不良研究所

Location

Jika Uluntu, East London (and surrounding rural areas), Eastern Cape, South Africa

Location

Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Jinja, Uganda

Project Summary

Parents may be a resource for improving the quality of neonatal hospital care in low-income countries. We performed a pre-post pilot study of an adapted Family Integrated Care program in Uganda (UFICare) in the Special Care Nursery at a Ugandan regional referral hospital. Research nurses trained mothers to weigh their infant daily, assess for danger signs twice daily and track feeds. We found that Ugandan mothers can collaborate in the medical care of their hospitalized infant. In addition, mothers who performed the monitoring tasks felt more prepared to care for their infant at discharge. The main barrier to implementation of UFICare is the amount of nursing time required to train mothers. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to evaluate the time needed to teach mothers to weigh their infant daily, assess for danger signs and track feeds using video-assisted education. A 10-minute educational video about UFICare has been created for the purposes of the study. We will perform a time-motion study to understand the amount of time a nurse needs to spend with a mother for her to gain proficiency. We will assess proficiency using a knowledge-based and skills-based assessment as well as measuring maternal satisfaction with the training. The results of this study will inform future research and initiative on enhancing maternal involvement in neonatal hospital care in Uganda.

Project Objectives for student:

• Learn the importance of maternal participation in neonatal hospital care;
• Understand how mothers can participate in neonatal hospital care;
• Assist the Ugandan research staff with patient recruitment if still ongoing;
• Serve as a timekeeper for each portion of the maternal training;
• Collaborate with the Ugandan research staff to collect and enter data into REDCap. Data analysis may also be part of the project.

Technical Skills

• Experience with obtaining informed consent is preferred but not required;
• Experience with survey completion is preferred but not required;
• Experience with REDCap is preferred but not required.

Transferable Skills:

• Able to collaborate with a variety of research personnel (nurses, doctors, etc.);
• Able to adapt to changes in the project plan based on local context/needs;
• Motivated and autonomous in completing assigned tasks.

Timeline:

Ideally at the beginning of the summer given that we already have ethics approval

Onsite supervisor(s):

Olive Kabajaasi, Project Coordinator, Walimu

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The student will arrange their travel with the faculty supervisor鈥檚 advice and the faculty supervisor, or a member of their research team, will arrange the student鈥檚 accommodation.

More information:

1. Duby J, Kabajaasi O, Muteteri J, et al. . Arch Dis Child. 2023;108(3):180-184. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2022-324638
2. Reiter A, De Meulemeester J, Kenya-Mugisha N, Tagoola A, Kabajaasi O, Wiens MO, Duby J. . Front Pediatr. 2022 Aug 25; 10:987228. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.987228. doi:10.3389/fped.2022.987228
3. O'Brien K, Robson K, Bracht M, et al. . The Lancet Child & adolescent health. 2018;2(4):245-254. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30039-7.

Location

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali, Rwanda

Project Summary

Premature birth is associated with negative short and long-term outcomes, including significant morbidity and mortality particularly in low-resource settings. There appears to be a high prevalence of premature birth at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Kigali (CHUK) which is a referral hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. The prevalence of premature birth and the factors contributing to it are currently unknown. This study aims to determine the prevalence of premature birth and identify demographic factors which are associated with prematurity in the hope of identifying contributing factors which are potentially preventable.

Project Objectives for student:

• Complete a chart review of babies in the NICU at CHUK and enter maternal and child demographic data into a spreadsheet;
• Undertake a descriptive analysis of the demographic data to determine possible associations between demographic factors and premature births (possible);
• Carry out key interviews with stakeholders in NICU (possible qualitative component);
• Write up a manuscript for publication including a background literature review;
• Ideally, present the findings at a conference;
• Give consideration to a subsequent study that can be planned to address any potentially preventable conditions associated with premature birth.

Technical Skills

• Strong French skills
• Strong writing skills
• Basic quantitative research methods skills (preferable)
• Qualitative research methods skills (optional)

Transferable Skills:

• Good communication skills
• Independent but knows when to ask for help
• Responsible
• motivated

Timeline:

Mid-June-August 2024, but flexible

Onsite supervisor(s):

Dr. Lisine Tuyisenge, Medical Director CHUK

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The student will arrange their travel with the faculty supervisor鈥檚 advice and the faculty supervisor, or a member of their research team, will arrange the student鈥檚 accommodation.

More information:

Dr Gillian Morantz completed her residency training in Pediatrics and a Fellowship in Social Pediatrics at 不良研究所 in 2010. She undertook a Masters of Public Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and an Academic General Pediatric Fellowship at the Hospital for Sick听Children in Toronto in 2010-2012. She has been an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at 不良研究所 since 2012. She currently works at the Montreal Children鈥檚 Hospital, the Centre dep茅diatrie sociale de C么te des Neiges, the CLSC C么te des Neiges, and the Batshaw clinic for children in foster care. Her clinical and research work is focused primarily on children new to Canada and in child protection. She is the co-Director of the 不良研究所 Department of Pediatrics' Global Child Health Program which oversees medical education in global child health and research collaborations with partners in low-income countries. She is also the co-Director of the Social Pediatrics Program which provides exposure for trainees to the medical care of children living in socially vulnerable contexts.

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Location

University Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis, Senegal

Project Summary

Trauma is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease, particularly in low-middle income countries (LMICs), where 90% of the world鈥檚 deaths occur. Despite this, little action has been taken, particularly in LMIC鈥檚 where the focus remains on the morbidity and mortality related to infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.

In countries lacking trauma systems, individuals suffering from life-threatening yet treatable injuries have a six-fold higher risk of death compared to those in countries with organized and resourced trauma systems. Such evidence demonstrates the need for deployment of trauma systems that incorporate trauma registries. These registries have been identified as an essential instrument in decreasing death and disability rates caused by injuries. Ultimately, trauma registries provide a means of collecting and analyzing data, which have been repeatedly proven beneficial in several studies.

Against this backdrop, the Center for Global Surgery (CGS) has partnered with different entities to develop education programs and locally relevant and sustainable electronic registries to be implemented in LMICs.

This project involves collaborating with our partner in Senegal to: 1) Implement both components of the Trauma and Disaster Team Response course (TDTR) and develop an evaluative component; 2) Introduce a newly designed trauma registry - sponsored by the CGS - and potentially perform a pilot data analysis. The analysis can be used for the purposes of quality improvement, increasing awareness, and guiding policy and injury prevention and education programs in LMIC鈥檚, particularly from Senegal.

Project Objectives for student:

• Conduct literature reviews to inform project development.
• Develop project proposals aimed at implementing trauma registries.
• Attain proficiency in navigating the electronic trauma registry system.
• Provide training and support in local implementation of the electronic registry system.
• Monitor and manage input of data into the registry system.
• Perform preliminary descriptive analysis of collected data to identify insights and trends.

Technical Skills

• Basic research and statistics.
• Knowledge of structured query language and spreadsheets.
• Excellent skills to convey information in English and French (oral and in written).
• Technical writing.
• Critical Thinking.
• Problem-solving.
• Attention to detail.
• Data management.
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

Transferable Skills:

• Complete tasks well and on time.
• Team player and well organized.
• Adaptable, self-motivated, self-starter.
• Communicate clearly and confirm understanding.

Timeline:

May through August 2024

Onsite supervisor(s):

Dr. Moustapha Diedhiou and/or Prof. Ibrahima Konate, and possibly Clinical Research Nurse (Johana Montero-Ortiz) and Theresa Farhat- PhD, Research Associate from CGS.

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The student will arrange their travel with the faculty supervisor鈥檚 advice and the faculty supervisor, or a member of their research team, will arrange the student鈥檚 accommodation.

More information:

Dr. Grushka is a trauma surgeon working at Montreal General Hospital in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Jeremy Grushka is an attending trauma surgeon and surgical intensivist in the Division of Trauma and General Surgery at the 不良研究所 Health Centre (MUHC). He is Assistant Professor of Surgery at 不良研究所. Jeremy completed his medical degree and general surgery residency training at 不良研究所 and then obtained his subspecialty training in trauma surgery and critical care at the Ryder Trauma Center, Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. During his fellowship training, he also completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Miami. He also holds a Master of Science in Experimental Surgery from 不良研究所.

In addition to his passion for clinical practice, Jeremy has developed an avid interest in surgical education and is the current Trauma Fellowship Program Director at 不良研究所. He is also an active member of the MUHC center for global surgery and is currently working on various education and surgical capacity building projects with local partners in Haiti, Nepal and Ukraine. His clinical research interests focus on error producing conditions in trauma, non-opioid pain management in the injured patient, host inflammatory response to injury and surgical education.

Location

Dhulikhel Hospital, Dhulikhel, Nepal

Project Summary

Trauma is a leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity around the world. It often affects the productive component of a population, leading to adverse impact on social structures and broader economic hardships. Moreover, the burden of trauma is disproportionately felt in developing areas and the outcomes are worse in low and middle resource environments.

As a leading institution in the field of injury, the Centre for Global Surgery at the 不良研究所 Health Centre (CGS-MUHC) has a social responsibility to work with healthcare leadership abroad to better understand the scope of trauma and identify targeted interventions to reduce its impacts. Trauma education and training are a main component of our programs through which we aim to support local healthcare leadership worldwide in developing trauma capacity and building functional trauma system both on a local and regional level.

Trauma and disaster preparedness are essential in emergency context to address and manage trauma appropriately and reduce long-term impact on healthcare system. The Trauma and Disaster Team Response漏 (TDTR漏) course was designed by the CGS-MUHC to convey appropriate management of trauma including in disaster response contexts. The course includes a hybrid model with a combination of two components: one online -didactic lectures-, and one in-person -skills sessions, team exercises and simulations- while emphasizing on a multi-disciplinary approach in managing trauma patients.

The Center for Global Surgery (CGS) has partnered with different entities in which education programs have been implemented stemming from solid collaborations. This project involves collaborating with our partner in Nepal to implement both components of the TDTR漏 in their local settings and develop an evaluative mechanism.

Project Objectives for student:

• Perform appropriate literature reviews.
• Assist in the development of an evaluative component for the TDTR course.
• Support in the delivery of the online component of the TDTR course.
• Assist in the on-site delivery of hybrid course.
• Draft a report with the results of the different components of the course.

Technical Skills

• Basic research and statistics;
• Excellent skills to convey information in English and French (oral and in written);
• Critical thinking;
• Problem solving;
• Attention to detail;
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

Transferable Skills:

• Complete tasks well and on time;
• Team player and well organized;
• Adaptable, self-motivated, self-starter;
• Communicate clearly and confirm understanding.

Timeline:

May through August 2024

Onsite supervisor(s):

Samjhana Basnet, Emergency Physician and/or Sanu Krishna Shrestha, Emergency Physician at Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University, and possibly Clinical Research Nurse (Johana Montero-Ortiz) and Theresa Farhat, PhD, Research Associate from CGS.

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The student will arrange their travel with the faculty supervisor鈥檚 advice and the faculty supervisor, or a member of their research team, will arrange the student鈥檚 accommodation.

More information:

Dr. Dan Deckelbaum is assistant professor at the Divisions of Trauma and General Surgery at the 不良研究所 Health Centre (MUHC), associate member of the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at 不良研究所, 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 codirecting 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 settings.

Location

Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario and Douglas Research Centre, Montreal

Project Summary

We are partnering with Indigenous youths, Elders, communities, leaders, service providers and organizations; and provincial integrated youth services (IYS) initiatives and researchers from across Canada as part of an Indigenous youth mental health and wellbeing research network. This work builds on the efforts of the ACCESS Open Minds Indigenous Council since 2014.

We recognize the ongoing effects of colonialism on Indigenous youth well-being, and the urgent need to promote health and wellness for Indigenous youth, particularly those facing additional disadvantages linked to gender, poverty, intersecting identities, remoteness, etc. Our network is identifying, developing, testing, and scaling wise practices and innovations such as land-based programming, roles for community workers or non-specialists, and adapted 鈥淲estern鈥� interventions aligned with 鈥渢wo-eyed seeing鈥�. It is also asking novel questions about how Indigenous youths, service providers, and decision-makers view the acceptability and adoption of a learning health system.

Inclusive governance is central to our approach. Our team follows the principles of community-based participatory research, which values diverse forms of knowledge and lived experiences; and emphasizes respect and co-learning between researchers and community partners.

Our network鈥檚 larger goals are to identify culturally and contextually relevant outcomes, interventions, and measures; bring Indigenous ways of knowing to learning health systems and integrated youth services; and help improve services and the mental health and wellness of Indigenous youths.

Project Objectives for student:

• Learn about youth mental health and well-being in Indigenous contexts;
• Become familiar with literature focused on adaptations to standards for implementation of mental health services within Indigenous contexts;
• Become familiar with qualitative research methods including interviews, focus groups, sharing circles, and arts-based approaches;
• Learn to communicate with different types of stakeholders engaged in mental health services in Indigenous communities;
• Learn about the Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP) principles and other precepts of the guidelines for Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and M茅tis Peoples of Canada from the Tri-Council Policy Statement.

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:

Flexible

Onsite supervisor(s):

Prof. , Lakehead University, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care

Travel and Lodging Arrangements:

The student will arrange their travel with the faculty supervisor鈥檚 advice and the faculty supervisor, or a member of their research team, will arrange the student鈥檚 accommodation.

More information:

Srividya N. Iyer, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Associate Member of the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at 不良研究所 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 不良研究所鈥檚 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.

Location

Department of Family Medicine, 不良研究所, Montreal

Project Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of social determinants of health (SDOH) 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 recognize and address SDOH. Social prescribing is an approach that empowers individuals with nonmedical needs through connection with services in their community. In collaboration with health care and community-based partners in Montreal, our research team is assisting with the co-design, implementation, and evaluation of several models of social prescription. To date, formative research has included 8 outreach sessions, 3 deliberative dialogues and 21 interviews with primary care providers, community-based organizations, and service users. As a next phase, we will evaluate 3 modalities of social prescription via primary care. These include a light touch approach through telephone referral, a more supported approach using CLSC social workers, and full support model including accompaniment and regular follow-up.

Planned activities include the following: 1) Analysis of patient surveys assessing experiences with telephone, social worker, and primary care mediated social prescription pathways; 2) In-depth interviews with primary care providers (nurses, social workers and physicians) exploring referral experiences using the platform Clic Social; 3) In-depth interviews assessing the experience of community-based organizations receiving referrals and providing social services; 4) Co-design of a RCT that assesses the impact of three modalities of delivery in equity-seeking populations. As members of our social prescription team, students would support these objectives including in-depth interviews and analysis activities.

Project Objectives for the student:

• Consolidate a theoretical and applied understanding of social determinants of health and social prescription approaches.
• Develop skills in conceptualizing implementation research.
• Conduct interviews on patient and primary care provider experience with different social prescribing modalities.
• Learn the fundamentals of qualitative analysis.
• Gain experience in working in an interdisciplinary team that includes community partners and practitioners

Technical Skills

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

Transferable Skills:

• Strong problem-solving skills, time-management skills and cross-cultural competency.
• Applicants must be effective team players, self-directed learners, and pay attention to detail.

Timeline:

Flexible

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

不良研究所 Academic Eye Centre, Montreal

Project Summary

Amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye," is a vision development disorder in which an eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity, even with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses. The prevalence of amblyopia can vary across different regions and populations due to various factors, including access to healthcare, awareness, and screening programs. Remote areas, which may have limited access to healthcare facilities and eye care services, could potentially face challenges in early detection and management of amblyopia.

Understanding the prevalence of amblyopia helps in planning public health interventions and allocating resources appropriately. It allows health authorities to identify areas with higher incidence and target those regions for preventive measures and early detection programs.

Knowledge of amblyopia rates aids in designing and implementing preventive measures. Early detection and intervention are crucial in managing amblyopia effectively. By identifying populations at higher risk, healthcare providers can implement screening programs to catch the condition early and initiate timely treatment.

The objectives of this project are to determine the prevalence of amblyopia in the arctic settings in Quebec, and to compare the prevalence rates between urban and arctic settings in Quebec.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Learn about determinants of health in Aboriginal populations:

• Explore the impact of social factors such as income, education, employment, and housing on the health of the Aboriginal population.
• Understand how historical and contemporary social injustices may contribute to health disparities.
• Investigate the role of cultural factors, traditions, and community values in shaping health outcomes.
• Examine the influence of environmental factors on health outcomes.
• Analyze barriers to healthcare access, such as geographical remoteness, cultural competency of healthcare providers, and availability of services.

2. Develop competency in data collection:

• Learn to design research studies that are culturally sensitive and respectful of Aboriginal communities.
• Develop skills in both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods relevant to Aboriginal health research.
• Understand the ethical considerations specific to research involving Indigenous populations.
• Learn to navigate issues related to informed consent, cultural protocols, and data ownership.

3. Learn how to write a project proposal:

• Clearly define the research problem and its significance, emphasizing the relevance to Aboriginal health.
• Provide a concise literature review highlighting gaps in existing knowledge.
• Clearly outline the research objectives and formulate hypotheses that address the identified gaps.
• Align the objectives with the improvement of health outcomes in the Aboriginal population.
• Describe the research design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques in detail.

4. Learn how to submit a project proposal to the Ethics Committee:

• Understand guidelines for research involving Indigenous populations.
• Clearly outline the informed consent process, addressing language barriers and cultural nuances.
• Describe measures to protect participant confidentiality and secure data, considering the potential sensitivity of information collected.

5. Present the project at 不良研究所 Ophthalmology Research Day at the RI-MUHC in June 2025 (in addition to presenting at Global Health Night in November 2024).

• Prepare a poster to show the results obtained with the project.

Technical Skills

• Strong writing skills;
• Use of Microsoft Excel;
• Strong data management skills.

Transferable Skills:

• Motivation
• Assiduity
• Punctuality

Timeline:

Flexible

More information:

Christian El-Hadad is a 不良研究所 Graduate in ophthalmology, fellowship trained at MD Anderson, returned to join the faculty at 不良研究所. Christian founded the ophthalmic tumor board at 不良研究所 where eye cancers are discussed and managed. In addition to Christian鈥檚 role as an ophthalmic plastic surgeon, Christian takes care of the delivery of ophthalmic care to the Quebec arctic region of Nunavik and serves as the course director for the undergraduate ophthalmology at 不良研究所.

Location

不良研究所 Academic Eye Centre, Montreal

Project Summary

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), is one of the leading causes of irreversible visual impairment in adults. Routine screening and timely treatment are key for successful management of DR to avoid visual loss.

Indigenous peoples are affected by type-2 diabetes 3 to 5 times higher than the general population. They are diagnosed with diabetes at a younger age, have greater severity of diagnosis, develop higher rates of complications and experience poorer treatment outcomes.

In the last two decades, rapid advancement of digital fundus photography has resulted not only in better picture quality but also increased portability of the devices, improving screening outcomes for diabetic patients that live in remote areas. Our goal is to provide screening for diabetic retinopathy for all patients with diabetes mellitus in the 14 villages of Nunavik.

All patients from Nunavik diagnosed with diabetes mellitus will be screened for diabetic retinopathy. All visits will happen in Nunavik. The following data will be obtained: best corrected visual acuity, previous cataract surgery, last measured HbA1c level. A mobile retina camera (Visuscout庐 100 from Zeiss) will be used to obtain fundus pictures that will be analyzed for the presence or absence of diabetic retinopathy. When DR is present, it will be classified according to the International Clinical Disease Severity Scale for diabetic retinopathy and subsequent visits will be scheduled depending on the severity of the case.

Project Objectives for student:

1. Learn about determinants of health in Aboriginal populations:

• Explore the impact of social factors such as income, education, employment, and housing on the health of the Aboriginal population.
• Understand how historical and contemporary social injustices may contribute to health disparities.
• Investigate the role of cultural factors, traditions, and community values in shaping health outcomes.
• Examine the influence of environmental factors on health outcomes.
• Analyze barriers to healthcare access, such as geographical remoteness, cultural competency of healthcare providers, and availability of services.

2. Develop competency in data collection:

• Learn to design research studies that are culturally sensitive and respectful of Aboriginal communities.
• Develop skills in both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods relevant to Aboriginal health research.
• Understand the ethical considerations specific to research involving Indigenous populations.
• Learn to navigate issues related to informed consent, cultural protocols, and data ownership.

3. Learn how to write a project proposal:

• Clearly define the research problem and its significance, emphasizing the relevance to Aboriginal health.
• Provide a concise literature review highlighting gaps in existing knowledge.
• Clearly outline the research objectives and formulate hypotheses that address the identified gaps.
• Align the objectives with the improvement of health outcomes in the Aboriginal population.
• Describe the research design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques in detail.

4. Learn how to submit a project proposal to the Ethics Committee:

• Understand guidelines for research involving Indigenous populations.
• Clearly outline the informed consent process, addressing language barriers and cultural nuances.
• Describe measures to protect participant confidentiality and secure data, considering the potential sensitivity of information collected.

5. Present the project at 不良研究所 Ophthalmology Research Day at the RI-MUHC in June 2025 (in addition to presenting at Global Health Night in November 2024).

• Prepare a poster to show the results obtained with the project.

Technical Skills

• Strong writing skills;
• Use of Microsoft excel;
• Strong data management skills.

Transferable Skills:

• Motivation
• Assiduity
• Punctuality

Timeline:

Flexible

More information:

Christian El-Hadad is a 不良研究所 Graduate in ophthalmology, fellowship trained at MD Anderson, returned to join the faculty at 不良研究所. Christian founded the ophthalmic tumor board at 不良研究所 where eye cancers are discussed and managed. In addition to Christian鈥檚 role as an ophthalmic plastic surgeon, Christian takes care of the delivery of ophthalmic care to the Quebec arctic region of Nunavik and serves as the course director for the undergraduate ophthalmology at 不良研究所.

Location

Suite 930, 9^th Floor, 2001 不良研究所 College Avenue, Montreal

Project Summary

Pathways2Equity is a 3-year project funded by Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) focusing on ways of engaging Indigenous boys and young men in addressing gender-based violence in 3 Indigenous sites, Rankin Inlet, Eskasoni and Treaty6 Saskatoon. The project builds on what we have termed a 'girl-informed' approach to mental health and well-being inspired by several years of arts-based engagement, working with girls and young women in the same 3 communities.

The focus for the 2024 internships will be on

• (a) working with the extensive interview data with male leaders who have been working with the boys and young men; and
• (b) designing knowledge mobilization strategies to reach other youth, communities and policy-makers. The project is located within TRC Call to Action 66 in relation to supporting Indigenous youth organizations.

Project Objectives for student:

• Deepening an understanding of Indigenous masculinities in relation to mental health and wellbeing in youth advocacy work;
• Learning how to approach qualitative interview data.
• Collaborating with a team of researchers and Indigenous field-site leaders;
• Deepening an understanding of arts-based methodologies
• Learning about TRC Call to Action 66 and the political frameworks for supporting Indigenous youth in Canada.

Technical Skills

• Strong writing skills
• Experience with qualitative research
• Experience with Canva or Indesign software

Transferable Skills:

• Ability to work as part of a team of RAs and researchers
• Good communication skills
• Self-aware in relation to personal strategies for decolonization

Timeline:

Early May to late July would be ideal but we can be flexible.

More information:

Claudia Mitchell is a Distinguished James 不良研究所 Professor in the Faculty of Education and Director of the Institute for Human Development and Well-being. The focus of my work is on gender, youth and social justice through the use of Participatory Arts-Based Methodologies. Claudia Mitchell is also the Editor-in Chief of Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Pathways2Equity comes of several previous projects involving Indigenous youth: Networks4Change and Well-being and More Than Words.

Location

3647 Peel Ave., Montreal

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.

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;
• Students will be required to produce 3 essays over the course of the summer on different aspects of their research.

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 不良研究所. 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听 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), 鈥淢apping Global Health: A network analysis of a heterogeneous publication domain,鈥� BioSocieties12(4), 2017: 520-542; (With Noemi Tousignant), 鈥淚nternational Health Research and the Emergence of Global Health in the late 20th Century,鈥� Bulletin of the History of Medicine 93(3), 2019: 365-400; 鈥淲hat Happened to the Global Forum for Health Research,鈥� Global Public Health, 15(8), 2020, 1212-1224; (With Beate Nannestad), 鈥淭he World Health Organization and the Global Standardization of Medical Training, a History,鈥� Globalization and Health (2021)17:96;; 鈥淐reating an applied, multi-disciplinary research field: The World Health Organization and Health Systems Research 1960-2000,鈥� Social History of Medicine, 2022.

Location

Centre for Indigenous People's Nutrition and Environment (CINE) Building, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus

Project Summary

Realizing Gender Equality, Attitudinal Change and Transformative Systems in Nutrition (REACTS-IN) is a 7-year development project funded by Global Affairs Canada and led by World Vision, for which 不良研究所 and our local partners (Bangladesh [Brac University], Kenya [Connar Consultants], and Tanzania [Ifakara Health Institute]) are responsible for the project evaluation. The project will implement integrated, multisectoral, evidence-based interventions (e.g., enhancing health facility nutrition and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services; water, sanitation and hygiene in communities) to improve access to quality and gender-responsive health systems, improve the knowledge of all adolescents about nutrition and SRH, and the nutritional status and health of women, adolescent girls, and children. The project is interested in understanding the perspectives of both female and male rural residents. To assess adolescents鈥� knowledge about nutrition and SRH, 不良研究所 and partners evaluating REACTS-IN have included quantitative and qualitative data collection methods in the baseline (e.g., focus group discussions and interviews) that engage adolescent girls and boys aged 10-20.

The students鈥� project will include a review of published papers and reports, and analysis of adolescent knowledge REACTS-IN data. The quantitative and qualitative analysis plan will be informed by a review of reports and publications on adolescent knowledge of nutrition and SRH in East Africa and South Asia. This review and the analysis will encourage the exploration of new research questions to help the team understand the knowledge outcomes of adolescents. The information from the research is expected to contribute to improving the overall integrated REACTS-IN intervention in the three countries.

Project Objectives for student:

• Become familiar with the REACTS-IN project implemented in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Tanzania.
• Review and summarize the peer-reviewed and grey literature on the knowledge outcomes of the project.
• Analyze knowledge questions using quantitative and/or qualitative data for boys and girls.
• Develop a final report that integrates the literature review and analysis.

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of health systems, sexual and reproductive health, and nutrition outcomes.
• Experience with using software for quantitative (SPSS, STATA, SAS) and qualitative (MaxQDA) analysis.
• Fluent in English.
• Comfortable with reviewing the literature.
• Good writing skills.
• The student must complete the (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-August 2024

More information:

Dr. Marquis鈥� research group focuses on understanding and addressing the determinants of maternal and child nutrition in poor rural communities in LMIC. Through cross-sector collaborations, they 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.

More information on Dr. Marquis' research group.

Location

School of Population & Global Health, 2001 不良研究所 College Ave., 不良研究所

Project Summary

The overarching goal of the EnGen study is to develop and pilot an intervention model in workshop format for incubating social innovation on climate change adaptation and mitigation, cultivating intergenerational connection, and promoting mental health and well-being. The intervention model will bring together intergenerational teams of youth and adults to work together to identify the impacts of climate change in their communities and to co-develop a local climate change adaptation and/or mitigation innovation with mentoring and support. The EnGen intervention model will be focused around three pillars of: 1) innovation on climate solutions; 2) intergenerational connection, and 3) mental health and well-being promotion. Our model draws on literature suggesting that intergenerational programs can be mutually beneficial across age groups, particularly when they focus on political or social issues relevant to all generations. In this project we will develop and pilot test the EnGen intervention model in Montr茅al and Yellowknife in partnership with local organizations and universities in each site. The workshop models in each site will be developed and implemented drawing on contextualized data from the two sites, local and international knowledge and expertise on the project focus areas, and in accordance with inter-disciplinary best practices for research.

Project Objectives for student:

• Conduct and/or support with in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and/or expert consultations;
• Conduct and/or support with analysis of qualitative data;
• Conduct and/or support with analysis and dissemination of a literature review;
• Participate in research team meetings and meetings with community-based partners;
• Develop materials for co-creation workshops using Human Centered Design methods.

Technical Skills

• Strong organizational skills and experience;
• Strong oral communication skills;
• Strong writing skills;
• Some familiarity with research methods.

Transferable Skills:

• Excellent communication 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 or flexible if timing aligns with project activities outside of this window

More information:

• About Professor Augustinavicius
• Recent paper:听

Location

680 Sherbrooke St W., Montreal

Project Summary

The quality of diet in the world keeps worsening, largely due to the increase in consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages, and their increased abundance. High consumption of such products, which are typically energy dense with high fat, sugar and sodium content, has been associated with the development of dyslipidemia, increased risk for insulin resistance, and obesity, among other non-communicable diseases. Moreover, poor diet quality is related to a significant health and economic burden, especially pervasive in developing countries.

This project aims to build towards a globally scalable digital tool that enables actual real-world monitoring and assessment of particular nutrients in the food supply over time (e.g., sodium, sugar or trans-fat), understand the overall nutritional quality of foods available to consumers, and explore food label characteristics that drive consumer choice (e.g., nutrition claims, marketing to children, food price, etc.). Findings of this project will provide valuable guidance to nutrition policy making, implementation and evaluation, in order to help consumers, eat healthy and improve health outcomes, all over the world.

This project is made possible thanks to a large dataset of food retail loyalty data owned by 不良研究所 Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics, representing a 3-year record of all retail food purchases data from around 300,000 frequent shoppers (who shopped at least once per month) and loyalty program members of leading supermarket chains, aggregated with one of the largest datasets on food nutritional information, including Food Label Information Program (FLIP, UofT), Nielsen, Mintel, and others.

Project Objectives for student:

• Exposure to new methods of problem-solving for complex global health issues through convergent innovation.
• Gain an understanding of how commercial retail data can be re-purposed for the study of human behavior, health, and the impact of public health interventions.
• Become more comfortable working with data pipelines from end-to-end: acquisition to visualization and dashboarding.
• Collaborate with diverse global actors from universities, companies, government, and civil society working together on action-oriented research.
• Learn fundamentals of the research process including literature review, hypothesis formation, data analysis, interpretation, and academic writing.

Technical Skills

• Some background knowledge in statistical methods, simulations and/or programming.
• Experience working with different types of data e.g. geo-referenced, public, cohort, or health data (not all).
• Familiarity with experimental design for descriptive and causal inference.

Transferable Skills:

• Strong verbal and written communication;
• Experience working with remote teams;
• Self-, project-, and time-management skills;
• Attention to detail.

Timeline:

flexible

More information:

Laurette Dub茅 is Full Professor and holds the James 不良研究所 Chair of consumer and lifestyle psychology and marketing at the Desautels Faculty of Management of 不良研究所. Dr. Dub茅鈥檚 lifetime research interest bears on the study of affects, behavioral economics, and neurobehavioral processes underlying consumption, lifestyle, and health behavior. Her translational research examines how such knowledge can inspire more effective behavioral change and ecosystem transformation.

Dr. Dub茅 is also the founding chair and scientific director of the 不良研究所 Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics (MCCHE), a unique initiative to push the boundaries of disciplinary and complexity sciences to help individuals, communities, businesses, social enterprises, and governments to tackle, better than has been possible thus far, the most pressing societal and economic problems facing the world that lies at the nexus between agriculture, health and wealth production, consumption and distribution. With a strong focus on harnessing the power of business as a catalyst for real-world change, the MCCHE operates through collaboration of private sector organizations with NGO/social enterprises, policy makers and academics at community, state, national and global levels to elaborate whole-of-Society solutions that promote convergence through local and systemic changes. Behavioral economics, decision neuroscience, spatial-temporal statistics, and computational systems science models are at the core of real time learning enabled by this transdisciplinary research action approach.

Location

Rabinovitch House, 不良研究所 Main Campus, Montreal

Project Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic magnified health inequities in Canada. Higher rates of COVID-19 incidence and mortality among South Asian compared to white people drew attention to racialized differences in social determinants of health, such as working environments and conditions. Inequities in COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates were due in part to the disproportionate number of South Asian people in work deemed essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as work in manufacturing, transportation, health care, and retail sectors. Analyses of working environments and conditions have focused on domestic (i.e., national and provincial) policies such as paid sick leave; however, relatively less attention has been given to upstream policies that contribute to generating and sustaining categories of essential and non essential work affecting South Asian people鈥檚 health. An understanding of these policies is necessary for identifying potential opportunities for these policies to contribute to improved health and health equity for South Asian communities in Canada.

The aim of this research is to identify policies, such as Canadian immigration and Canadian-South Asian bilateral policies, that structure the category of essential work and to analyze the implications of these policies on South Asian occupational health and health equity.

Project Objectives for student:

• To learn about COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates and inequities impacting South Asian
• people in Canada;
• To learn about working environments and conditions as a social determinant of health;
• To identify and analyze how policies shaped categories of essential and non-essential work during the COVID-19 pandemic using policy analysis methods;
• To draw out the effects of these policies on South Asian people鈥檚 health in Canada using policy analysis methods;
• To produce a 5- to 10-page written policy analysis report.

Technical Skills

• Searching government and grey literature sources for laws, regulations, policies, etc.;
• Research data management and organization, including using reference management software (e.g. EndNote, Zotero, etc.) and extracting and organizing evidence from different sources (e.g., creating tables);
• Strong writing skills.

Transferable Skills:

• Teamwork
• Communication
• Time management

Timeline:

May 1 to August 31, 2024, with flexibility for the distribution of hours during this period.

More information:

Dr. Matthew Hunt is a Professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT) at 不良研究所. Dr. Hunt鈥檚 research expertise is in humanitarian and rehabilitation ethics. More information about Dr. Hunt.

Dr. Hunt will co-supervise this project with Dr. Manisha Pahwa, a Postdoctoral Fellow at SPOT who conducts research on bioethics and health equity for culturally diverse communities in Canada and similar countries globally.

Location

不良研究所 Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics (MCCHE), 680 Sherbrooke, St W., 8^th floor, Montreal

Project Summary

Immigration to Canada has steadily increased in recent years, with immigrants accounting for almost 100% of Canadian labour force growth. However, data collected by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has demonstrated that this growing subpopulation tends to report lower levels of financial knowledge and higher levels of financial anxiety than Canadian-born individuals.

To this end, this project focuses on ensuring newcomers to Canada have financial products and services that are tailored to their needs, vulnerabilities, and resource constraints. Firstly, a literature review will be conducted to establish a foundation for the research; immigrants鈥� access (or lack thereof) to financial services will be analyzed using academic papers, new articles, and examination of public resources provided by the government of Canada. Secondly, a quantitative analysis will be used to identify trends in the use of financial services by immigrants in Canada; data provided from the FCAC related to financial consumer wellbeing will be used. Thirdly, combining findings from both the literature review and the quantitative analysis, an actionable solution will be proposed in the final paper in order to achieve the target outcome laid out in the National Financial Literacy Strategy: Build and Provide for Diverse Needs.

Project Objectives for student:

• Identify the barriers that immigrants and newcomers to Canada face in using financial services
• Propose an evidence-based, actionable solution that encourages stakeholders to use tailored approaches to better serve the financial needs of diverse audiences (specifically immigrants).

Technical Skills

• Applicants should have strong quantitative and data synthesis skills and experience using standard software (e.g. Excel);
• Some background knowledge in coding and statistical methods preferred (e.g. SQL, R, Python);
• Experience working in global or diverse contexts;
• Background knowledge of writing academic papers.

Transferable Skills:

• Strong verbal and written communication;
• Experience working with in-person & remote teams;
• Self-, project-, and time-management skills;
• Attention to detail.

Timeline:

May through August 2024

More information:

Dr. Yu Ma is Associate Professor of Marketing at 不良研究所. He obtained his PhD in management from Olin School of Business, Washington University in St. Louis. Before joining 不良研究所, he was Associate Professor at University of Alberta. His research interest includes food marketing, retailing and big data analytics. Using consumer purchase data and advanced econometric and statistical models, he studies how consumers react to various marketing incentives. He also examines broader marketing issues such as the influence of macro environment on the retail sector and the impact of food marketing on population health. He has published in top management journals such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Management Science, and Journal of Retailing, as well as top public health journals.

The 不良研究所 Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics (MCCHE) is a unique initiative to push the boundaries of disciplinary and complexity sciences to help individuals, communities, businesses, social enterprises, and governments to tackle, better than has been possible thus far, the most pressing societal and economic problems facing the world that lies at the nexus between agriculture, health and wealth production, consumption and distribution. With a strong focus on harnessing the power of business as a catalyst for real-world change, the MCCHE operates through collaboration of private sector organizations with NGO/social enterprises, policy makers and academics at community, state, national and global levels to elaborate whole-of-Society solutions that promote convergence through local and systemic changes. Behavioral economics, decision neuroscience, spatial-temporal statistics, and computational systems science models are at the core of real time learning enabled by this transdisciplinary research action approach.

Location

Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal

Project Summary

Social determinants of health are a global concern in medicine. They refer to 鈥渘on-medical factors that influence health outcomes鈥�, with an impact on health inequities (i.e., 鈥渢he unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries鈥�) (WHO, 2008). Certain populations experience larger cancer health disparities, such as individuals belonging to certain ancestry, race, or ethnicity, individuals of low socio-economic status, residents in certain geographical locations such as rural areas or territories, members of the sexual and gender minority communities, certain immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers, individuals with disabilities, adolescents and young adults, and the elderly (AACR, 2022). The First Nations, Inuit and M茅tis Peoples are additionally underserved in Canada, as are people suffering from a mental health condition. All of these populations experience increased barriers to care, with domino effects on health indicators such as psychological distress, quality of life (QoL), physical function, physical symptom burden, and even survival. Better understanding the impact of social determinants of health on access to palliative care, psycho-oncology, and outcomes in Canada is key to guide a research agenda on equity in palliative care. As a first step, we aim to conduct a literature review using PRISMA guidelines.

Project Objectives for student:

• Conduct a literature review using PRISMA guidelines towards better understanding gaps in palliative care and psycho-oncology, and how these contribute to outcomes in people with advance disease.
• Write an article on the review that will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and present the study results locally and nationally.

Technical Skills

• Strong writing skills required.

Transferable Skills:

• Organized;
• Autonomous;
• Motivated;
• Strong interpersonal skills.

Timeline:

Mid-June through August. A flexible schedule can be considered.

More information:

Dr. Henry is an Associate Professor in the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology at 不良研究所. She is a FRQS Senior Clinician-Scientist at the Lady-Davis Institute for Medical Research. Her research program aims to better conceptualize early determinants of symptom burden in oncology, leading to the development and testing of interventions to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Her work combines translational research with a major focus on advanced cancer and head and neck oncology, including investigating the intersection between physical symptom burden, quality of life, mental health, genetics, immunology, and the microbiome. She developed the FACT/MBIS 不良研究所 Body Image Concern Scale 鈥� Head and Neck, part of the internationally known FACT Measurement System. She was Co-Director of Axis 1 on optimizing quality of life and is currently the Director of the Equity and Access Axis of the FRQSfunded Quebec Research Group in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (RQSPAL), a group comprising of over 250 researchers, students, and staff across the province of Quebec, Canada. Dr. Henry has received funding from the Canadian Institute for Health Research, the Quebec Health Research Fund (FRSQ), Genzyme and Roche, and CRDF Global/NCI. She is a board director of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) and has received the IPOS Noemi Fisman Award for Lifetime Clinical Excellence. She has served as a member of the Development Group for Cancer, World Health Organization (WHO) Rehabilitation Program on the development of the Package of Intervention for Rehabilitation (PIR) and is contributing to the Global Breast Cancer Initiative Technical Brief on Patient Navigation. Her international work with IPOS in official relations with WHO involves building capacity for psycho-oncology research, education, and clinical care in low & middle-income countries.

Location

Douglas Research Centre, Montreal

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 (IDRC). 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 不良研究所 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.

Project Objectives for student:

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

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. Anytime between May-August 2024.

More information:

Srividya N. Iyer, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Associate Member of the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at 不良研究所 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 不良研究所鈥檚 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.

Location

School of Population & Global Health, 2001 不良研究所 College Ave., 不良研究所

Project Summary

Most mental health problems have their onset in early childhood, which is a sensitive period for brain development. Evidence suggests that these early years of life have sensitive windows where exposure to risk or protective factors can produce long-term influences on health outcomes. Approximately one in five school-aged children in Ghana experience depression and anxiety; however, there is no available data on the prevalence of mental health problems in young children. Specifically, there is little scientific data on the burden of mental health problems in young (鈮�5 years) Ghanaian children and their associated psychosocial risk and protective factors. This study will consist of a quantitative household survey. Participants will be 750 adult mother-father pairs of a child between the ages of 6 and 60 months who live together in the same household with the child. Mothers and fathers will be asked questions about household characteristics, their sociodemographic information, their parenting practices and mental health, as well as their child鈥檚 mental health. This descriptive study will shed light on the burden of children鈥檚 mental health in Ghana and identify key psychosocial factors that are associated with it. These data can then be used to inform future studies and research on how to alleviate the burden of mental health problems in young Ghanaian children.

Project Objectives for student:

Conduct a literature review of research conducted in Africa on the prevalence of young children鈥檚 mental health problems and the developmental status of young children, with a specific focus on the family-level factors that influence them:

• Conduct bibliographic search of electronic databases.
• Extract and summarize relevant information from identified articles.
• Prepare a 5-page literature review of identified articles.
• Prepare a short presentation of literature review.
• Orally present their work virtually to the Ghana-based team.

The student will meet regularly with and be directly supervised by Dr. Ahun and will also meet with the Ghana-based team.

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of early child development would be desirable.
• Prior experience searching electronic databases.
• Comfortable reviewing published literature.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Good presentation skills.
• Fluent in English.

Transferable Skills:

• Motivated
• Well-organized and reliable
• Great communication skills.
• Takes initiative.

Timeline:

May-August 2024, specific timeline is flexible.

More information:

Bio: Dr. Marilyn N. Ahun is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. After completing her BA Hons in Psychology at 不良研究所, she obtained a PhD in Public Health from the Universit茅 de Montr茅al and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Global Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Ahun鈥檚 research examines the mechanisms through which parental mental health and parenting behaviours influence child development and mental health in global contexts. Her research has been supported by various awards and grants including a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship, and a Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award.

Publications:

• Ahun, M.N., Aboud, F.E., Wamboldt, C., & Yousafzai, A.K. (2023). . Frontiers in Public Health.
• Orri, M., Ahun, M.N., Naicker, S., Besharati, S., & Richter, L. (2022) PLOS Medicine, 19(3): e1003946.
• Ahun, M.N., Jeong, J., Kieffer, M-P., Mwanyika-Sando, M., & Yousafzai, A.K. (2021). . SSM - Mental Health, 1.
• Ahun, M.N., Gapare, C., Gari茅py, G., & C么t茅, S.M. (2021). . Psychological Medicine, 51(9), p1431-1440.
• Ahun, M.N., Aboud, F.E., Aryeetey, R., Colecraft, E., & Marquis, G.S. (2017). . Canadian Journal of Public Health, 108(5-6), e578-e585.

Location

Centre for Outcome Research & Evaluation (CORE) - 5252 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West

Project Summary

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease which carries a heavy burden both for patients and health systems. COPD is now the third-leading cause of death. 鈥楲ung attacks鈥�, called exacerbations, are a top cause of hospital admissions amongst all adult chronic illnesses. The ability to monitor patients with COPD and keep them well-managed and out of hospital is critically important both during and outside of pandemic situations. With recent advances in technology, 鈥榳earable鈥� biosensor devices can now be worn comfortably by outpatients with COPD and collect vital sign, activity, and sleep information near-continuously. Moreover, the newest COPD guidelines recommend using cut-offs in vital signs such as respiratory rate, heart rate and oxygen saturation to define and classify exacerbations.

Building off our research demonstrating the collection of near-continuous (multi-week) high quality vital sign data remotely using 鈥榳earables鈥�, the present COPD study involves the inclusion of 鈥榟igh-risk鈥� patients for frequent exacerbations who are provided with wearable devices capable of biometric vital sign, activity and sleep monitoring, and a remote handheld device for daily lung function monitoring. Data leading up to each exacerbation event will be used to develop a powerful 鈥榩andemic-proof鈥� COPD remote monitoring platform.

The focus of the summer student鈥檚 involvement will be to conduct an evaluation on the economic potential (healthcare system cost/savings) from the implementation of this clinical platform, comparing the costs of platform launch/maintenance with cost savings associated with prevented emergency department/Day Hospital visits and hospitalizations.

This opportunity is part of the Informed Investment in Health Innovation (IIHI) Scholars 鈥� Undergraduate Program, which provides opportunities for 不良研究所 undergraduate students to learn about and gain experience in cost assessment, economic evaluation, and/or modeling through research projects.

Project Objectives for student:

• To develop a general appreciation for the economic and resource burden of COPD and of Exacerbations of COPD (ECOPDs) on the Canadian healthcare system.
• Determine the average length and resources involved in an average Day Hospital admission and of an average ward admission for ECOPDs.
• Develop an informed estimate of the per-unit economic cost of a single unscheduled Day Hospital visit, of a single Emergency Department visit, of an average ECOPD Day Hospital admission, and of an average ECOPD ward admission at the MUHC.

Technical Skills

• A cursory background in economic analysis, including any previous experience (through prior research or even in coursework) in, for example, the economic analysis of healthcare interventions.
• Any additional experience/proficiency economic analysis modeling (at the discretion of the expert economic co-investigator)

Transferable Skills:

• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Any previous experience in reading the literature, appraising scientific articles, and in research/scientific writing.
• Strong initiative, autonomy insofar as is appropriate to the level of training, with the self-awareness to seek help/support when required.
• Willingness to learn in general about COPD, ECOPDs, etc. including opportunities to shadow PI in COPD clinic and to receive didactic teaching to complement the economic focus of the summer studentship.

Timeline:

flexible

More information:

• About Bryan Ross and his research program

Location

Centre for Outcome Research & Evaluation (CORE) - 5252 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West. May require some travel to 不良研究所 main campus to meet with paired Co-Investigator.

Project Summary

The DECIDE-CV clinic is a joint cardiometabolic clinic at 不良研究所 Health Center (MUHC). Goals and function of this clinic have been presented elsewhere. Briefly, patients with type 2 diabetes and either established cardiovascular or advanced chronic kidney disease, defined as an estimated GFR < 45 ml/min/1.73m2, are referred to the clinic. They are initially seen by a research nurse who will perform a succinct clinical assessment, order routine laboratory tests, and enter their demographics and clinical data to a pre-specified electronic form. Patients are then evaluated by a multidisciplinary team, including a cardiologist, a nephrologist, and an endocrinologist during the same clinical visit. They are subsequently followed for a short time period (2-3 clinical visits) and then discharged to their primary care providers or referring specialists once their treatment has been optimized from a multidisciplinary perspective. A cardiorenal research fellow is coordinating all clinical activities. The clinic also serves as a platform for patient recruitment into various clinical trials in cardiorenal medicine and T2D. Our clinic has demonstrated the ability to rapidly optimize guideline directed medical therapy. We now aim to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of this clinic model in the context of the Quebec Health Care system.

This opportunity is part of the Informed Investment in Health Innovation (IIHI) Scholars 鈥� Undergraduate Program, which provides opportunities for 不良研究所 undergraduate students to learn about and gain experience in cost assessment, economic evaluation, and/or modeling through research projects.

Project Objectives for student:

• Develop a comprehensive cost model:
  • Construct a detailed cost model that includes all direct and indirect costs associated with the project. This model will serve as the foundation for the cost-effectiveness analysis.
• Collect and analyze relevant data:
  • Aim to gather data on costs and outcomes from existing literature, databases, and possibly through primary data collection. This will involve statistical analysis to determine average costs and variations. Time pending, the student will employ standard cost effectiveness analysis methods such as cost-utility analysis, cost-benefit analysis, or cost effectiveness ratios to evaluate the economic value of the project outcomes.

Technical Skills

The following list is not obligatory but reflects some of the skills that should be possessed by the student.

• Data Analysis: Proficiency in statistical software (e.g., R, SPSS, Stata) for conducting complex data analyses, including regression models, cost-effectiveness analysis, and sensitivity analyses.
• Spreadsheet Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in Excel, including the use of formulas, pivot tables, and data visualization tools for financial modeling and analysis.
• Health Economics Knowledge: Familiarity with health economics concepts, including quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), and willingness-to-pay thresholds.

Transferable Skills:

• Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving: The ability to approach complex problems systematically, analyze data critically, and develop logical, actionable solutions.
• Time Management: Proficiency in organizing tasks, setting priorities, and managing time effectively to meet deadlines while maintaining high-quality work.
• Written and Verbal Communication: Strong skills in articulating ideas and findings clearly and persuasively in written reports and oral presentations, tailored to diverse audiences.
• Adaptability and Flexibility: The capacity to adjust to new challenges, changes in project scope, and evolving methodologies, while maintaining productivity and a positive attitude.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: Experience in working effectively within diverse groups, contributing to team goals, and managing interpersonal dynamics with diplomacy and empathy.

Timeline:

flexible

More information:

Dr. Abhinav Sharma is a cardiologist, assistant professor, and clinician-scientist in the division of cardiology at 不良研究所. He completed his medical school and internal medicine from McMaster University and his cardiology fellowship from the University of Alberta. He completed his PhD in epidemiology with a thesis focusing on the intersection of diabetes (T2DM) and heart failure (HF). He conducted a research fellowship at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (2015-2017). After his Advanced HF and cardiac transplant fellowship (Stanford University; 2017-2018), he was a visiting scholar at Stanford focusing on digital technologies in patients with HF. He is a Junior 2 Fonds du Recherche Sant茅 Quebec chercheurs-cliniciens scholar and World Heart Federation Emerging leader. He is the founder and co-director of the DECIDE-CV Cardiometabolic Clinic at the 不良研究所 Health Centre. Furthermore, he is the heart failure fellowship program director for the 不良研究所 Health Centre. His research work has enabled him to be a part of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) Heart Failure Guideline committee and the CCS Cardio-Renal Guideline Committee for 2022. His research lab at 不良研究所 (DREAM-CV) focuses on identifying leveraging novel models of care to accelerate the use and identification of therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes and heart failure.

Location

Centre for Outcome Research & Evaluation (CORE) - 5252 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West

Project Summary

Perinatal mental health disorders (PMHDs) are the most common complication of childbirth, affecting up to 25% of mothers and 10% of partners, with even higher rates found in equity deserving populations. PMHDs have immediate economic impacts through lost productivity and increased utilization of health services. They are also associated with long-term social and economic costs by increasing the risk for altered fetal neurodevelopment, preterm birth, and adverse child/adolescent mental health outcomes. Increased government resources are needed to ensure prevention and/or early detection and treatment of PMHDs, however efforts to lobby for increased resources have suffered from inadequate data demonstrating the cost/benefit ratio of investing in perinatal mental health prevention and care.

Our project aims to develop a Canadian Economic Impact Calculator for Perinatal Mental Health. This tool, a Canadian first, will allow us to have reliable cost estimates for untreated PMHDs both nationally and provincially. This economic analysis is needed to improve the use of current resources and to direct new money to unmet needs and under-served populations. Importantly, this calculator will allow stakeholder to have a common language and metric when evaluating and promoting effective strategies for supporting perinatal families.

This opportunity is part of the Informed Investment in Health Innovation (IIHI) Scholars 鈥� Undergraduate Program, which provides opportunities for 不良研究所 undergraduate students to learn about and gain experience in cost assessment, economic evaluation, and/or modeling through research projects.

Project Objectives for student:

• Conduct a systematic review with the support of a Montreuil Senior Doctoral student support who has much experience working with the 不良研究所 Health Science Librarian in conducting such literature search and analyses. The results of this systematic review will be used to update an ongoing perinatal health and health indices statistics, with priority given to recent, peer-reviewed studies from Canada. The results will also be used by the NPI and collaborators to produce estimates of the overall costs of maternal perinatal mental health problems and the distribution of these costs between different groups and sectors.
• Support the NPI and collaborating team in drafting mainly the "background" section as well as sections of the "methods" and "results" sections of an academic publication on the tool's findings.
• With the support of the NPI, liaise and collaborate with members of the team from diverse academic disciplines/areas of expertise to carry out the project's objectives and deliverables.

Technical Skills

• Strong writing skills;
• Fundamental understanding of the following concepts: Quality Adjust Life Year (QALY); Health utility/disutility;
• Strong critical thinking/analytical skills.

Transferable Skills:

• Demonstrates good communication skills;
• Dependable;
• Organized
• Strong time-management skills;
• Collaborative team worker;
• Motivated.

Timeline:

Flexible but with a preference for June-July.

More information:

Dr. Tina C. Montreuil is an associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and an associate member of the Pediatrics and Psychiatry departments at 不良研究所. She holds a scientist appointment at the Research Institute of the 不良研究所 Health Centre and is a research scientist at the Research Centre of the Sainte-Justine Hospital. Dr. Montreuil is also the director of Childhood Anxiety and Regulation of Emotions Laboratory C.A.R.E. Research Group and co-PI of the Montreal Antenatal Well-Being Study (MAWS), a prospective longitudinal birth cohort study. She is a recent awardee of the regarded Clinician Scientist Program 鈥� Empowering Next-Gen Researchers in Perinatal and Child Health (ENRICH) and a FRQ-S Research Scholar Jr. 1, equivalent to a provincial research chair. Montreuil鈥檚 research focuses on investigating predictors of intergenerational transmission of mental health and illness. Notably, her research has demonstrated that parent emotion regulation is mediated by parental emotion regulation socializing behaviours (supportive vs. punitive parenting practices) to predict child emotion regulation and future psychopathology. She holds several external tri-council agency funding (CIHR, SSHRC, NSERC, FRQS, FRQSC, FRQNT) as well as foundation grants (Health Canada, SACME, etc.). In terms of knowledge dissemination, Dr. Montreuil has published in several medical and education journals, co-authoring more than 150 scholarly articles, abstracts, presentations, and chapters.

Montreuil鈥檚 current work focuses on developing resilience and well-being in expectant parents through a perinatal intervention, Parents & Babies, which she has developed with a team of Canadian researchers at the CHU Sainte-Justine. Her cohort study, the Montreal Antenatal Well-Being Study is also piloting the use of a clinical guideline to support the screening and referral for mental health issues for midwifery clients.

As a licensed member of the Quebec Order of Psychologists and a credentialed member of the Canadian Association of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapies, she has held a private practice with children and family, focusing on cognitive-behavioural and mindfulness approaches. In 2013, Dr. Montreuil was awarded the title of "Champion" in Mental Health in the "Research" category from the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health and was more recently included in The Top 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health by CAMH Difference Makers.