Postdoctoral Position in the Enhancing the Prevention of Injury & Disability (EPID)@Work Research Institute
Overview
Postdoctoral Position in the Enhancing the Prevention of Injury & Disability (EPID)@Work Research Institute
The EPID@Work Research Institute at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, invites highly qualified and motivated applicants to a Postdoctoral Fellow position available under the leadership of Dr. Vicki Kristman. The Institute is currently developing a large prospective cohort study on workplace and worker health in Northwestern Ontario. This study consists of both a quantitative and a qualitative component and will address the three main research areas of the Institute: mental health in the workplace; equity, diversity, and inclusion; and knowledge mobilization and implementation. Specifically, the fellow will work as a project coordinator for the study and is expected to undertake collaborative research in at least one of the main research areas, but some independent research is also possible. This is an excellent opportunity for new PhD graduates to apply research methods (quantitative or qualitative), benefit from an active well-funded interdisciplinary research environment, and publish. The stipend is highly competitive and commensurate with experience. Opportunities for the fellow to apply for independent funding will be available and encouraged. The resources and collaborators within the Institute will be available to the postdoctoral fellow. A multiple-year appointment is dependent on satisfactory performance.
The EPID@Work Research Institute was established in 2018 to conduct high quality, transdisciplinary research in the areas of work-related injury and disability prevention with a particular focus on issues relevant to Northwestern Ontario. Our goal is to bring together community and academia to conduct research together. In 2022, we officially became a member of Ontario’s occupational health and safety system.
Key Accountabilities:
- Develop and implement work plans for the cohort study as well as coordinate, oversee and execute study procedures and research protocols.
- Apply for funding (award applications) to local, provincial, and/or national research agencies.
- Train junior researchers to recruit and conduct participant interviewing as per research protocol and assist in this endeavour where required.
- Collect, clean, and analyze data.
- Conduct simple and complex descriptive and inferential data analyses or qualitative analyses.
- Write, prepare, edit, and format manuscripts for publications and grant applications.
- Publish original research results obtained during tenure in appropriate journals and other recognized media.
- Prepare presentations and posters relating to research.
- Attend scientific conferences agreed upon in collaboration with Dr. Kristman to present results (subject to the availability of travel funds).
- Support and provide consultation to other research staff.
- Conduct literature reviews and other background research for manuscript and grant writing.
- Discuss research findings with the research team, collaborative partners, other researchers, etc.
- Work collaboratively with the research team, EPID scientific and community members, and external academic institutions.
- Participate in training and educational activities.
- Supervision of students and junior scientific staff may be required.
Requirements/Qualifications:
- A Ph.D., or equivalent degree with an emphasis on mental health; equity, diversity or inclusion; or knowledge mobilization and implementation and epidemiology or quantitative methods or qualitative approaches.
- Current knowledge of and experience with research design, research methodologies, patient recruitment and testing, data analysis, and risk assessments.
- Advanced statistical training and knowledge of statistical software packages or advanced qualitative analysis training.
- Evidence of experience in preparation and publication of manuscripts, including at least two first author publications (accepted or in press); excellent scientific writing and strong oral communications skills.
- Results oriented work ethic to work independently and undertake tasks needed to accomplish work objectives and deliver quality, consistent and timely results.
- Demonstrated leadership, conflict resolution, interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Proven ability to adapt readily to change.
- Models and promotes core ethical practice and reflects an optimistic and positive attitude.
To apply, applicants should submit as a single PDF file: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, copies or links to their most significant publications, and the names of at least 3 individuals who can provide a recommendation to epid.hbsc@lakeheadu.ca. A Confirmation of Eligibility to Work in Canada form must accompany the application. The position will be posted until filled.
For more information, questions can be addressed to Dr. Vicki Kristman, vkristman@lakeheadu.ca, Director, EPID@Work Research Institute, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada P7B 5E1.
Lakehead University is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals including women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons and persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Lakehead University is committed to an environment of open access to employment opportunities. Accommodations are available for all applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources at (807) 343-8334. We appreciate your interest; however, we will only notify those selected for an interview.
Seed Grant Application and Procedures - Deadline May 12, 2023
The goal of EPID@Work's seed grant program is to attract new and established scholars to conduct research addressing EPID@Work's mandate.
Applicants and applications for projects located in Northwestern Ontario (Manitouwadge and west) will be prioritized.
One call for applications will usually be made each year in the early spring.
The funds requested can range from $5,000 to a maximum of $20,000 per project. The project (including spending of funds) must be completed within one year of receiving funds.
Download the Seed Grant Application and Procedures pdf for full information
April 2023 EPID Talks
EPID@Work is excited to announce that registration for our upcoming talks on April 14th, 2023, from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm, is now open, where Dr. Kathy Sanderson, Associate Professor, Business Administration will talk about her research "Renew NWO: Barriers and Ways Forward for Employed Newcomer Women".
Register here: https://forms.gle/tmAXSUYJidw7n7rU7
Seeking Research Participants: "Physiotherapists’ perspective on the use of mobile application-assisted monitoring of mobility in adolescents and adults who have survived a TBI"
Help us obtain a physical therapists perspective of the role of technology in the assessment of mobility of brain injury survivors.
If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact research.mobility@utoronto.ca or read more about the study here.
*Participants will be entitled to a 50$ e-gift card.
Lakehead University celebrated exceptional researchers at R and I Awards of Excellence
March 2, 2023 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.
Lakehead University held its Research and Innovation Awards of Excellence reception on Thursday, March 2 to celebrate the exceptional achievements of professors, partners, and students.
Lakehead named Dr. Vicki Kristman and Dr. Scott Hamilton as the 2023 Distinguished Researchers for their work in health sciences and social sciences and humanities.
Dr. Kristman is a professor in the Department of Health Sciences who is the Director and Senior Scientist with the Enhancing the Prevention of Injury and Disability at Work Research Institute.
“I'd like to thank the Senate Research Committee for recognizing the quality and importance of my research in injury and disability prevention in the workplace through this award,” Dr. Kristman said.
“I'd also like to thank all of my past professors and mentors, who honed my epidemiological and research skills.”he said her current colleagues in the Department of Health Sciences deserve special recognition for challenging her on her ideas and supporting her when she needed it.
“I'd also like to recognize the Senate of Lakehead University for giving me the opportunity to develop and initiate the EPID@Work Research Institute. A special nod goes to all the workers, workplaces, and other community members who have participated or co-developed research projects with me.”
Dr. Kristman thanked the funding agencies for supporting this research, including CIHR, SSHRC, Mitacs, the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba, and WorkSafeBC, among others.
“A special thanks to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for supporting the EPID@Work Research Institute, but in particular the Prevention division, including Chief Prevention Officer Dr. Joel Moody, Bill Roy, and Steven Boyd, for recognizing the value that EPID@Work brings to health, safety, and injury and disability prevention in Northwestern Ontario.”
This research would not have been possible without the team, Dr. Kristman said, including EPID’s past and present trainees, research assistants, collaborators, co-investigators, management and advisory boards, and most recently the new EPID staff.
“Big problems take a lot of great minds to tackle and, although we've done well so far, I'm confident that we have the right people to do many more amazing things.
“Finally, I'd like to thank my parents for instilling in me a strong work ethic and moral principles that guide my everyday actions and decisions,” she said.
Dr. Hamilton joined Lakehead’s Department of Anthropology in 1988 with a two-pronged research program – one was conventional academic research and the other emphasized applied research that gradually shifted to community-engaged research service.
His primary field of study is the archaeology of the Canadian northern plains and subarctic, along with fur trade archaeology and ethnohistory.
“My academic research has involved six major SSHRC-funded projects,” he said.
“Receiving the Distinguished Researcher Award is particularly important to me as I begin my 35th year at Lakehead University,” Dr. Hamilton said.
Dr. Hamilton said working at Lakehead University allowed him to teach at the undergraduate and graduate level, and to do sustained regional research.
“It allowed me to help train students who have become my professional colleagues, and to do both academic and applied research.
“The latter is particularly important to me since it allowed development of working relationships with several northern Ontario First Nations, the freedom to explore an enormous ‘research hinterland’, and to continue to learn,” Dr. Hamilton said.
“I thank my colleagues for the nomination and letters of support, and the Senate Research Committee for selecting me for this honor.
Dr. Andrew P. Dean said the awards ceremony is a highlight of the year for Research and Innovation and he is exceptionally proud of all Lakehead award recipients.
“Our Awards of Excellence is a special event for acknowledging the tremendous research accomplishments at Lakehead University,” Dr. Dean said.
“Congratulations to each winner. A special recognition goes to Professors Scott Hamilton and Vicki Kristman. Receiving the Distinguished Researcher Award is a well-deserved honour.”
Award Recipients
Three-Minute Thesis
- Second Place: Magdy Alanani, PhD in Civil Engineering candidate (Supervisor: Dr. Ahmed Elshaer)
- First Place: Alexis Harvey, Health Sciences MSc (Supervisor: Dr. Helle Moeller)
Three-Minute Research Award
- First Place: Gavin Shields, Education MEd (Supervisor: Dr. David Greenwood)
Graduate Studies Research Excellence Awards
Natural Sciences and Engineering Category
- Behrooz Afra, PhD in Biotechnology candidate (Supervisor: Dr. Ali Tarokh)
Social Sciences and Humanities Category
- Tiffany Leung, PhD Clinical Psychology (Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Mushquash)
Graduate Student Conference Poster Winners
Winner Engineering Category
- Christopher Silver, MSc Software Engineering (Supervisor: Dr. Thangarajah Akilan)
Winners NSERC Category
- Hrishikesh Vachhani, MSc Computer Science
- Nisharaff Shaik, MSc Computer Science
- Yash Devmurari, MSc Computer Science
- Dhruvisha Patel, MSc Computer Science
(All were supervised by Dr. Thangarajah Akilan)
Winner SSHRC Category
- Chelsea Noel, MA Clinical Psychology (Supervisor: Dr. Deborah Scharf)
Innovation Award
- Daniel Vasiliu, Technologist in Electrical Engineering
Post-Doctoral Fellow Excellence Award – this year there is a tie
- Dr. Elaine Toombs, Dept. of Psychology, (Supervisor: Dr. Chris Mushquash)
- Dr. Matthew Brzozowski, Dept. of Geology, (Supervisor: Dr. Peter Hollings)
Building Research Capacity Award
- “Building the EPID@Work Research Institute” led by Dr. Vicki Kristman
Senate Research Committee Awards
Research Support Award
- Dr. Alexandria (Lexi) Haslehurst
Research Excellence Awards
- Dr. Osama (Sam) Salem, NSERC
- Dr. Sandra Jeppesen, SSHRC
Distinguished Researcher Award
- Dr. Vicki Kristman, Professor, Department of Health Sciences, EPID@Work Director and Senior Scientist
- Dr. Scott Hamilton, Professor, Anthropology
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 10,000 students in THE’s 2022 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
Mannila Sandhu
Margaret Cernigoj
EPID Researchers present at Centre for Applied Health Research - Showcase 2023
Since 2006 the Centre for Applied Health Research has hosted what has become the premier annual venue for the dissemination of research relevant to the health of Northwester Ontarians. Each year healthcare professionals, students and scientists are brought together to discuss health research through oral and poster presentations. The Showcase draws a broad audience who come to hear about work that is being done in our community.
EPID @ Work was thrilled to present a number of posters at this event:
"Wiiji Peer Support App and Indigenous Workplace Mental Health" - presented by Mannila Sandhu, Research Assistant
"Homeless Sector Frontline Workers' (HSFW) Support Needs During the Covid-19 Pandemic" - presented by Ainsley Miller, PhD Candidate.
"Remote Work from Home and Employee Mental Well-Being: A Scoping Review" - Congratulations to Kara Polson for being awarded the Learner Prize for her work.
Student Research Assistant - Qualitative Research, EPID@Work Research Institute, Thunder Bay, ON
Overview
Student Research Assistant – Qualitative Research
EPID@Work Research Institute, Lakehead University, in partnership with Nokiiwin Tribal Council
Thunder Bay Campus
part-time position
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Department: EPID@Work Research Institute
Application Deadline: February 3rd,2023
Review of applications begins: February 6th,2023
Start date: As soon as possible
We are looking for a highly motivated student to conduct sharing circles with Indigenous youth. In partnership with the
Nokiiwin Tribal Council and Qwantech, we developed an e-mental health application for Indigenous workplaces titled
'Wiiji'. We evaluated the app in the working-age population to assess improvement in Indigenous workplace mental health
and found that no one used the Wiiji peer-support function. Our participant pool was 92% over 21 years of age. Now, we
would like to determine if younger individuals, aged 10 to 20, would use a revised Wiiji app for peer support to help build
personal resilience and healthy coping techniques to prepare them for the labour force. We would also like to understand
what changes youth would like to see in such an app.
This position is available at the “Enhancing the Prevention of Injury and Disability (EPID) @ Work Research Institute” in
collaboration with the “Nokiiwin Tribal Council”.
Key accountabilities:
• Work collaboratively with the project team (EPID@Work scientific members and the Nokiiwin Tribal Councils
staff)
• Conduct Sharing circles with Indigenous youth
• Conduct Qualitative data analyses with team of researchers using NVIVO or other qualitative analysis software
• Draft reports and presentations based on the analyses conducted
• Collect, analyze, interpret, validate and present data to stakeholders
Qualifications:
• Bachelors or Graduate degree in progress
• Training in qualitative research methods is considered an asset
• Preference will be given to Indigenous students who self-declare
• Experience with NVIVO for data management and statistical analysis is considered an asset
• Strong qualitative research skills – approachable, ability to build rapport, and good conversational skills
• Results oriented work ethic to work independently and undertake tasks needed to accomplish work objectives
Interested applicants are invited to submit a single PDF document containing a cover letter and resume to:
Dr. Vicki Kristman
Director, EPID@Work Research Institute
Email: epid.hbsc@lakeheadu.ca
Lakehead University is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applications from all
qualified individuals including women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons and
persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. All qualified
candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. This is
in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements. Lakehead University is committed to an environment of open
access to employment opportunities. Accommodations are available for all applicants with disabilities throughout the
recruitment process. If you require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources
at (807) 343-8334. We appreciate your interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be notified.
Administrative Assistant, Enhancing the Prevention of Injury & Disability (EPID)@Work Research Institute, Thunder Bay, ON
Overview
Administrative Assistant
Enhancing the Prevention of Injury & Disability (EPID)@Work Research Institute
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay Campus, invites applications for an Administrative Assistant at the EPID@Work Research Institute.
Lakehead University is a comprehensive, research-intensive university, founded in 1956, with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With 11 Canada Research Chairs, 338 full-time faculty members, 13 research centers, 38 graduate programs (over 1300 graduate students), and external research funding that has increased 62.5% in the last 15 years, Lakehead’s sustained development in research is clear. As a result, for five years in a row (2015 to 2019) Lakehead University was named Research University of the Year in Canada by Re$earch Infosource in our peer group category. Re$earch Infosource also ranked Lakehead first among undergraduate universities in Canada for our total amount of funding from non-profit partners for the period from 2013 to 2017.
The Senate-approved EPID@Work Research Institute is the injury and disability Research Institute for Northwestern Ontario. Established in 2018, the mandate of EPID@Work is to bring people together to reduce work-related injury and disability through collaborative applied research and provision of education to enhance knowledge related to injury and disability. The Institute recently became a partner with the Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development and holds a seat at the Ministry’s Prevention Research Partner’s Table. Information generated from our research informs practice and policies aiming to improve health and social outcomes in Northwestern Ontario and beyond.
The goals of the Institute are to 1) conduct, high-quality, community-based, transdisciplinary research in the areas of work-related injury and disability prevention, with a focus on issues relevant to Northwestern Ontario; 2) participate in, develop and evaluate integrated knowledge exchange approaches with community stakeholders and the greater research community participating in all phases of the research process; and 3) provide an exemplary training and experience opportunity for the next generation of community-based transdisciplinary researchers in Northwestern Ontario and beyond. The research foci of the EPID@Work Research Institute (mental health in the workplace; equity, diversity and inclusion; and knowledge mobilization and implementation) fit well into the university’s priority research areas: Cultures, Societies and Social Justice; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Research; and Health and Well-Being.
The EPID@Work Research Institute is seeking an administrative assistant who will support the Director, EPID@Work Research Institute by carrying out a wide variety of administrative and minor research activities. This position is for three years, renewable depending on performance and funding. The Administrative Assistant will perform duties including organizing meetings, training events, managing calendars, preparing agendas, taking and transcribing minutes for distribution and monitoring actionable items. The successful incumbent will review and sort incoming mail, review and prepare credit card statements and coordinate travel plans for the Director and colleagues and coordinate visits to the University. The Administrative Assistant will assist with collecting reportable information from scientific staff, make minor updates to the EPID website, assist with office technical support requests, and other duties as assigned.
The Administrative Assistant will also participate in research activities by assisting with the collection and processing of data, as well as identify eligible participants for research activities, conduct interviews and create research ethics submissions.
The candidate will have a post-secondary education in an Administrative or related program along with 2 years of practical experience in a similar administrative role. They will be expected to demonstrate critical and analytic thinking abilities, have strong interpersonal skills paired with excellent written and verbal communication and organizational skills. Proficiency with PC computers is required (Windows 10; Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, Google email and calendar, webpage management, Zoom video-conferencing, etc.). Knowledge and understanding of Concur travel system is an asset. The Administrative Assistant will have the ability to multi-task a variety of high priority duties and work under the pressure of deadlines while working independently.
Interested applicants are invited to submit the following as a single PDF file: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of three professional references. A completed Confirmation of Eligibility to Work in Canada form must accompany your package. Review of applications will begin on Jan 11, 2023 and continue until the position is filled. Please submit applications to: epid.hbsc@lakeheadu.ca
More information on the EPID@Work Research Institute is available at https://www.lakeheadu.ca/centre/epid.
