Program: Trainee

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) the cause of AIDS continues to affect 40 million people worldwide. To tackle the HIV pandemic, we need to develop sophisticated tools that will increase our understanding of HIV. I plan to develop new tools for understanding HIV combining phylogenetic trees and Bayesian methods. A phylogenetic tree records the ancestral relationships of viruses, like a family tree of viruses. Bayesian methods are advanced statistical techniques that achieve more accurate results over traditional methods. First, I will create better tools for making diagrams of phylogenetic trees with computer software. These diagrams will make it easier for scientists to present their findings and interpret others’ results. Second, I will develop a Bayesian method to characterize the spread of HIV while protecting individuals’ identities. This will facilitate targeted intervention to stifle HIV transmission within the community. Finally, I will compare the effectiveness of different techniques to determine the make up of the infecting virus of an individual living with HIV by looking at the characteristics of their HIV. Overall, my new methods will help complete our understanding of HIV and bring an end to the HIV pandemic.

Forced migration occurs when people are displaced from their homes to escape harmful situations including human rights violations, and/or environmental disasters. Currently, over 40 million women and girls have been forced to migrate worldwide. Most have been racially discriminated and over 70% have been exposed to gender-based violence (GBV) including human and sex trafficking, exploitation, and forced marriage. Health impacts of GBV include chronic health issues including hypertension, diabetes, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Canada’s population of women forced to migrate is steadily growing. However, access to timely and appropriate health services remains uncoordinated and ineffective. Upon arrival to Canada, women are left to self-navigate exclusionary and fragmented pathways to health care while also managing the effects of forced migration. In this research, the experiences of these women will be gathered and examined toward generating recommendations for enhanced access to safe and effective health care. This project responds to national and global calls to address a significant gap in knowing how to deliver timely and safe care to women impacted by forced migration and managing the chronic health sequelae of GBV.

Due to racism, discrimination, stigma, mental illness and substance use issues, and homelessness, highly marginalized adults tend to die alone, in pain, with their needs unmet, and sometimes of preventable and treatable cancers. Cancer is the leading cause of death for highly marginalized adults. Oncology care providers play a critical role in providing culturally safe, effective care that aligns with individuals’ needs, but, issues such as unstable housing, transportation barriers, mental health and substance use issues can create conditions where oncology care providers are placed in a position of making treatment decisions that are challenging because, if highly marginalized adults do come to the cancer clinic, their treatments often dictate a regimen that is difficult to follow. This study will explore the factors that oncology care providers consider when making decisions about cancer care treatments for highly marginalized adults. Results will inform the development of clinical practice guidelines to support oncology care providers’ decision-making when making treatment decisions for adults who are highly marginalized.

Despite an increasing trend in the number of youth with substance use disorders in BC, current data shows that voluntary, community-based, and youth-friendly support services are lacking. My project aims to address this gap by learning from youth who have had their lives impacted by substance use. By engaging with youth as co-researchers in this project, I will better understand their diverse hopes, wishes and ideas for accessible, non-judgmental, and culturally centered substance use and mental health services.

First, I will establish a leadership circle that engages a diverse group of Indigenous, non-Indigenous, immigrant and refugee, 2SLGBTQIA+, and pregnant/parenting youth, who receive(d) services from our local partners, the Foundry Victoria Youth Clinic Society (VYCS) and Surrounded by Cedars Child and Family Services. We will co-create a shared vision for meaningful and accessible substance use and mental health services, grounded in each person’s own experience and recommendations. This vision will be translated into an intervention to pilot, implement, and evaluate at Foundry VYCS and inform later implementation with the Foundry Network in British Columbia.

We live in a diverse Canadian society that is quickly growing in social and cultural representation. A national survey conducted in Canada in 2016 estimated that children with at least one parent that was born outside of Canada is expected to make up almost half of the total population of children in Canada by 2036. With growing diversity, it is important for us to gain a full understanding of how children’s social and cultural background can influence their health care experiences and identify any disadvantages or barriers some may face in their care are because of their backgrounds. The goal of this project is to better understand the health care experiences of racialized children and adolescents living with serious and life threatening illness, and to explore social and cultural reasons that may influence their understanding of and engagement in their care and well-being. This information will allow us to plan future care so that they best support the needs of youth with mental health and physical health concerns from all social and cultural backgrounds.