Events - Research With Impact 2021 Archive

Research With Impact 2021 Virtual Lecture Series

Research with Impact 2021 Virtual Series Archive

How we say it matters: Rethinking language around substance use with Dr. Kara Fletcher

The language used when talking to or about people who use substances is often hurtful. Terminology such as “addict,” “junkie,” and “abuser” continue to be commonplace. Instead of understanding the chronic relapsing nature of substance use disorders, this language regards individuals who struggle with substance use as morally reprehensible. Using data from a study with clients and clinicians from a substance use treatment program, this presentation will highlight the impacts of language and offer recommendations for rethinking the language around substance use. (Recorded April 20, 2021)

Building Collaborations to Help Manage PTSD Among Public Safety Personnel with Dr. R. Nicholas Carleton

Public Safety Personnel are regularly exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events as a function of their work, and recent evidence indicates nearly half may currently screen positive for one or more mental health disorders. In 2018, the Government of Canada dedicated funding to catalyze creation of evidence-based solutions through a consortium between the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as part of a national action plan to address posttraumatic stress disorder and other posttraumatic stress injuries. This presentation provides an overview of CIPSRT activities, past, present, and future. (Recorded May 18, 2021)

Sixties Scoop Research with Dr. Raven Sinclair

Raven Sinclair is a Sixties Scoop survivor and University of Regina Professor and researcher. She has studied the Sixties Scoop and Indigenous Child Welfare in Canada for two decades, most recently with the support of a five-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Grant. Raven will discuss what the Scoop is and some of her experiences as a Cree woman raised in a white family. She will also discuss why research is important as a tool for providing evidence-based recommendations for policy and program changes to child welfare. (Recorded June 15, 2021)

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Variants of Concern and Vaccinations with Dr. Andrew Cameron

Dr. Cameron provides updates on and explanations of public health efforts to track and stop the pandemic, current vaccine technologies, and the implications of emerging viral variants for vaccine effectiveness and infection risks. He describes his lab's COVID-19 research at the U of R as they develop and deploy genomic techniques to detect viruses and bacteria in COVID-infected patients to understand the consequences of co-infection. These genomic approaches provide the whole genome sequences required for detecting and defining SARS-CoV-2 variants. Dr. Cameron's lab is adapting the techniques to sequence the genomes of novel coronaviruses from central African bats. New technologies for tracking viral diversity and evolution are important for understanding and anticipating how viral pandemics emerge. (Recorded July 20, 2021)

The Future of Public Health: Citizen Science and Social Innovation with Dr. Tarun Katapally

In this lecture, Dr. Tarun Katapally will speak about the importance of equity in the area of digital health. More importantly, he will address how digital health can potentially promote equity. Dr. Katapally will explore the concepts of citizen science in public health, social innovation for health promotion, and data sovereignty in the age of digital health. (Recorded August 17, 2021)

Whose Story to Tell: The Social Construction of Residential School Compensations with Dr. Cindy Hanson

Discoveries of children’s burial sites outside Indian Residential Schools (IRS) rightfully grasped the nation several months ago. Less acknowledged was potentially the largest claim concerning abuse of children in the world – the Independent Assessment Process (IAP). The IAP was included in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement to compensate Survivors of IRS for abuse suffered at the schools. The $4 billion class action suit involving 38,000 Survivors was the largest in Canadian history, but questions remain about how it will be remembered once the bulk of testimonies and records are destroyed (following a 2017 Supreme Court decision). This talk will explain the IAP and how it was constructed and understood through three genres -- the news-media, elected officials and interviews with diverse stakeholders. Our national study, Reconciling Perspectives and Building Public Memory: Learning from the Independent Assessment Process aims to build public memory of the IAP and simultaneously, critique the dominant discourses constituting settler-colonial narratives. (Recorded September 21, 2021)