Michael Smith Health Research BC: Research Trainee Program
November 14, 2024
MSHR BC supports health researchers in the training phase of their research career to enable career development and enrich BC’s health research talent. Under this program, these scholars will receive $60,000 per year for up to three years.
Taylor Fleming
Taylor will be joining UVic as a post-doctoral fellow with Social Work professor Bruce Wallace.
Understanding the health and social harms of drug re-criminalization within the context of homelessness
Drug criminalization is associated with a range of poor health outcomes, such as overdose. This study will examine how emerging re-criminalization impacts health outcomes, including overdose, for unhoused people who use drugs. Fleming also plans to develop novel approaches to community-based research in rapidly changing policy contexts. This research will generate ideas to guide future drug policy in BC, and are scalable and adaptable to other settings pursuing drug policy reform.
Fernando González Ibáñez
Fernando is a post-doctoral fellow with Medical Sciences professor Marie-Eve Tremblay
Impact of TSC2-deficient neural cells on microglial structure and function in an induced human pluripotent stem cell model of tuberous sclerosis complex
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disease in which the brain develops malformed tissue clusters, called cortical tubers (CTs), which cause epilepsy and cognitive problems. Though known to be a feature of TSC brain lesions, the role of microglia in CT formation is completely unknown. González Ibáñez will investigate if microglia contribute to CT formation and, study for the first time, how the interaction with TSC2 mutant cells affect microglial function.
Aki Gormezano
Aki is a post-doctoral fellow with Public Health and Social Policy professor Nathan Lachowsky
Novel STI Care and Prevention for Group Sex Communities
An estimated one in ten people engage in group sex at some point in their life. While it can be a source of pleasure and belonging, it may increase risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Gormezano’s research focuses on 1) community-based knowledge around what makes group sex uniquely risky when it comes to STIs, 2) what STI prevention strategies people use during group sex and how effective they are, and 3) the barriers that healthcare providers face in providing STI care to people having group sex.
Jennifer Lavalley
Jennifer will be joining UVic Nursing professor Marilou Gagnon as a post-doctoral fellow
Co-creation of culturally safe drug checking practices for Indigenous Peoples who use illicit drugs
Indigenous Peoples who use illicit drugs (IPWUID) are disproportionately affected by the drug poisoning crisis. Community-wide drug checking is a potential response to address the problem. Lavalley’s study uses Indigenous research methods to better understand the needs and perspectives of IPWUID in accessing new drug checking technologies and services. The outcome will be an Indigenous Harm Reduction approach to drug checking to inform new models and knowledge production approaches that best meet the needs of IPWUID.