Lakehead University researchers — from left, Dr. Pauline Sameshima, Dr. Jennifer Chisholm, Abigale Kent, Dr. Helle Moeller and Dr. Manal Alzghou — have been working on a research project focusing on maternal health care for Indigenous and immigrant women in Northwestern Ontario.

A program for mobile devices may provide access to the health care and education that mothers-to-be in Northwestern Ontario feel they often don’t receive. Supported by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, an eHealth app is being adapted by researchers at Lakehead University to fit the needs of women in this region, particularly Indigenous and immigrant women. This will hopefully help close this gap in maternal care and education.

“We know from interviewing women in this area that there is a need for mental health care and services in our region,” says Dr. Helle Moeller, an associate professor in Lakehead’s department of Health Sciences. “We also know few women, compared to the rest of Ontario and nationally, access pre-natal education. So we would like to offer an alternative tool for mental health education care, and support for women in their pregnancy and post-partum period.”

Moeller, who is also associate director of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research, has a long-standing interest in equity in access to health and health care as well as Northern, Indigenous and women’s health.

A project started in 2013 looked at the birthing experience of women in Thunder Bay. Interviews with diverse women, including Indigenous women and women from refugee and immigrant backgrounds, reported being less well-treated in the health-care system, and provided with less information about the pre-natal education and care options available to them than the broader community. Many perceived birth to be inherently risky and Indigenous women felt the primary care providers reinforced this perception. They felt providers considered them “high risk,” and were often not informed about the option of midwifery care.

In 2017 the project was expanded to focus on pre-natal education. It involved interviews with another 40 women from varied backgrounds. The results revealed vast differences in access to pre-natal care and education.

“Women in Northern communities and women that come from diverse backgrounds do not have access to the same level of pre- and post-natal care and education as other women,” Moeller says. That is primarily due to: socioeconomic, linguistic and cultural differences, and the perception of racism and discrimination. Also, being on one or the other end of the age spectrum and not living close to where the programs are offered poses challenges.

“That issue of travel really prohibits women in northern communities from participating” in pre-natal programs, says Moeller.

Importantly, nearly half the participants indicated there was not enough mental health support services, in outlying communities as well as in Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout and Kenora.

“Fifty per cent of women that we interviewed stressed that they had mental health needs they felt were not met during pregnancy and post-partum,” Moeller says.

A team in Alberta has successfully piloted a software application that provides educational mental health modules, online screening for depression and anxiety, and access to counselling and support during pregnancy and post-partum. The Thunder Bay team hopes to customize the app for women in this region to use.

“Social service and care providers see that the app has great potential,” Moeller states. “But there will need to be some adaptation in terms of language, culture, how the curriculum is put together.”

Abigale Kent, a master of Health Sciences student, has been the research co-ordinator on the project. In addition to supporting the efforts of the team generally, her thesis has focused on one leg of the project, interviewing providers servicing predominantly Euro-Canadian women and their perceptions on the suitability of an eHealth app for maternal mental health in the Northwest.

“I work with a fantastic and supportive team in building community connections, setting up interviews and putting together the building blocks that are going to ensure this app and the project succeeds,” Kent says.

When she graduates in August, Kent hopes to enroll in medical school having just been interviewed at NOSM.

Along with Moeller and Kent, the current team consists of: Dr. Manal Alzghoul, assistant professor in Nursing; Dr. Jennifer Chisholm, assistant professor in the department of Women’s Studies; and Dr. Pauline Sameshima, professor in Graduate Studies & Research in Education and Canada Research Chair in Arts Integrated Studies. The team has been funded by Women’s Xchange of Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, and the SSHRC Explore Research Development Fund.

Written by Julio Heleno Gomes

Story originally appeared in The Chronicle Journal on June 12, 2020

CFI - Exceptional Opportunities Fund – COVID-19:  Internal Call for Expressions of Interest

Through the Exceptional Opportunities Fund – COVID-19 competition, the CFI will invest up to $25 million with the objective of supporting urgent needs for equipment for ongoing research related to COVID-19.  Full-time faculty members (affiliated with Lakehead University, TBRHRI, and NOSM West Campus are eligible to apply).

As an exception to their usual competitions, the CFI will cover up to 100 percent of the eligible costs of a project. Final applications are due at the CFI by July 6, 2020.

As per the CFI call document, to qualify for this funding opportunity, a project must meet the following requirements:

• The infrastructure component must be an indispensable element of an ongoing research project related to COVID-19.
• The infrastructure component must be acquired at the latest by March 31, 2021.

Under this special call, the CFI has indicated that Lakehead University can submit applications for equipment seeking a maximum of $200,000 from the fund.

Due to the short turnaround time for this call, Lakehead University invites submissions under the following process and timelines.  

Stage 1: Expressions of Interest due to ORS by June 10 @ 4:30 (mandatory)

• COVID-19 Project Title
• Anticipated Amount To Be Requested
• Names of Principal Investigator and Co-applicants

Stage 2:  Internal Letter of Intent due to ORS by June 15 @ 12 noon (6 pages maximum)

- Project Title*

- Project Summary (50 words) and abbreviated proposal outlining how the project addresses each of the CFI program criteria*

- CV for members of research team (CFI CV, CCV, or standard CV will be accepted)#

- Budget justification*

- 1 quote for each piece of equipment requested#

* - Included in the six page LOI.

# - In addition to the six page LOI

An internal review committee will meet and review/rank the applications in relation to the CFI program criteria.  The Internal Peer Review Committee will provide their recommendations to the VPRI by June 19 and the successful applicants will be invited to prepare their full proposals using  CFI Awards Management System (CAMS)  and submit to the ORS by June 29.

For questions, please contact Andrew Hacquoil, Research Grants Officer (ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca).

Dear Lakehead Students,

In collaboration with Mitacs, Lakehead is pleased to offer 30 Research Training Awards (RTA) to returning Lakehead students, for the summer of 2020.  Awards are in the amount of CAD 6,000 for student-driven research projects of 12-16 weeks in duration (projects must be completed within that time frame).  Projects may begin as soon as approved by Mitacs, but must begin no later than August 31, 2020. 

Application and selection guidelines

Student Eligibility.  Full-time undergraduate and graduate students are eligible (including international students), in any discipline.  Students must be registered during the award period (previous winter for undergraduates, spring/summer for graduate students) and Fall 2020. Undergraduates who have recently graduated but have committed to a graduate program in the fall at Lakehead are also eligible. Students who are actively working on another Mitacs-funded project are not eligible.

Faculty Supervisor. A Lakehead Faculty member (must be Tri-Council eligible) must agree to supervise the student research project, and is expected to meet with the student at least once a week – meetings can be virtual.

Projects.  Because of safety measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, students should propose projects that can be conducted remotely.  If the campus re-opens while the project is underway, the project can continue on campus, provided it can be safely conducted under the guidelines in place at that time.  Twelve weeks is the minimum project length, 16 weeks is the maximum.

Program Coordinator:  Jill Sherman, Office of Research Services, intl.research@lakeheadu.ca.

If you would like to participate and have a research project idea:

1. Download and review the Toolkit and the Application template.
2. Contact a Faculty member who might be your supervisor, and discuss your project idea.
3. Complete the application in Word (do not change any of the document settings) and submit it to the Dean of your Faculty by May 25, 2020.  If you have questions about completing the application, you can contact the Program Coordinator.
4. Each Faculty will have a limited number of awards. Your Faculty Dean will oversee the selection process and make recommendations of selected candidates to the Vice President (Research and Innovation) by June 1.
5. If selected, you will then work with the Program Coordinator to submit your application to Mitacs. Mitacs will give a decision on your application within 1-2 weeks.
6. At the end of the project, you will be required to prepare and deliver a final report and a presentation to the supervisor during the last week of the award period.

To apply, you can download the following documents (use your Lakehead email address):

• Application template (complete as a Word document)
• Participant Toolkit

If you have any questions about the application requirements, please do not hesitate to contact me.

This targeted funding is for short-term projects. Successful applicants are expected to begin their projects within one month from the awarding of funding and complete them within 9 months. Proposals from all disciplines are encouraged. It is anticipated that this call will fund a maximum of 5 projects with a maximum budget of $10,000 each. Proposals which have received, or have been submitted for COVID-19 related funding from other sources are eligible. 

Eligibility: Faculty members with tenure-track, tenured and 3-year limited term appointments are eligible to apply; Faculty with limited term appointments must provide evidence to demonstrate that they can complete the project prior to the end date of their appointment. Eligible faculty members can apply once to this special competition as principal investigator. There are no restrictions on how many times an eligible faculty member can apply as co-investigator on a research team. 

Application Process:

Requests for funds must be made using the on-line Romeo Research Portal via MyInfo (myinfo.lakeheadu.ca)

Selection Process and Criteria:

Detailed Budget and Budget Justification

Please provide a detailed budget itemizing all eligible expenditures and a budget justification.

Research Track-Record

Attach a copy of a CCV for all faculty members involved in the proposed research.

Partnerships

Please attach letters of support from partners (if applicable)

Internal Call for Applications: Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) – Youth Internship Program

• Research Internships:  Three Positions Available

Overview
The intent of the Northern Ontario Internship Program is to strengthen Northern Ontario’s competitive advantage and build economic development capacity by attracting and retaining graduates in the North. The program provides recent graduates who are interested in launching and building their careers in Northern Ontario access to internships.

Under this program, Lakehead University has a quota of five research-related placements available.  Of these five, one is currently open, two will be open in the fall of 2020.

The internal deadline for the submission of internship applications to the Office of Research Services is April 30, 2020. If more than three internship applications are received, an internal competition will need to be held (applications will be reviewed by the Senate Research Committee).

For more information about the NOHFC program, please go to: https://nohfc.ca/en/pages/programs/northern-ontario-internship-program  

As well, researchers are reminded when working with the NOHFC online system to complete the application, but not submit it to NOHFC.  Upon completion, researchers would download a PDF copy of the application, and email it to the Office of Research (ahacquo1@lakeheadu.ca) for internal review.

If you are planning to apply for an NSERC Discovery Grant this fall, you may be interested in participating in this years NSERC Enhancement Program. 

The program consists of four, two-hour workshops spread out over a four week period (specific date and times will be determined in collaboration with participants). In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year's Enhancement Program will be delivered via Zoom. 

Lakehead University is pleased to announce a program in support of community-engaged research with community organizations, and not-for-profit partners.  We invite all Lakehead faculty members in the social sciences, and humanities to submit applications to the 2020 Community-Engaged Research Grant (CERG) Program. 

Community-engaged research is a collaborative process between universities and diverse communities. The goal of such research is to improve community well-being and to describe, through participatory knowledge creation and creative expression, how this is accomplished. Community-engaged research respects the capacity of all stakeholders to contribute to the development of new knowledge and incorporates them in the design, conduct and dissemination of the different phases of the research process. Community-engaged research is founded upon the principles of social responsibility, respect, reciprocity, democratization of knowledge creation, and social and/or ecological justice.

This initiative will support funding for two-year   collaborative   research   initiatives   that   are    aligned    with    Lakehead University’s commitment to Social Responsibility and Community Engagement with community partners as outlined in the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. 

The Office of Research Services anticipates supporting 2 – 3 projects and a maximum amount of $30,000 is available for the following types of research initiatives:

1. Start-up funds associated with the establishment of a new Research Centre (up to $15,000 will be provided over a two-year period);
2. Research funds to support community-engaged research where there is evidence of an existing partnership with a community organization (up to $15,000 will be provided over a two-year period); and
3. Partnership development seed funds to support planning activities with community partners, including travel, meetings, workshops, etc. (up to $7,500 will be provided over a two-year period).

Please note that research grants must be completed and all funds spent by March 31, 2022; SSHRC has indicated that extensions are not possible past this date.  Successful applicants must commit to completion of a progress report in a format acceptable to SSHRC.

Proposals for the establishment of research centres must provide a detailed five-year plan to address sustainability and demonstrate a commitment to becoming a Senate approved research centre. Funds should be spent within two years of approval; approvals for extensions will only be considered in cases where an extension would support the program’s principles of equity, diversity and inclusiveness (i.e., additional time required to ensure genuine community engagement and participation with community partners).

Funding for this research initiative is made possible through the SSHRC Institutions Grant (SIG) Small Universities Supplement program; the objective of the SSHRC SIG is to enable small universities to develop and strengthen focused research capacity in the social sciences and humanities. Proposals must demonstrate how this funding will lead to a successful and competitive external SSHRC application within one year following the end of the grant.

Centres and researchers funded previously through the previous SSHRC Aid to Small Universities Grant or IRCD program are encouraged to apply as long as they have completed the previous project, continue to meet the eligibility criteria and provide a performance activity report outlining results and outcomes achieved with the previous grant.

Eligibility:  Full-time tenure-track, tenured or 3-year LTAs are eligible to apply for this program.  Lakehead University Research Centres and Institutes are also encouraged to apply.  Community partners may include, but not be limited to: Indigenous communities, not-for-profit organizations, grassroots organizations, municipal departments, and health agencies.  Government agencies and other postsecondary institutions are not eligible as partners.

Application Process: Applications must be submitted through the Romeo Research Portal no later than March 9, 2020. Appendix A provides a description of the information that will be required in the Romeo application.

Selection Process: An internal peer review committee will be established to evaluate and rank proposals; the Committee will include a community organization representative.   The Committee will rank and make a final recommendation of the projects to be supported through the program to the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.

Evaluation Criteria

Challenge—The aim and importance of the project (60%):

• strategic value of the chosen research development area to the partner, and clarity of alignment between the proposed research and Lakehead’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan;
• evidence that communities/organizations are/will be genuine partners in the initiative;
• expected contribution to knowledge;
• appropriateness of the research methods/approach; and
• potential influence and impact within and/or beyond the social sciences and humanities research community.

Feasibility—the plan to achieve inclusive research excellence (20%):

• probability of effective and timely attainment of an increase in research capacity at Lakehead University and within community organizations;
• quality of the proposed community-engagement plan;
• appropriateness of the requested budget and justification of proposed costs; and
• an indication of financial and in-kind contributions from community partners and other sources, as appropriate.

Capability—Track record and the potential to succeed (20%):

• the track-record of the proposed research team working with community organizations;
• indication of human, financial and institutional resources available and to be committed;
• where applicable, evidence of outputs and outcomes resulting from previous related funding.

Should you have any questions about the program, please contact Anne Klymenko, Director, Office of Research Services, at ext. 8223 or aklymenk@lakeheadu.ca.  If you need assistance with completing the Romeo application, please contact Bonnie Knott at 343-8934.

Appendix A:
Proposals should be no more than approximately 2,500 words (the equivalent of approximately five typed pages @ 500 words per page) and include the following information:

Research Project Summary (100 words), written in lay language describing the uniqueness and importance of the proposed research program.

Objectives (500 words) – Describe the short-term objectives of your project and how the project will contribute to your long-term research plan.

Context (600 words) – Describe the background of your proposed project/group including, relevant prior research and/or meetings or events that have occurred.

Methodology (800 words) – Describe specifically what will you do to meet the objectives of your project/group.

Community-Engagement Plan (500 words) - Indicate how your proposed project or the work of your proposed team engaged your community partner in the design of the project and research questions.

Budget and budget justification (template in Romeo)

Letters of support from partners (not included in five typed pages)

SSHRC Common CV (not included in five-page total)