Student Success Story Chelsea Noel: Knowledge Mobilization In NW Ontario
In November, 2020, Ms. Chelsea Noel joined the BRANCHES Lab and the EPID@Work groups at Lakehead University as a research assistant where she began working on an Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic-funded project. The focus of the project was on the experiences, impacts, and service needs of injured and ill workers in the WSIB progress in the City and District of Thunder Bay. Since that time, Ms. Noel has transitioned to a new role as an MA student in our clinical psychology program where she has been highly successful creating and disseminating this research. Specifically, Ms. Noel has presented this work to community stakeholders at the Thunder Bay and District Injured Workers Support Group, at academic conferences including the National Work Wellness Institute (WWi) (November 2021), the Disability and Work National Conference (December, 2021), and at the 2021 Canadian Psychological Association’s 82nd Annual Convention (June 2021), where her presentation won the Clinical Section Student Convention Registration Award. Her research is also submitted to the St Joseph's 2022 Showcase of Health Research (Feb 2022), and a full-length manuscript is under review (revise and resubmit) at a national public health journal. Ms. Noel has also prepared a range of KTMB products for broader dissemination and those products have had wide distribution and policy impact. Specifically, Ms. Noel's research brief (attached) was submitted to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (Jan 10, 2022) as evidence for the need to increase funding for injured workers dependent on the WSIB system.
Mental health needs of workers in the WSIB claims and appeals processes in NW Ontario
