About the Event

This presentation demonstrates how qualitative research can inform public health communications. Employee interviews about workplace mental health experiences were translated into accessible materials—an animated video and tip sheets—showing how small compassionate gestures support struggling coworkers. The presentation explores the rigorous development process and evaluation, illustrating effective knowledge translation from research to practice.

Speakers

Dr. Kathy Sanderson is an Associate Professor of Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour in the Faculty of Business Administration at Lakehead University.  She is the Assistant Director and theme lead for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with EPID@Work Research Centre.  Kathy’s research focuses on reducing pain at work, in the areas of emotional abuse, newcomer welcoming, mental health stigma, and employee retention in Northwestern Ontario.

Lynda Fraser, Lynda Fraser is a Health Promotion Planner with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit. She has had an extensive career promoting public health for 28 years, the last 15 of which have been focused on workplace wellness solutions. Lynda is passionate about supporting employers to offer the best work experience for their staff, understanding that a thriving workforce is any company’s biggest asset. Lynda’s work involves researching, developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based workplace wellness initiatives, with a particular emphasis on promoting psychological health and safety.

Dr. Vicki Kristman is the Director and Senior Scientist at the EPID@Work Research Institute at Lakehead University. She holds a Lakehead University-Ontario Research Chair in Injury & Disability Prevention and is a Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Lakehead University. She conducts research to better understand factors associated with health, particularly mental health, and disability in the workplace to develop and test interventions to improve the lives of workers. She is currently leading a large cohort study: the Northwestern Ontario Workplace and Worker Health Study.

About the Event

This presentation shares preliminary findings from CIHR-funded research examining how community–campus engagement (CCE) supports population health and Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) goals in Thunder Bay and Ottawa. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, and document review, we highlight place-based pathways, practices, and under-recognized facilitators through which CCE can advance health equity. This event is hosted by Lakehead University Health Sciences, NOSM University, and Confederation College.

Speakers

Dr. Erin Cameron is a Professor of Medical Education and Director of the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity at Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) University. She is a co-Principal Investigator on the Community-Campus Engagement and Population Health Research Project and Director of the CREATE Project.

Dr. Katie Hemsworth (PhD, Geography) is a research associate with the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity at NOSM University. Guided by decolonial and feminist values of relationship and care, she collaborates on place-based and arts-integrated projects exploring the transformative potential of community-engaged research partnerships for advancing health equity.

Sydney Persaud is a Research Associate at the Bruyère Health Research Institute in Ottawa, where she conducts research aimed at improving care delivery and population health outcomes. She holds a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from the University of Ottawa and is currently pursuing further studies in Psychology.

Chloe Chambers is an epidemiology master’s student at the University of Ottawa’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health. Her research seeks to understand how knowledge generated from community-campus engagement projects is shared and used to address key community and population health issues.

About the Event

The following presentations will take place as part of this event:

Forests, Moose, Predators and Moose Hunting – Dr. Brian McLaren
Dr. Brian McLaren’s research career spans Isle Royale National Park, a temporal average of 1.5 to 3.0 moose per square kilometre, the island of Newfoundland, an average across wildlife management units of 1.1 to 4.5 moose per square kilometre, and Ontario, an average of 0.05 to 0.35 moose per square kilometre. Isle Royale provides an opportunity to observe forest regeneration, which depends on the degree of canopy disturbance and food-chain effects, with wolf kill rates creating cascades that influence soil characteristics. Newfoundland shows that forest regeneration may not return to previous stable states, depending on local moose densities. Ontario trend analysis consistently shows hunting to have the strongest effects on moose, keeping forest regeneration in expected ranges.

Remote Sensing and Forest Fire Research at NRM - Dr. Brigitte Leblon
Remote Sensing is an important tool in modern forestry. At NRM, the remote sensing research has focused on two important forestry applications. The first one is detecting tree health on UAV imagery. We will present a deep learning method allowing the direct detection of trees and their health on UAV multispectral images. The second one is on mapping fuel moisture using polarimetric radar imagery. After explaining what polarimetric radar imagery is, we will present results using polarimetric ALOS-PALSAR L-band imagery for fuel moisture in British Columbia.

This event is sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Forestry and Faculty of Natural Resources Management.

Registration Zoom Link

About the Event 

About the Event

Many First Nations communities experience higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) when compared to non-First Nations communities, which further increases risk for other health, mental health, and substance use-related difficulties. In this presentation, Dr. Mushquash will discuss how Indigenous community-based research in mental health and addiction can support improvements to systems and services. 

About the Speaker

Dr. Christopher Mushquash, HBSc., M.A., Ph.D., LL.D. (h.c.), FRSC, C.Psych. (Ontario), is Anishinawbe (Ojibway), and a member of Pawgwasheeng (Pays Plat First Nation) who was born and raised in rural Northwestern Ontario. He is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Clinical Psychologist at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Vice President Research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Chief Scientist and Chief Operating Officer at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, and Director of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research at Lakehead University. Dr. Mushquash is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, with expertise in rural and northern clinical practice and the development of culturally appropriate interventions for mental health and addiction difficulties in First Nations children, adolescents, and adults.

Zoom Registration

Please click here.

About the Event

GRADflix is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research through a oneminute (60-second) creative video. This competition allows students to broaden their communication skills, expand their network, gain greater exposure for their research, and compete for a monetary prize. Graduate Students are eligible to participate in this competition at any stage of their research as long as they are actively enrolled in a graduate program. Date of Competition: Monday, February 23, 2026 - 2:00-4:00 PM.

Registration

To register for this event (by February 6, 2026), please complete the following form.

About the Event

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a national competition for thesis-based graduate students in which participants present their scholarly and creative activity, and its wider impact in 3 minutes or less. The challenge is to present complex research in an accessible and compelling way with the assistance of only one static slide. The competition celebrates exciting and innovative graduate student research while promoting communication, public speaking, and storytelling skills. Please note: Participants must be present on the Thunder Bay or Orillia campus for this event. Date of Competition: Monday, February 23, 2026 - 2:00-4:00 pm

Registration

To register for this event (by February 6, 2026), please complete the following form.

21st Annual Research and Innovation Week Awards of Excellence 

Join us as we honour Lakehead University’s outstanding researchers. We will celebrate the achievements of faculty members, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows as well as the contributions made by our valued research partners and sponsors. We hope to see you there!

List of awards to be presented at this year’s event:

• Distinguished Researcher Award
• Research Excellence Awards
• Community Engaged Research Award
• Post-Doctoral Fellow Research Excellence Award
• Indigenous Partnership Research Award
• Innovation Award
• EDI in Research Award
• Three-Minute Thesis Awards
• GRADflix Competition Award
• Graduate Studies Research Excellence Awards
• Graduate Student Conference Poster Winners

Registration 

To register for this event, please click here.

About the Event

This event will include a panel and information booths where you can learn the basics of solar panels, explore financing options, hear from local residents who have installed solar, and speak with service providers to learn more about installing solar technology in your home.  The event is co-hosted and co-sponsored by the Lakehead University Office of Sustainability and the City of Thunder Bay. No RSVP required. Light Refreshments provided. 

• Learn about the basics of solar photovoltaic technology
• Explore the Canadian energy rebates
• Hear from local residents who have installed solar photovoltaics
• Speak with local service providers to learn more about installing solar technology in your home
• Learn how to participate in solar energy when you can't modify your housing