transferable Skills:

1. Commitment to non-racism and gender equity
2. Independent worker (there will be plenty of support on site, but we do not want the student to be a burden on the team as the ECSECC)
3. Solid judgment about taking personal risks (walking home from a bar drunk at night is a bad idea in South Africa, for example)

Timeline:

Anytime between May and August

Onsite supervisor(s):

Dr. Leslie Bank (in Cape Town). Leslie is strategic lead on livelihoods and education in the Inclusive Economic Development Division (IED) at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC); a large South African research institute. He also holds adjunct positions at Walter Sisulu University and the University of Fort Hare (both historically black universities in South Africa). He is the founding Director of the Fort Hare institute of Social and Economic Research (2005-2015).

Mr. Ian Assam (on-site in East London). Ian is Deputy Chair of the South African Statistics Council, and a Council Development Planning Specialist at the ECSECC.

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The supervisor or a member of their research team will arrange travel and accommodation for the student

More information:

Dr. Kathleen Rice is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill, where she holds the Canada Research Chair in the Medical Anthropology of Primary Care. She is the Canadian Principal Investigator for Ukuvula Isango: Women's Empowerment and Post-Pandemic Reconstruction in Rural South Africa.

Dr. Rice has a research background in South Africa going back to 2005. Further information about her program of research and recent publications.

Location

Lakehead University, Ontario (to work with Indigenous collaborator there)

Project Summary

Indigenous youth face limited access to good quality mental health care. Intergenerational trauma, culturally inappropriate care, limited services, and geographical barriers further compound these challenges. Increased investments in youth mental health services has led to the development of provincial initiatives for integrated youth services (IYS). The growth of IYS has resulted in efforts to advance standards and best/wise practices, and develop implementation frameworks for these standards and best/wise practices, such as “learning health systems”.

However, in an Indigenous context, we must also respect the principles of Indigenous self-determination and cultural safety. Therefore, we need to understand when and how to best apply youth-focused standards and wise practices to support their implementation in Indigenous contexts and for the benefit of Indigenous young peoples. The present proposal aims to develop a set of standards on the process of applying, adapting, and evaluating standards and associated activities within a Learning Health System framework to Indigenous contexts, taking into consideration the cultural (e.g., conceptualization of health and wellness) and contextual (e.g., social determinants of health and geography) factors. We will use sharing circles, interviews, focus groups and other qualitative methodologies with Indigenous youths, community members, and leaders, and services providers and decision-makers in Indigenous contexts to understand their perspectives on standards, wise practices, and learning health systems. Using the data collected through these activities and literature reviews, we would develop approaches that support the implementation of these standards and wise practices and outline considerations when adapting and applying standards and wise practices in Indigenous contexts.

Travel is not mandatory but will allow the scholar to work with Dr. Chris Mushquash and also meet Indigenous partners at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care and Thunderbay Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre for additional inputs.

• Weeks 1 - 2: Familiarize with project: Review grant and ethics applications
• Weeks 1 – 2: Review Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAPTM) principles
• Weeks 2 – 3 : Participate in rapid review (literature review, document analysis)
• Weeks 3– 5 : Participate in data collection activities (e.g., sharing circles, group interviews, arts-based approaches) and associated administrative activities (e.g., scheduling, managing data storage)
• Weeks 4 – 6: Participate in data analysis and summary of findings

*Flexible dates and timelines. Project can be completed part-time over 16 weeks (15h per week) for example.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Learn about mental health services development for varied contexts
2. Become familiar with literature focused on adaptations to standards for implementation of mental health services within Indigenous contexts
3. Become familiar with qualitative research methods including interviews, focus groups, sharing circles, and arts-based approaches
4. Learn to communicate with different types of stakeholders engaged in mental health services in Indigenous communities
5. Learn about the Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAPTM) principles (CITE) and other precepts of the guidelines for Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada (CITE) from the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Human

Outputs/deliverables

1. Develop a knowledge translation output (e.g., press brief, pamphlet, informative articles, social media outreach)
2. Oral presentation of research project (including analysis and interpretation of findings). Student to present to members of the research lab and co-investigators on the project.
3. Abstract submission of research project to a relevant conference (if available)

Technical Skills

• Experience with literature review
• Strong writing skills
• Experience with working with youth, Indigenous people, minoritized groups, or marginalized groups
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Transferable Skills:

• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Collaborative
• Organized, can manage tasks with multiple moving parts
• Good time management
• Motivated

Timeline:

May to August

Onsite supervisor(s):

Chris Mushquash

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The supervisor or a member of their research team will arrange travel and accommodation for the student

More information:

Bio and area of expertise

Srividya N. Iyer, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Associate Member of the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She is a licensed psychologist and a Researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis (PEPP) in Montreal. She is a member of McGill’s Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, its Global Mental Health Program, and its Indigenous Special Interest Group. Dr. Iyer is part of the steering committee for the Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre. She leads ACCESS Open Minds, a pan-Canadian network of 250+ diverse stakeholders that is seeking to transform mental healthcare for urban, rural, Indigenous, post-secondary and homeless youths across Canada.

Dr. Iyer has been contributing to several other youth- and early intervention-focused services, research, and capacity-building efforts in Canada and globally. Dr. Iyer is committed to helping ensure equitable mental healthcare access and outcomes to underserved populations such as Indigenous youths, visible and linguistic minority youths, homeless youths, youths in low- and middle-income countries and looked-after youths. As a psychologist, Dr. Iyer gained assessment and treatment experience in India, the United States, and Canada. Her interests are in the design and delivery of mental health services and learning health systems; cognitive-behavioral therapy; mindfulness-based approaches; clinical supervision; and program leadership.

Relevant publications

• Boksa, P., Hutt-MacLeod, D., Clair, L., Brass, G., Bighead, S., MacKinnon, A., ... & Iyer, S. N. (2022). Demographic and Clinical Presentations of Youth using Enhanced Mental Health Services in Six Indigenous Communities from the ACCESS Open Minds Network. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 67(3), 179-191.
• Iyer, S.N., Shah, J., Boksa, P., Lal, S., Joober, R., Andersson, N., Fuhrer, R., Abdel-Baki, A., Beaton, A., Reaume-Zimmer, P., Hutt-MacLeod, D., Levasseur, M.A#., Chandrasena, R., Rousseau, C., Torrie, J., Etter, M., Vallianatos, H., Abbaji, A., Bighead, S., MacKinnon, A., & Malla A.K. (2019). A minimum evaluation protocol and stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial of ACCESS Open Minds, a large Canadian youth mental health services transformation project. BMC Psychiatry. 19(1): 273. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2232-2 # Family partner with lived experience.

Further information on research activities:

• Douglas Research Centre page
• Access Open Minds

Location

Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut and the Participatory Cultures Lab, Coach House, McGill Downtown Campus

Project Summary

More Than Words (MTW) is a 4-year research project, funded by Women & Gender Equality Canada that uses art and intergenerational mentoring to empower Indigenous girls, young women and LGBTQ2+ youth to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and support survivors, families, and communities.

The project is driven by Indigenous youth in three sites: Treaty 6/The Traditional Homeland of the Métis/Saskatoon (Sask), Eskasoni on Cape Breton Island (N.S), and Rankin Inlet (Nvt). Youth groups chose their own approaches, corresponding with their personal, cultural, and community values. Each site is youth-led, Indigenous-focused, survivor-centered and supported by local Indigenous community scholars. Youth are trained in arts-based methods to develop leadership and facilitation skills so they may share their knowledge of SGBV and survivor support with their peers and community.

Youth participants in Rankin Inlet are set to create a publication which shares the knowledge they have acquired during their years of community work and arts-based research. The publication will serve as a tool to guide Indigenous youth and organizations to do similar work in community, bolster youth leadership and encourage peer mentorship. Workshops will be held Rankin Inlet to develop content, design the publication and plan launch and knowledge mobilization activities. The publication and associated activities are key outputs of More Than Words, the project's promising practices framework.

Working alongside the Lead Project Investigator and Coordinator, the student will assist with the organisation of the youth-led publication and associated activities. Most of the work will take place from the Participatory Cultures Lab at Mcgill, with an (approx) 7-day visit to the Rankin Inlet fieldsite in Nunavut to support community activities.

The students will support the creative content mapping for the publication, gathering, assembling and formatting submissions. They will also contribute towards the overall design of the publication as well as associated resources and project outputs.

Students will navigate access issues, which include varying time zones, availability and reliability of Internet connection of those in northern and remote communities, restrictions related to Covid-19 as well as other local community-based challenges.

The goal is to create a safe and accessible process within which project youth and community stakeholders in Rankin Inlet can share their unique perspectives, exchange knowledge and collaborate creatively on the publication. Through the project, students will support project youth and work with adult allies (academics, community scholars & practitioners) in the planning, production and dissemination of the publication and related creative outputs.

Working alongside the Lead Project Investigator and Coordinator, the student will assist with the organisation of the youth-led publication and associated activities. In the local context, work will mainly take place hybrid style at the Participatory Cultures Lab and involve designing and implementing asynchronous and synchronous virtual collaborative activities for Indigenous youth, community members and the project implementation team.

The student will support the creative content mapping for the publication, gathering, assembling and formatting submissions. They will also contribute towards the overall design of the publication as well as associated resources and project outputs.

The student will navigate access issues, which include varying time zones, availability and reliability of Internet connection of those in northern and remote communities, restrictions related to Covid-19 as well as other local community-based challenges.

The goal is to create a safe and accessible process within which project youth and community stakeholders in Rankin Inlet can share their unique perspectives, exchange knowledge and collaborate creatively on the publication. Through the project, students will support project youth and work with adult allies (academics, community scholars & practitioners) in the planning, production and dissemination of the publication and related creative outputs.

Working alongside the Lead Project Investigator and Coordinator, the student will assist with the organisation of the youth-led publication and associated activities. In the remote context, work will continue to involve designing and implementing asynchronous and synchronous virtual collaborative activities for Indigenous youth, community members and the project implementation team.

The student will support the creative content mapping for the publication, gathering, assembling and formatting submissions. They will also contribute towards the overall design of the publication as well as associated resources and project outputs.

The student will navigate access issues, which include varying time zones, availability and reliability of Internet connection of those in northern and remote communities, restrictions related to Covid-19 as well as other local community-based challenges.

The goal is to create a safe and accessible process within which project youth and community stakeholders in Rankin Inlet can share their unique perspectives, exchange knowledge and collaborate creatively on the publication. Through the project, students will support project youth and work with adult allies (academics, community scholars & practitioners) in the planning, production and dissemination of the publication and related creative outputs.

Project Objectives for the student:

In collaboration with the central team at McGill, support community scholars and project youth in Rankin Inlet to:

• plan and execute community workshops.
• map out the content for the publication and assist with assembly and formatting
• support design, production and distribution plan for the knowledge mobilization tools
• take part in associated knowledge production and mobilization activities
• document the experience and insights of youth throughout the creative process.

Technical Skills

• Strong writing and communication skills in English. Working knowledge of French and/or Indigenous languages as assets.
• Experience with the Microsoft suite of applications including collaborative work using MS Teams.
• Video editing, sound recording/editing, and design experience as assets.
• Knowledge of Participatory Visual Methodologies and Arts-Based research as well as qualitative data collection and evaluation methods.
• Knowledge of Canada’s colonial history and ongoing impacts

Transferable Skills:

• Great communication skills (incorporates inclusive language and centres the needs and experiences of recipients)
• Well organised and reliable.
• Takes initiative and can problem-solve creatively
• Able to work both independently and as part of a dynamic team.
• Comfortable working remotely when needed. Flexible to the changing nature of the work and the working environment.

Timeline:

Mid-may to mid-August. Flexible to start later if needed.

Onsite supervisor(s):

Dr. Claudia Mitchell. MTW community Scholar Jennica Alhda Barcial will also be on site.

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The supervisor or a member of their research team will arrange travel and accommodation for the student

More information:

Claudia Mitchell is a Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Faculty of Education, McGill University and an Honorary Professor at the University of KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa.

At McGill she is the Director of the Institute for Human Development and Well-being and the founder and director of the Participatory Cultures Lab, a research and training unit in the Faculty of Education, funded through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Her research focuses on participatory visual and arts-based approaches to working with young people and communities in relation to addressing critical social issues such as gender equality and gender-based violence and in a wide range of country contexts in West Africa, Southern and Eastern Africa, and East Asia Pacific. She currently leads several funded projects focusing on girl-led ‘from the ground up’ policy making to address sexual violence with Indigenous girls and young women in Canada and South Africa, Indigenous boys and young men in Canada, and education & agency with girls in Mali.

She is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning journal Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. She is the author and co-editor of more than 30 books including Disrupting Shameful Legacies: Girls and Young Women Speaking Back Through the Arts to Address Sexual Violence and Participatory Visual Methodologies in Global Public Health.

• Lead PI of More Than Words & Pathways2Equity.
• Director of the CFI-funded Participatory Cultures Lab
• Director of the Institute for Human Development and Well-being

Location

Kuujjuaq and Puvirnituq Montreal General Hospital

Project Summary

Delivering medical care to the population of Northern Quebec presents unique challenges. Preliminary evidence suggests that Canadian Indigenous communities suffer from higher morbidity and mortality than the rest of the population. However, the epidemiology of traumatic injuries in Nunavik remains underreported as they are not routinely captured in governmental databases. Therefore, this study aims (1) to implement an electronic prospective registry of trauma patients onsite at the two main referral centers in Nunavik, (2) provide real-time guidance in the clinical management of trauma patients through educational resources imbedded within the registry and (3) describe the epidemiology of trauma patients in Northern Quebec. A novel electronic interface (AMBER) will be implemented at Kuujjuaq’s Ungava Tulattavik Health Centre (UTHC) and Puvirnituq’s Inuulitisivik Health Centre (IHC). In response to feedback from local practitioners, to maximize use of the registry, clinical guidance prompts will be embedded within the application to guide clinical care in real-time. This will be complemented by a review of trauma admissions to the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the primary referral center for patients from Nunavik, to capture data on transferred patients. This study will provide a more complete assessment of the epidemiology of trauma in Northern Quebec. The implementation of an application with immediate knowledge transfer capabilities will also help optimize quality of care. By filling a knowledge gap in the care of a neglected population, this study will identify targets for meaningful policy- and practice changing interventions to ultimately improve outcomes.

If travel is not possible, the data collection procedure will be performed remotely through virtual communication with onsite partners.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Gain a better understanding of the challenges in providing trauma care to patient populations in Nunavik
2. Further strengthen the relationships between the McGill Trauma Program and communities in Nunavik
3. Pilot a prospective data collection tool onsite in Kuujjuaq and Puvirnituq
4. Complete the data analysis under the supervision of our research team with the goal of obtaining a peer-reviewed publication
5. Present the findings back to the communities as well as at a national or international conference

Technical Skills

• French is an asset
• Strong interpersonal, communication and writing skills
• Experience with data collection and chart reviews
• Strong analytical skills

Transferable Skills:

• Organized
• Adaptable
• Completes tasks reliably
• Good communicator

Timeline:

Flexible

Onsite supervisor(s):

Alexandra Vivier and Marie-Faye Galarneau

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

Student with supervisor advice

More information:

• Dr. Evan Wong Bio
• Publications

Recent students:

• Allyson Kis (2021)
• Lilly Groszman (2022)

Location

Department of Family Medicine,  5858 Cote des Neiges, Montreal

Project Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of social determinants of health in driving inequities in health and healthcare. These differences have been particularly stark in older, racialized and immigrant populations, provoking a need to reimagine systems of primary health that integrate more fundamentally with community-based services. While physicians routinely assess a patient’s social needs, the connection of needs to services is rarely supported. Likewise, community-based services for socially vulnerable populations lack connection with primary care, and each other, resulting in missed opportunities for integrated, holistic care for populations in need. Our research team has been assisting with the development of a social prescription platform initiated by a community partner in Montreal. The proposed project involves a series of research activities to support a social prescription pathway linking community and primary care services. Activities include: 1) a qualitative study of community organizations that explores individual, community, and organizational barriers and facilitators to supporting social prescribing services, 2) a survey of primary care providers to understand current approaches, opportunities, and obstacles to social assessment and referral, 3) outreach activities in community and primary care settings to introduce the social prescription platform, and 4) deliberative dialogue to identify feasible implementation strategies for social prescription. As members of our social prescription team, students would support our community partner in pilot-testing the social prescription platform. They would also assist with key informant interviews, and the facilitation of outreach activities among primary care clinics and community-based organizations.

Students will receive an orientation to Social Prescription, social determinants of health, primary care and public health systems in Quebec, and the related literature. Tasks with clear deliverables will be assigned depending on student skills and interests. Regular structured meetings will occur with members of our social prescription team to plan and discuss progress regarding pilot activities, data collection/analysis, and outreach. Pending IRB approval (protocol submitted), in-person interviews will occur with community organizations and community members. During the final phase of their placement, students will present the work they have accomplished, and reflect on the insights and competencies they have gained

Project Objectives for the student:

1. Consolidate a theoretical and applied understanding of social determinants of health and social prescription approaches
2. Develop skills in outreach and working with community-based organizations
3. Conduct key informant interviews with community-based organizations
4. Support our community partner in pilot testing the social prescription platform
5. Learn the fundamentals of qualitative interviewing and analysis

Technical Skills

• Strong writing and communication skills
• Organizational and pedagogic skills and experience.
• Some familiarity with qualitative and survey research methods
• French language skills are an asset

Transferable Skills:

• Strong problem-solving skills
• Effective team player
• Self-directed learner
• Time-management skills
• Attention to detail
• Cross-cultural competency

Timeline:

Mid-June through August 2023

More information:

Alayne M. Adams is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Director of its Population and Global Health Program. As an applied social scientist, her research spans a range of demand and supply side challenges that impede equitable access to primary healthcare in both local and global settings. Of particular interest are innovations in service delivery that engage community and the informal sector, and holistic primary care approaches that connect health and social services. In this project, Adams is joined by Catherine Paquet of Laval University. Paquet is a socio-spatial chronic disease epidemiologist with an interest in the health benefits of integrating health and social services for socially vulnerable populations including older adults.

Location

Rabinovitch House, Montreal

Project Summary

The Global Health Scholar will contribute to an ongoing research project that aims to learn about disability inclusion in planning for and responding to climate-related disasters. The project focuses on flooding and landslides in Kodagu District, India, and includes interviews and focus groups with persons with disabilities, including leaders of Disabled Persons Organizations, as well as interviews with government officials and members of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Based in Montreal, the Global Health Scholar will contribute to the analysis of collected data, as well as the production of reports and project summaries.

Contribute to analysis of qualitative research data collected through interviews and focus groups. Production of synopses, reports and knowledge translation resources.

Project Objectives for student:

• Identify important features of disability inclusive disaster risk reduction and response
• Develop and apply skills in qualitative data analysis
• Understand key features of adaptive capacities and structured health vulnerabilities
• Explore policy implications to support greater inclusion
• Create synopses, reports and knowledge translation resources

Technical Skills

• Familiarity/experience with qualitative research methods
• Excellent writing skills
• Experience creating infographics and reports
• Experience with NVivo software is an asset

Transferable Skills:

• Strong analytical abilities
• Motivated
• Collaborative
• Adaptable

Timeline:

May-June

More information:

• Biography of Professor Matthew Hunt
• About the Humanitarian Health Ethics Research Group

Location

CINE Building, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus

Project Summary

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture places a nutrition lens on the policies, strategies, and investments in the food and agriculture sector. A Ghanaian national agricultural investment program - Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) - uses a crop diversification strategy to reduce farmers' financial challenges by providing input subsidies, extension, and market information to improve farmers' well-being. Nested within a nutrition-sensitive agriculture project funded by IDRC (LinkINg Up) in the Eastern Region of Ghana, quantitative data were collected on farmers' participation in the PFJ program, their diet patterns, and the diversity of their farm production. This proposed Global Health project will analyze these quantitative data to determine if the PFJ was associated with the diversification of diets and farm production. The information from this analysis is expected to broaden our understanding of government measures taken to improve the food and nutrition situation of rural populations in Ghana. This work is part of the thesis research on 'The nutrition sensitivity of food and agriculture policies and investments in Ghana' of Priscilla Boadi (a Queen Elizabeth Scholar and a doctoral student at the School of Human Nutrition). The scholar will be stationed on the McGill University Macdonald Campus to work directly with Dr. Marquis and virtually with Ms. Boadi in British Columbia, Canada.

The student's role will include cleaning quantitative data and calculating minimum dietary and farm production diversity scores. The student will also help prepare posters and/or presentation slides to be presented at the 2023 Agriculture, Nutrition and Health week. Training and the aforementioned work will be done both in-person and remotely with regular zoom meetings with the project supervisors (Dr. Marquis and Priscilla Boadi).

Project Objectives for student:

1. Clean quantitative data which were collected as part of the 'LinkINg Up' survey in the Eastern Region of Ghana (PI: Marquis)
2. Develop and revise a codebook from the quantitative data
3. Calculate minimum dietary diversity and farm production diversity scores for each farmer
4. Become familiar with preparing posters and presentations for conferences (e.g., the 2023 Agriculture, Health and Nutrition week)
5. Register and participate in at least one learning lab during the 2023 Agriculture, Health and Nutrition week and the conference

Technical Skills

1. Knowledge of nutrition/nutrition-sensitive agriculture literature would be desirable
2. A student with some experience with quantitative methods software (e.g., Microsoft Excel, SAS, SPSS).
3. Fluent in English.
4. Comfortable with reviewing published literature
5. Good writing skills
6. Good analytical skills
7. The student must complete the Canadian Tri-council online ethics training (no cost) before initiating research activities (https://tcps2core.ca/welcome). Submission of the certificate is required.

Transferable Skills:

Organized, good work ethic, comfortable working independently and with others, good communicator

Timeline:

May to August 2023

More information:

• Professor Marquis bio
• Priscilla Boadi bio
• Linking Up project
• Publication on Linking Up project

Location

CINE building Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus

Project Summary

Through nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions that address gender inequalities, we aim to improve the nutritional status and economic well-being of rural Ghanaian women and their families. The Linking Up' project tested innovative mechanisms of working with government and private sector district-level institutions to foster sustained integrated support that will be transformative for rural women and their families living in three districts of the Eastern region of Ghana. The specific objectives include (i) determining the factors that facilitate or impede women’s participation in farming entrepreneur associations that are/can be supported by local institutions and (ii) testing gender transformative approaches that improve outcomes for both women and institutional stakeholders. A recent quantitative survey tool designed by IFPRI, the Project-level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (Pro-WEAI), was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention on women's empowerment. Supplemental in-depth interviews, life histories, and focus group discussions collected additional qualitative data from women farmers and their male partners to understand the construct of empowerment in this rural region and the impact on specific domains of empowerment. The proposed Global Health project will analyze life history interviews to examine life stories/experiences in relation to specific empowerment indicators. The Information from this analysis is expected to broaden our understanding about the process of empowerment for rural women and men, particularly in the Ghana/West African.

The student’s role will include reviewing, coding, and analyzing interview transcripts from life history interviews. Training and the aforementioned work will be done in-person at CINE or remotely via Zoom. The student will be required to attend regular meetings with Dr. Marquis and Aishat Abdu, doctoral PhD candidate who will directly supervise the project.

Project Objectives for student:

• Become familiar with the LinkINg Up project, nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions in Ghana and other LMIC, and the use of the Pro-WEAI tool in other studies
• Develop/revise the code book for the life history interviews
• Code the life history interviews
• Analyze the emerging themes
• Contribute to the final report

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of gender/empowerment literature and qualitative methods is preferable.
• Some experience with qualitative methods software (e.g., MAXQDA, NVivo) is preferable
• Fluent in English
• Comfortable with reviewing the published literature
• Good writing skills
• The student must complete the Canadian Tri-council online ethics training (no cost) before initiating research activities. Submission of the certificate is required.

Transferable Skills:

• Good work ethic
• Comfortable working independently and with others
• Skilled writer

Timeline:

May to July 2023

More information:

• Professor Marquis bio
• Aishat Abdu bio

The Marquis research group focuses on understanding and addressing the determinants of maternal and child nutrition in poor rural communities in LMIC. Through cross-sector collaborations, we implement nutrition-sensitive interventions that (i) improve local government and private sector services, (ii) lead to a better understanding of nutrition and health issues among diverse stakeholders, (iii) increase agricultural and entrepreneur skills, (iv) augment economic resources, and (v) improve the quality of diets - all with the aim of enhancing health and nutritional status of women and their families. Throughout all of our work, we support the empowerment of women.

Women's Agripreneurship Sustainability and Scale-Up Project (LinkINg Up)

Recent publications

• Abdu A, Marquis GS, Colecraft EK, Dodoo ND, Grimard F. The association of women’s participation in farmer-based organizations with female and male empowerment and its implications for nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions in rural Ghana. Current Developments in Nutrition 2022;6:nzac121,
• Esi K Colecraft, Grace S Marquis, Comfort M Pinto, Growing and Learning Together in Fostering Multisectoral Participation for Sustaining Interventions: Lessons from 3 Successive Integrated Multidisciplinary Interventions in Rural Ghana, Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, Issue 9, September 2022, nzac124,

Location

The Participatory Cultures Lab

Project Summary

Participatory Research on Education and Agency in Mali (PREAM) is a 3-year international research program that establishes humanitarian work in an African conflict zone, investigating through participatory strategies countermeasures to health access barriers. This intersectional work connects the impact of education, health, economics and security on young African girls and women.

The program is an international collaboration between McGill and the Université des Lettres et Sciences Humaines de Bamako (ULSHB) in partnership with the NGOs Plan International-Canada and Plan International-Mali who are implementing a program around education in emergencies. The McGill research team draws together leading scholars in psychiatry/social work, gender studies, and education. It provides a unique training opportunity in health education, and whose findings are positioned to inform policy and practice related to education and gender equality globally.

The health outcomes for PREAM are focused on two key areas:

(1) Mental health and girls’ agency
(2) Gender-based violence as a mental health issue.

Global Health scholars will have the opportunity to engage with both visual-qualitative and quantitative survey data that provide the connection between prominent themes of the investigation: agency and mental health, agency and health safety, agency and gender based violence. Working within the established knowledge mobilization plan for the project will provide opportunities for several briefing papers, at least one of which is projected towards findings in the health sector, the examination of key health components around Child Protection and Trauma, and literature reviews on mental health issues such as everyday trauma in conflict zones.

Working with the Lead Project Investigator and Project Coordinator, at our on-campus Participatory Cultures lab (PCL lab), the GH scholars will be expected to attend weekly meetings to elaborate on the week-by-week implementation and alterations necessary to conduct the quarterly research plan constructed at the project’s inception.

This will involve independent work on our campus-based computers and technological media that will allow them to carry out their responsibilities regarding shared data of the projects or communication tools. It will also provide them with a context to work directly and in tandem with the lead investigators and coordinator of the project on material that requires simultaneous input such as template constructions or process plans that support the collection and evaluation of research data.

The responsibilities may entail setting up local meetings on McGill campus for the McGill research team, in accordance with McGill’s health and safety protocols, when face to face meetings are necessary for the analysis and knowledge dissemination activities of the collected research data.

Should remote work be required, working remotely with the Lead Project Investigator and Coordinator, the students will assist with organizing remote encounters through virtual collaborative tools with the project’s international partners as well as facilitate the organization and sharing of documents related to research results. These research assets will include reports, guides/toolkits, films, drawings, and other shareable media. The student may be asked to provide translations between French and English, or to compose templates, tables, and guide plans that aid the researchers in organizing the collected data for analysis. The students may also be asked to help in the production of summaries, briefing papers, or knowledge mobilization activities based on the feedback and instructions they receive from McGill researchers in the current phase of the project.

In the remote context, this will involve working with Zoom for meetings and the Microsoft Teams platform to exchange files necessary for the research team or to set up meeting times and dates. Weekly meetings will be conducted between the McGill research team and the Global Health scholars to coordinate the granular details of activities and outputs needed at each developing stage of the project. The student is expected to manage these tasks while keeping in mind the nature of changing schedules of International research teams and participants in the Malian context who are experiencing both the pressures of internal strife within the country and challenges to the research program due to Covid-19. The student will be expected to function within the research protocols that ensure the safety of guarding research evidence and the privacy of the research findings shared with them on the platforms.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Organize supporting material for McGill researchers conducting qualitative and quantitative survey analysis on collected data, and communicate with International partners regarding the sharing of data on the MS Teams platform.
2. Develop summaries, briefing papers, and knowledge mobilization material from the learnings coming out of the data investigated by the McGill research team around the themes of Health and girls’ Agency.
3. Contribute to communication strategies related to knowledge collection and dissemination amongst national and international networks of allies supporting Internationally-focused, youth-led, arts-based work.
4. Support evaluation and studying change activities related to youth leadership and participation relating Health and girls’ Agency.
5. Support activities involving academic writing and publishing from McGill researchers on the project’s themes of agency and health, agency and child protection, agency and trauma, agency and gender-based violence.

Technical Skills

• Strong writing and communication skills in both English and French.
• Experience with the Microsoft suite of applications including collaborative work using MS Teams and Zoom.
• Video editing, sound recording/editing, and design experience are assets.
• Knowledge of Participatory Visual Methodologies and Arts-Based research as well as qualitative data collection and evaluation methods is an asset.
• Knowledge of NVIVO or SurveyCTO software is an asset but not required.

Transferable Skills:

• Great communication skills
• Well organized and reliable.
• Takes initiative and can problem-solve creatively
• Able to work both independently and as part of a dynamic team.
• Comfortable working remotely (from home or on campus) when needed. Flexible to the changing nature of the work and the working environment.

Timeline:

early June - August

More information:

Claudia Mitchell is a Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Faculty of Education, at McGill University, and an Honorary Professor at the University of KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa.

At McGill, she is the Director of the Institute for Human Development and Well-being and the founder and director of the Participatory Cultures Lab, a research and training unit in the Faculty of Education, funded through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Her research focuses on participatory visual and arts-based approaches to working with young people and communities in relation to addressing critical social issues such as gender equality and gender-based violence and in a wide range of country contexts in West Africa, Southern and Eastern Africa, and East Asia Pacific. She currently leads several funded projects focusing on girl-led ‘from the ground up’ policy making to address sexual violence with Indigenous girls and young women in Canada and South Africa, Indigenous boys and young men in Canada, and education & agency with girls in Mali.

She is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning journal Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. She is the author and co-editor of more than 30 books including Disrupting Shameful Legacies: Girls and Young Women Speaking Back Through the Arts to Address Sexual Violence and Participatory Visual Methodologies in Global Public Health.

Relevant Websites:

Lead Principal Investigator of PREAM

Director of the CFI funded Participatory Cultures Lab

Director of the Institute for Human Development and Well-being

Relevant Project Publications:

1) Girls and Agency: A Review of the Literature

2) Capturing the elusive? A reflection on the study of agency

This will be our second year working with Global Health scholars on the PREAM project. If students would like a reflection on their tasks or the project in general from the voices of past GH scholar reflections and other internship comments on our Institute's work, they can visit our internship website.

Location

Department of Social Studies of Medicine, 3647 Peel Street

Project Summary

Research has been a key aspect of global health work since the creation of the World Health Organization in 1948-49 and its role has become increasingly central as the field has developed and more and more academic institutions become active in the field. The goals have been to use research to improve health worldwide but also to increase capacity for research in low- and middle-income countries. In this project, we examine how overall goals were set at the international level and how they were implemented regionally and nationally. We are especially interested in efforts to utilize competing social sciences to help develop priorities, manage programs and evaluate them. Finally we look at how research results have influenced global health training.

The student will work on specific aspects of the overall project (e.g. medical training in Africa since the 1960s). They will be given a topic, an initial set of primary and secondary sources (in PDF form), asked to expand the bibliography and prepare 2-3 short reports on their research over the course of their tenure.

Project Objectives for student:

• Examining the way health systems research is carried out in specific regions
• Examining the development of medical training in specific regions;
• Examining the role of social science research in Global Health competition
• Examining relations among various disciplines in such research
• Examining relationship between global norms and local preferences.

Technical Skills

• Experience with social science research methods;
• Strong writing skills;
• If possible, some experience with computer mapping programs.

Transferable Skills:

• Completes tasks well and on time;
• Motivated;
• Can adapt to new research opportunities that emerge.

Timeline:

flexible

More information:

George Weisz is the Cotton-Hannah Chair of the History of Medicine at McGill University. He received a PhD in History from Stony Brook University and in Sociology from the University of Paris 5 (Descartes). His two most recent books are Chronic Disease in the Twentieth Century: A History (2014) and Divide and Conquer: A Comparative History of Medical Specialization, 1830-1950 (2006). He has also written books about the creation of French universities during the Third Republic and the history of the Paris Academy of Medicine in the 19th century. He has edited five collective volume including The History and Sociology of Quantification in Medicine (2006) and Greater than the Parts: Holism in Biomedicine 1920-1950 (1998). He has written articles on mineral waters, national differences in gynecological practices, and efforts at international standardization notably through practice guidelines. He is currently working on institutions of global health, and international trends in medical education. Among his articles on Global Health are: (With Alberto Cambrosio and Jean-Philippe Cointet), “Mapping Global Health: A network analysis of a heterogeneous publication domain,” BioSocieties12(4), 2017: 520-542; (With Noemi Tousignant), “International Health Research and the Emergence of Global Health in the late 20th Century,” Bulletin of the History of Medicine 93(3), 2019: 365-400; “What Happened to the Global Forum for Health Research,” Global Public Health, 15(8), 2020, 1212-1224; (With Beate Nannestad), “The World Health Organization and the Global Standardization of Medical Training, a History,” Globalization and Health (2021)17:96; ; “Creating an applied, multi-disciplinary research field: The World Health Organization and Health Systems Research 1960-2000,” Social History of Medicine, 2022.

For details, see Professor Weisz’ Web Page.