University of Toronto

Announcements 

Prof. Adrienne Chambon awarded SSHRC Insight Grant

Prof. Chambon is the proud recipient of the Insight Grant for her project, Social Work and the Wished-for-City: Claiming Space for Women and Children in Early 20th Century Toronto.

Vid Ingelevics, School of Image Arts, Ryerson University & FIFSW Prof. Emeritus, Ernie Lightman are Co-Investigators. Julia Winckler, Faculty of Arts and Architecture, University of Brighton is Collaborator.

Dr. David Brennan awarded Ontario HIV Treatment Network support

Cruising Counts: Examining online and app-based sexual health outreach for MSM in Ontario

Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are increasingly using online and app-based services  to seek social and sexual relationships. Use of online and app-based services has been shown to increase the risk of HIV and STI transmission. The proposed study will examine how Ontario’s AIDS Service Organisations and public health officials use online and app-based services to provide sexual health promotion outreach. We will interview providers about the barriers and benefits to online outreach. Additionally, we will survey online users to ask what information they want and the best way to provide it. The outcome of the study will be guidelines for providers who are doing or considering online and/or app-based outreach to MSM.

Prof. Newman awarded Canada Research Chair and CFI infrastructure 

Professor Peter A. Newman has been awarded a renewal of his Canada Research Chair in Health and Social Justice. The University of Toronto / Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work will receive $500,000 over 5 years to support Newman’s research, focused on applying the best of social work and social science to support the ethical and effective implementation of new HIV prevention technologies.

His recent work is featured in PLOS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal. Prof. Newman was concurrently awarded funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Leaders Opportunity Fund to support his research infrastructure project, “Mobile Computer-Assisted Survey Research Laboratory for HIV Vaccine Implementation Science.”

Dr. David Brennan awarded CIHR HIV/AIDS Community Based Research Catalyst grant

The project, entitled “From hospital to community: A collective case study of the discharge and transition experience of adults with HIV/AIDS,” was funded by the CIHR HIV/AIDS Community Based stream. It is a one year Catalyst grant. David will be working with Casey House. Dr. Shelley Craig is a Co-Investigator.

Carmen Logie, PhD alumnus, awarded a CIHR operating grant

The three year project is titled Towards an understanding of structural drivers of HIV/STI and protective factors among sexual and gender minority youth in Kingston, Jamaica.

The co-applicant is Peter Newman, one of the co-investigators is Charmaine Williams. The project was ranked first in the competition.

The winners of the CSWE 2012 Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression (SOGE) Scholarship Award

Lea Tufford, Peter A. Newman, David J. Brennan, Shelley L. Craig, and Michael R. Woodford for a paper submitted on their 2012 APM accepted panel presentation, Research With Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Navigating the Ethics Review Process. The SOGE Scholarship Award honors excellence in scholarship that contributes to knowledge about sexual orientation and gender expression, including individual and systemic issues, curriculum materials, faculty growth opportunities, and the experiences of individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and/or two-spirit.

The paper from which their panel presentation is based, Conducting Research with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Navigating Research Ethic Board Reviews, is published in the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services (Volume 24, Issue 3).

The SOGE Scholarship Award

Dr. Lin Fang receives SSHRC research grant for "Navigating Cultural Worlds: Understanding How Mainland Chinese Immigrants Negotiate Cross-Cultural Experiences"

The project aims to understand:
(1) How Mainland Chinese immigrants negotiate their previously learned and newly acquired cultural knowledge, beliefs, and practices within their families;
(2) How these individuals negotiate with and respond to their new globalized cultural environments; and
(3) What social service providers and program planners can do to respond to strengths, resilience, and challenges among Mainland Chinese immigrants.

Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson and former MSW student, Sarah Brennenstuhl, publish an invited commentary in the Lancet on violence against individuals with disabilities

Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Chair in Social Work, and former MSW student, Sarah Brennenstuhl, published an invited commentary in the Lancet on the “forgotten victims of violence”: individuals living with disabilities. Their commentary underlines the importance of coordinating efforts to identify and respond to violence including targeted screening, anti-violence programs in disability-related settings, and improving accessibility for those with disabilities to victim services such as women's shelters and counseling.

To purchase full text version click here.

Media coverage of the article:

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-adults-mental-illness-victim-violence.html

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/GeneralPsychiatry/31383
 

Dr. David Brennan awarded CIHR Community Based Research Catalyst funding

Dr. David Brennan's project "Exploring the Health and Wellness of Long-Term HIV-positive Two-Spirit Men in Ontario" will be funded under CIHR’s HIV/AIDS and Aboriginal Health program.
 

Dr. Peter Newman awarded a 5-year CIHR Team Grant

Dr. Peter Newman was awarded this grant for the CHVI (Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative) Team in Social and Behavioural Research on HIV Vaccines. The program of research will advance evidence to support meaningful engagement of most at risk populations for HIV in India and South Africa in the development of HIV vaccines.

This was one of five new and innovative research projects dedicated to accelerating the development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine announced by Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. 

Samantha Yee awarded the CIHR IGH Research Skills Development Award

Samantha Yee (Ph.D. student) received the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health Research Skills Development Award to receive training in the UK on altruistic gamete donor recruitment models, public education strategies, and services to support individuals and families involved in donor conception. She will also spend time to learn about the biopsychosocial models in the UK on oncology fertility preservation services for adolescents and young adults, which is the area related to her dissertation.  

Deborah Sinclair awarded second year CIHR innovative research training fellowship  

Deborah Sinclair (Ph.D student) was awarded second year funding for a CIHR innovative research training fellowship of $21,000 for her proposal on "Women at the Intersections of Mental Health, Trauma, Addictions and Domestic Violence"  through its IMPART program (The Intersections of Mental Health Perspectives in Addictions Research Training) under the auspices of the BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health.

From the IMPART website:
The Intersections of Mental Health Perspectives in Addictions Research Training (IMPART) program is an innovative, multidisciplinary research training program, funded by the CIHR Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research and hosted by the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health. The program is designed to equip health researchers from across disciplines, sectors and settings to conduct sex- and gender-based analyses in addictions research. IMPART also supports trainees interested in conducting innovative research on the intersections of gender/sex, addictions, mental health, violence and trauma.
 
IMPART trainees are considered for an award (including travel fund),  work with a faculty mentor to develop individualized learning plans and become part of a vibrant network of basic, health and social science researchers.

As well, trainees are required to actively participate in curricular activities that include an annual Research Day, monthly seminars, online learning and collaborative projects. Most meetings and events are videoconferenced to allow the participation of all trainees and mentors regardless of location. To hold an IMPART fellowship, applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program at a Canadian university, be a postdoctoral fellow at a Canadian institution or be a clinician researcher affiliated with a Canadian health or social services agency.
 
For more information on the IMPART program and on how to apply, please visit http://addictionsresearchtraining.ca/

 Dr. Ramona Alaggia, Research Advisory Team member for the landmark Today’s Parent/RBC cross-Canada survey on Children’s Mental Health. 

 Dr. Ramona Alaggia, Factor-Inwentash Chair in Children's Mental Health recently sat on a Roundtable to provide research expertise to the Today's Parent research team to develop a parent's survey about children's mental health awareness. The Roundtable included parents and young people whose lives have been affected by mental health issues, children's mental health practitioners, and child and family researchers. Funded by RBC, a research team collected data from parents across Canada over July and August 2011. The November issue of Today's Parent contains these results http://www.todaysparent.com/preschool/preschool-health/childrens-mental-health-what-you-need-know indicating that while parents are knowledgeable in certain areas of children's mental health issues they need more information to recognize early signs and symptoms. Stigma continues to be a concern. As well, for those who sought services for their children, the time for diagnosis and receiving treatment on average took almost three years -an unacceptable amount of time in the life of a young person. Dr. Alaggia sits on the Today's Parent Research Advisory team to assist in follow-up parent surveys to occur over the next few years.

CIHR Café Scientifique  Program Success

Dr. Charmaine C. Williams' proposal - Ain't I a woman too? Looking at intersectionality's relevance to the next generation of women's health research  

Dr. David Brennan's proposal - Double Jeopardy? A Salon on the Joys and Discontents of Aging with HIV (a collboration with The Ontario HIV Treatment Network)  

Dr. Peter A. Newman's article in the Sept 1st issue of American Journal of Public Health featured in the media

"Speaking the Dialect": Understanding Public Discourse in the Aftermath of an HIV Vaccine Trial Shutdown featured in UofT Media, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and beyond. 

Click here for the article.

University of Toronto Bulletin
EurekAlert! AAAS science society
Infectious Disease News

Dr. Barbara Fallon was awarded a SSHRC Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences Grant in the May 2011 competition

The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect, 2008 (CIS-2008) Provincial/First Nations Research Network Workshop will be held at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, in October 2011.

In order to prepare for the public release of the CIS-2008 data, a one-day workshop will be held to present the major findings of these studies to a select group of participants responsible for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of child welfare policy in their province. The workshop will provide an opportunity to develop the major themes for a context-setting document that will accompany the release of each provincial report and the First Nations report.

Dr. Shelley Craig awarded SSHRC Multi-year Insight Development Grant

I Will Survive? The Influence of the Media on Experiences of Resiliency for Sexual Minority Youth

The primary aim of this study is to develop and extend knowledge about the impact of digital and traditional media messages on SMY resiliency. Employing a grounded theory methodology, this research will examine the influence of these messages using an innovative design integrating text, audio and video data.

Recent PhD graduate of the FIFSW, Carmen Logie, was one of 19 scientists across the country awarded a Grand Challenges Canada Rising Star in Global Health Award. This award will support her research project that focuses on HIV prevention among women living in internally displaced person's camps in Leogane, Haiti. http://www.grandchallenges.ca/canadianrisingstars_round1grantees/carmenlogie_en/

Toronto Star article published Friday, July 1, 2011.

David Delay featured in New Brunswick newspaper

PhD student David Delay's research examining a history of the present related to prison visiting was featured in the New Brunswick media. He presented the paper in Fredericton at the recent CASWE conference, part of the 2011 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

FIFSW SSHRC Success!!

Rupaleem Bhuyan, Eunjung Lee, Faye Mishna, Cheryl Regehr and Michael Saini have been awarded 2010-2011 SSHRC Standard Research Grants. Barbara Fallon and Izumi Sakamoto were awarded SSHRC Public Outreach Dissemination Grants. Click here for descriptions of the research projects.

SSHRC Standard Research Grants 2010-2011 Awards

Negotiating Citizenship and Social Rights from the Margins: A Study of Migrant Women seeking Violence Against Women Services in Canada
Principal Investigator: Rupaleem Bhuyan, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-Investigator: Judith Bernhard, School of Early Childhood Education, Ryerson University
Community-Based Collaborator: Mercedes Umana, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands

An Analysis of Public and Private Discourses of Education Migration in Canadian Schools: A Case Study of South Korean Families
Principal Investigator: Eunjung Lee, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-Investigators: Ann Kim, Department of Sociology, York University; Samuel Noh, CAMH & Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Wansoo Park, School of Social Work, University of Windsor; Sung-Hyun Yun School of Social Work, University of Windsor; Minjung Kwak Department of Social Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough

Motivations for Cyber Bullying: A Longitudinal and Multi-Perspective Inquiry
Principal Investigator: Faye Mishna, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-Investigators: Wendy Craig, Psychology, Queen’s University; Tanya Beran, Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary; Deb Pepler, Psychology, York University; Judy Wiener, OISE/UT - Human Development and Applied Psychology, University of Toronto; David Johnston, Toronto District School Board

The Relative Influence of Training and Experience on Social Workers’ Professional Judgement
Principal Investigator: Cheryl Regehr, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-Investigators: Jane Paterson, CAMH, Nursing Practice and Professional Services; Deborah Goodman, Children's Aid Society of Toronto, Child Welfare Institute; Marion Bogo, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto; Vicki LeBlanc, Wilson Centre for Research in Education, University of Toronto

Understanding positive parenting after separation
Principal Investigator: Michael Saini, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-investigators: Rachel Birnbaum, School of Social Work, King's University College; Nicholas Bala, Faculty of Law, Queen’s University; Francine Cyr, Psychologie, Université de Montréal

SSHRC Public Outreach Grants 2010-2011 Awards

Increasing Research Capacity in Ontario Child Welfare Authorities
Principal Investigator: Barbara Fallon, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-Applicant: Nico Trocmé, Centre for Research on Children and Families, McGill University
Partners: Children's Aid Society of Algoma, Children's Aid Society of Toronto, Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

Do skilled immigrants need “Canadian (work) experience”?: Public engagement and conversations through new media and reader’s theatre
Principal Investigator: Izumi Sakamoto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Co-Applicant: Lin Fang, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Collaborator: Natalie Wood, Faculty of Community Services and Health Sciences, George Brown College
Partners: Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter, Mennonite New Life Centre Toronto

Dr. David Brennan awarded a OHTN Scholarship Award to examine HIV and other health disparities among marginalized men who have sex with men.

The OHTN Scholarship Award is intended to afford a new investigator the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their ability to independently initiate and carry out a program of HIV/AIDS research in an academic environment. Dr. Brennan's research entitled, Resiliencies and Risks: Addressing HIV and Other Health Disparities among Marginalized Men Who Have Sex with Men seeks to examine variables associated with the health and well-being of men who have sex with men (MSM) who are at risk for HIV and other health disparities and who are marginalized due to individual and intersecting factors such as sexual orientation identity (gay/bisexual vs. MSM), HIV status, age, socio-economic status, and ethnoracialized identities. He will also seek to enhance our understanding of the resiliencies that act as protective factors against health risks. Guided by a commitment to social justice, his long term goal is to work with community-based partners and academic colleagues to advance knowledge in order to inform the development of comprehensive health promotion policies and interventions aimed at enhancing resiliency among marginalized MSM.

Michael Saini awarded a CIHR Knowledge Synthesis Grant

Michael Saini was awarded a CIHR Knowledge Synthesis Grant entitled: The risk of divorce for parents of children with autistic spectrum disorder: A scoping review on marital relationships

 Co-applicants: Kevin Stoddart, Deborah Barret, Glenn Rampton, Barbara Muskat, David Nicholas, LonnieZwaigenbaum

There is ongoing uncertainty about the relative impacts of marital relationships for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) especially for those marital relationships that break down. To address this uncertainty with existing best evidence, this project will implement a scoping review of the literature reporting the risk and protective factors of marital relationships for parents of children and youth (<18 years) with ASDs. Although it has been sixty-five years since autism and Asperger Syndrome (AS) were recognized, the attention to the needs of families of affected children has been variable; we have made inconsistent progress in understanding the effect on families and on intervening most effectively. An ecological systems model of the family asserts that the strains experienced by one family member will resound in other parts of the system. For many years, we have recognized that having a child with a disability will affect parents, siblings and extended family members. All family members will experience their own processes of coping and grief, risk and resilience in response to emerging challenging events in the family system. If the family is the primary agent of socialization for the child, it is essential that we preserve and foster positive family functioning. Despite increased attention to the needs of children and youth with ASDs, families continue to independently navigate treatments and services, with many treatment approaches being home-based, parent-mediated and financial burdensome on the family. Increasingly, there is clinical observation that these marriages and families experience disproportionate levels of stress, and may be at heightened risk for divorce and separation.

Paul Issahaku awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Grant

Congratulations to Paul Issahaku who was awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Grant of $4.999.00 from the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation in New York.

Peter A. Newman awarded two CIHR grants

Dr. Peter A. Newman has been awarded two new CIHR grants to advance global HIV prevention in collaboration with colleagues from India, South Africa and Thailand:  Advancing New Prevention Technologies for HIV among Men who have Sex with Men and Transgenders in Thailand ; and Team Grant: HIV/AIDS Vaccine Discovery and Social Research – LOI

Deborah Sinclair wins CIHR fellowship

Deborah Sinclair (Ph.D student) was awarded a one-year, renewable, CIHR innovative research training fellowship of $21,000 for her proposal on "Women at the Intersections of Mental Health, Trauma, Addictions and Domestic Violence" 

David Brennan, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work joins the University of Washington Tacoma to study Older Adults living with HIV/AIDS

Dr. Charles Emlet of the University of Washington Tacoma and Dr. David Brennan of the University of Toronto has initiated an analysis of date from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) cohort study. In the first research project of its kind, Drs. Emlet and Brennan, along with other Canadian colleagues, are examining data on older adults living with HIV/AIDS in Ontario Canada. The research hopes to elucidate both the characteristic of older adults in Ontario with HIV disease but also to better understand both protective factors and deleterious elements that impact their lives.

http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/newsletter/2010nov/faculty.shtml#emlet

 Congratulations to Lea Tufford

Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Lea Tufford who is the recipient of the 2011 Society for Social Work and Research Doctoral Fellows Award for her dissertation proposal "Clinician Mandatory Reporting and Maintenance of the Therapeutic Alliance". The award will be given to Lea at the SSWR meeting along with $3,000 to assist her research. Congratulations also to Marion Bogo, her supervisor.

Congratulations to Samantha Yee

Samantha Yee, a a PhD student at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, who has been awarded the Best Psychosocial Paper at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, which was held in Vancouver. Her presentation is entitled, "Attitudes and knowledge of fertility preservation among physicians involved in cancer care: a provincial study of referral patterns and perceived service barriers."

Factor-Inwentash PhD Students Win the Canadian Social Work Review Student Manuscript Competition

Meg Gibson and Michelina Longo, both PhD students at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, have been selected as top doctoral papers submitted to the Canadian Social Work Review 2010 Student Manuscript Competition. Their articles will be published in the journal.

The title of Meg’s paper is Building Research, Building Justice: Epistemology, Social Work, and Lesbian Parents . The title of Michelina’s paper is Humour Use and Knowledge-Making at the Margins: Serious Lessons for Social Work Practice .

New Investigators Grant awarded for a study entitled "Autism Comes to the Hospital.."

Barbara Muskat, Academic Clinical Specialist in Social Work at the Hospital for Sick Children and Assistant Professor Status Only at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, has been awarded a New Investigators grant from SickKids Foundation and the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health-CIHR. Her research is entitled Autism Comes to the Hospital: Experiences of hospital care from the perspectives of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, their parents and health care providers . Barb’s co-investigators are: Dr. David Nicholas, Associate Professor, University of Calgary and Faculty of Social Work in Edmonton, Central and Northern Region; Dr. Wendy Roberts, Co-Director, Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Developmental Pediatrician and Adjunct Scientist, Bloorview Kids Rehab and Bloorview Research Institute; Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto; Dr. Kevin Stoddart, The Redpath Centre, Assistant Professor Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto; and Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, AHFMR Health Scholar, and Co-Director, Autism Research Centre, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.

CIRH Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Carmen Logie has been awarded a CIHR post-doc in the priority area of HIV/AIDS population health/health services research, at Women's College Research Institute, as of September 2010.  She will be working on a project entitled, "Examining the Impact of Multi-dimensional Forms of Stigma and Discrimination on Health, Quality of Life and Access to Care for Women Living with HIV in Ontario"

Doctoral Research Award from IRDC

Eliana Suarez, a PhD Candidate at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, was recently awarded an International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Doctoral Research Award. IDRC Research Awards are intended to promote the growth of Canadian and developing-country capacity in research on sustainable and equitable development from an international perspective. Eliana’s thesis research entitled, "Surviving the sasachakuy tiempu [difficult times]: The resilience of Quechua women in the aftermath of the Peruvian armed conflict," falls under IDRC Social and Economic Policy Program Area, specifically under the Peace, Conflict and Development program.

CERIS – The Ontario Metropolis Centre  2010 RFP Funding Competition

Principal Applicant: Izumi Sakamoto
Co-Applicants: Rupaleem Bhuyan, University of Toronto; Jane Ku, University of Windsor
Community partner: Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter
Title: Discourses of skilled immigrants and Canadian experience: A media analysis

2010 Doctoral Fellows Award from the Society of Social Work Research

Regine King was awarded 2010 Doctoral Fellows Award from the Society of Social Work Research (SSWR). She is one of the two awardees of this prestigious awards given internationally every year to doctoral students with outstanding dissertation projects.  Her dissertation project is entitled "Evaluating a Community-based Mental Health Model in Post-genocide Rwanda: The Healing of Individual and Emotional Wounds and Community Reconstruction Model." The more information about this award and SSWR can be found here .

Congratulations to Ernie Lightman, Izumi Sakamoto, and David Hulchanski!

SSHRC Standard Research Grants 2009-2010

Principal Applicant: Ernie Lightman
Co-Applicants: Kwong-Leung Tang, University of British Columbia; Adrienne Chambon, University of Toronto; Bonnie Kirsh, University of Toronto; Karen Yoshida, University of Toronto
Collaborator: Frank Wang, National Yang-Ming University
Title: Precarious bodies, precarious work: Episodic disabilities in the global economy

Principal Applicant: Izumi Sakamoto
Co-Applicants: Rupaleem Bhuyan, University of Toronto; Jane Ku, University of Windsor
Title: Discourses of skilled immigrants and Canadian experience: An intertextual analysis of English, Chinese Canadian, and Indian-Canadian media

SSHRC Public Outreach Grant 2009-2010

Principal Applicant: David Hulchanski
Co-Applicants: Alan Walks, University of Toronto; Damaris Rose, UCS INRS; David Ley, University of British Columbia; Jack Quarter, University of Toronto; Larry Bourne, University of Toronto; Paul Hess, University of Toronto; Robert Murdie, York University
Partners: Saint Christopher House, Social Planning Council
Title: Neighbourhood Trends in the Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver City-Regions, 1971 to 2006: Understanding Changes in Global Cities at the Neighbourhood Level

Peter Newman , Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Canada Research Chair in Health and Social Justice has been awarded a CIHR Operating Grant in HIV Vaccine Social Research entitled: Community Engagement in HIV Vaccine Research: Advancing HIV Vaccine Trial Preparedness among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in India.  April 2010 - March 2013.

The goal of this 3-year CIHR Operating Grant in HIV Vaccine Social Research, guided by critical ethnography, is to prepare communities of MSM in India for informed decision-making and meaningful involvement in HIV vaccine research.

Co-investigators: Dr. Venkatesan Chakrapani; Dr. Mona Loutfy
Community partners: The Humsafar Trust, Mumbai; Social Welfare Association for Men. Chennai

Ellen Katz, Instructor and Ph.D. Candidate at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work was selected for the prestigious Mind and Life Institute's Francisco J. Varela Grant Award for her dissertation work investigating the process of mindful attention and awareness in therapists who practice mindfulness.

The Mind and Life Institute was founded by the late Francisco Varela and Adam Engle in work with H.H. The Dalai Lama. The Mind and Life Institute sees the Varela Grants for Contemplative Science Research as part of its plan to encourage collaboration between spirituality and science. Varela grants will result in a mapping of future directions in emerging fields of contemplative research with a view to how the research might benefit all of the disciples involved: neurosciences, cognitive sciences, psychology, contemplative scholarship and philosophy and contemplative traditions. The purpose of these grants is to promote the interdisciplinary study of the mind with the aim of relieving human suffering and improving society.

Peter A. Newman, Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Canada Research Chair in Health and Social Justice is the lead author of a study about future HIV vaccination currently highlighted in the media for the 2009 World AIDS Day. Please click on the following links:

CTV National News
CBC News Health
EurekAlert
UofT Bulletin

Peter Newman , University of Toronto Featured Researcher.  Read the article here

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