SRC CRSNews

Recent News

  • Passing of Dr. Robert Remis

    Dr. Robert S. Remis - Nov. 17 1946 - Sep. 25 2014

    It is with deep sadness that we announce Robert’s death on September 25, following a long and courageous struggle with cancer. His enthusiasm for life will be forever missed.

    We know you will join us in offering his family and friends our sincerest condolences during this sad time. We will all miss him as a colleague and friend after his many years of work in the HIV field. Robert was instrumental in advocating for pre-natal HIV testing in Ontario, tirelessly monitoring, educating and ensuring that health care providers offered testing to all women. He gained national and international recognition for his work on monitoring, estimating and modelling the HIV epidemic in Ontario and Canada. He was instrumental in setting up systems to detect incident infections; produced annual reports that are widely used by government, NGO, policy makers, affected communities, and researchers to inform their work and programs. And while Robert has conducted many research studies, one of his greatest contributions has been to raise awareness and provide research support to African and Caribbean immigrant communities in Ontario. For these legacies and many more, he will be remembered.

    A funeral service will be held at the MOUNT PLEASANT VISITATION CENTRE, 375 Mount Pleasant Rd (east gate) on Thursday Oct 2, 10:00 am.  In recognition of Dr. Robert Remis’ contributions to public health, the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, will be establishing an honorary fund in his name. Details will be available shortly.

     

    More  |  Sep 29, 2014

  • Job Posting: Research Coordinator

    Position:Research Coordinator

     

    Status:Contract full-time [one (1) year, with possibility of renewal], bargaining unit position

     

    Starting salary:CAD $45,450/annum, plus benefits

     

    Start date: November 2014

     

    Application deadline:October 8, 2014

     

     

    The African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO), Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre (WHIWH) and the University of Toronto are looking for a highly motivated, professional and dynamic individual to coordinate the “Understanding HIV infection among persons in Ontario from sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean following their arrival in Canada” project, funded by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN).

     

    Reporting to the ACCHO Director, the Research Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing the project in collaboration with academic and community-based researchers, services providers and populations targeted by the study. 

     

    Specific responsibilities include:

    • Coordinate Research Team and Community Advisory Committee/Board meetings
    • Assist in finalization of study procedures related to recruitment and data collection
    • Work with four (4) HIV clinics in Toronto and one (1) in Ottawa to support participant recruitment and data collection within clinic settings
    • Work with three (3) Peer Research Associates (PRAs) in Toronto and Ottawa to support participant recruitment and data collection within community based settings
    • Act as a liaison between researchers and the data collection team(s)
    • Coordinate monthly PRA debriefing and support meetings
    • Ensure privacy and safety of data collection materials while in transit from the field to the research office
    • Quantitative and qualitative data analysis
    • Maintain high quality records and ensure data management
    • Prepare study updates and reports, and participate in manuscript preparation
    • Support and contribute to knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) activities

    Skills and Qualifications:

    • 3-5 years of relevant research experience, including:

    a.       Developing and implementing research protocols

    b.      Managing and analyzing qualitative and/or quantitative data

    c.       Conducting literature reviews and environmental scans

    • Masters degree within a health-related field
    • Experience working with African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities in HIV/AIDS research
    • An understanding of sexually transmitted infections and the social, cultural, political and economic complexities embedded within HIV/AIDS and minorities health
    • Knowledge and experience in computer software applications, including Microsoft Office and data analysis programs (e.g., NVivo, S.A.S., S.P.S.S., etc.)
    • Demonstrated project management skills, including conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills
    • Experience in HIV and/or clinical settings preferred
    • High level interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
    • Ability to work independently
    • In addition to English, knowledge of a language spoken within ACB communities is an asset

     

    Application Process:

    To apply for this challenging opportunity in a dynamic organization, please email a cover letter, résumé and sample of your own writing to , with “Research Coordinator” in the subject line by or before October 8, 2014.

     

    Members of the communities targeted by the study are encouraged to apply.

     

    No telephone inquires please. ACCHO thanks all applicants for their interest; however, only those persons selected for an interview will be contacted.

     

    For information on ACCHO, please visit www.accho.ca.

    More  |  Sep 24, 2014

  • SRC researcher engages global communities in HIV research

    Community-based research is a collaborative approach that actively includes groups of people who belong to a particular community or who have expertise in an area of community life to participate in a study as co-investigators or advisors. The Dalla Lana School of Public Health was an early adopter of this approach, particularly in HIV research, and continues to make great strides in the area.

     

    In the HIV research context, community-based research seeks to involve people living with HIV or people at risk of HIV infection.

    “Community-based research recognizes that people and communities have tremendous lived experience that can help researchers understand what questions to ask, how to ask them, and which methods to use,” said Dan Allman, Assistant Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

     

    For the full article, please visit: http://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/page/dlsph-researcher-engages-global-communities-hiv-research

     

    More  |  Jul 16, 2014

  • Sex on Stage: How one public health professional is turning sex education upside down

    While some are horrified by the overtly sexual movies and TV shows consumed by today’s youth, a PhD candidate at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health has a slightly different stance.

    Shira Taylor, a doctoral candidate at the School’s Division of Social and Behavioural Health Sciences, took to the stage to educate young adults about sex. As part of her thesis, Taylor produced a theatrical show written and performed by youth — SExT: Sex Education by Theatre — it premiered July 14 at the Ontario Science Centre. It promises to entertain and educate youth about sexual health and healthy relationships through skits, songs, dances, poems and raps.

    “Theatre affects people intellectually and emotionally and allows public health professionals to address stigmatized issues in a meaningful way,” said Taylor, who was introduced to theatre during her undergraduate degree as a way to tackle social issues.

    “SExT gives youth a voice.  Its peer-to-peer approach delivers sex-ed tailored to the needs of youth, instead of inviting experts to talk at them.”

    The SeXT performance is the culmination of a small program funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Social Research Centre in HIV Prevention in collaboration with the Flemingdon Health Centre, in which Taylor empowered 19 students in grades nine through 12 in Toronto’s Flemingdon Park neighbourhood to re-write sex education.  Over the last 10 weeks of the 2013-14 school year, Taylor hosted weekly sessions with male and female students (who traditionally receive separate sex education), to discuss topics relevant to them. Cyberbullying, sexting, LGBTQ community and rape culture were just some of the issues identified by the group that were not addressed in a typical sex-ed class, but considered crucial in today’s culture.

    “Theatre gives youth a chance to experiment using role play in a safe environment and practice how they might respond when faced with these issues,” said Taylor, noting that following a role play exercise where a male student put himself in the shoes of a pregnant female, the participating students expressed feeling empathy in ways they hadn’t before.

    Art-based interventions such as SExT can be tricky to measure so Taylor is using multiple evaluation techniques, including focus groups, before and after show surveys and field notes to measure the program’s efficacy. Taylor adds that a good sexual health program is about more than reducing disease or unplanned pregnancies.

    “SExT gives students a more holistic view of sexual health and the tools to set boundaries, feel comfortable with STI testing and explore their own sexuality confidently and on their own terms.”

    For more information about SExT, visit the event website.

    More  |  Jul 15, 2014

  • University of Toronto to Launch New Institute to Focus on Indigenous Health

    The University of Toronto announced today that Michael and Amira Dan have donated $10 million to support the creation of an institute dedicated to improving the health of Indigenous peoples. The donation was announced in recognition and celebration of National Aboriginal Day on June 21st.

     

    The institute will be based at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, a Faculty of the University of Toronto, and will involve faculty experts throughout the university. An advisory committee dedicated to community-based collaboration will be assembled to ensure key voices from Indigenous communities are involved in the institute’s mission.

    More  |  Jun 26, 2014

  • CAHR 2014 - Living with HIV and ARVs: Three-letter Lives

    The recording from the CAHR 2014 ancillary session which was streamed live from the conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland, is now available online. Our session featured Professor Corinne Squire from the Centre for Narrative Research at the University of East London. She discussed her recent book “Living with HIV and ARVs: Three-letter lives,” which looks at the new possibilities and difficulties of long-term living with HIV and antiretroviral treatment from an international perspective. Bob Leahy, Editor from PositiveLite.com was the discussant for the session and provided the Canadian perspective and personal insight from his own experiences of living with HIV.

    http://www.instantpresenter.com/srchiv/EB51D988854E

    More  |  May 12, 2014

  • New Publications from NCCID's Partner Notification Project: Fact sheets, evidence reivew and policy options released

    New fact sheets, an evidence review and a policy options report have been released by NCCID's Partner Notification Project

    Accessible online at: http://www.nccid.ca/partner-notification

    More  |  May 7, 2014

  • New Open Access Publication: A group-based HIV and sexually transmitted infections prevention intervention for lesbian, bisexual, queer and other women who have sex with women in Calgary and Toronto, Canada: study protocol for a non-randomised cohort pilot study

    Carmen Logie, Daniela Navia, Marie-Jolie Rwigema, Wangari Tharao, David Este, Mona Loutfy

    Abstract

    Introduction The limited research that exists suggests that lesbian, bisexual queer (LBQ) and other women who have sex with women are at similar risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI) as heterosexual women. However, scant research has evaluated HIV and STI prevention strategies for LBQ women. The authors present the rationale and study protocol for developing and pilot testing a psychoeducational group-based HIV and STI prevention intervention with LBQ women in Calgary and Toronto, Canada.

    Methods and analysis This is a multicentre non-randomised cohort pilot study. The target population is LBQ women in Calgary and Toronto, Canada. The authors aim to recruit 40 participants using purposive peer-driven recruitment methods. Participants will conduct a pretest followed by a 2-day group programme of six 2 h sessions addressing stigma, STI and HIV prevention, healthy relationships, safer sex self-efficacy, self-worth, social support and LBQ community engagement. Participants will conduct a post-test directly following the intervention and 6 weeks after the intervention. The primary outcome is safer sex practices; our prespecified index of clinically significant change is an effect size of 0.50. Secondary outcomes include: safer sex self-efficacy, STI testing frequency, STI knowledge, resilient coping, social support, sexual stigma, access to care, depression and self-esteem. We will conduct mixed-effects regression to calculate mean outcome pre–post test score change.

    Ethics and dissemination Research ethics approval was attained from the Office of Research Ethics (REB: 29291), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Trial results will be published according to the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Non-randomised Designs (TREND) statement, regardless of the outcomes.

     

    Full publication available at http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/4/e005190.long 

    More  |  Apr 24, 2014

  • Introducing the 2014 SRC Student Trainee Award Recipients

    The SRC is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2014 Student Trainee Awards.

    Congratulations and welcome to Adrian Guta, Alex McClelland, Brian Condran, Ciann Wilson, Earl Nowgesic, Mark Gaspar, Shira Taylor, and recipient of the LaVerne Monette Award, Rachel Landy.

    Click here to meet the 2014 Fellows and learn about their exciting research projects.

    More  |  Mar 6, 2014

  • Book Launch Tea Time: Mapping Informal Networks of Women Living with HIV by Jessica Whitbread

    SRC Student Trainee Award Recipient Jessica Whitbread has launched her book, Tea Time: Mapping Informal Networks of Women Living with HIV.

    From the press release:

    Tea Time: Mapping Informal Networks of Women Living with HIV began as Jessica Whitbread’s master’s thesis. She was interested in finding a way to build the fragmented and disconnected network of women living with HIV in Canada through a community-based research project that brought women living with HIV together using the Tea Time method. The project was designed to highlight the health needs of women living with HIV in a North American context, as well as to explore the application of the Tea Time method as a community-building tool. After the original research phase was complete, Tea Time has shifted to be a community arts project and has expanded globally.

    Through this work Jessica has hosted tea parties with over 64 women living with HIV. Each woman’s (including Jessica) participation was documented through a personal letter and teacup that has been photographed. The Tea Time book is a collection of the photos as well as an introduction to the Tea Time method and Jessica’s personal and academic insight into the project.

    “Tea Time became a personal journey to discover my own understanding of HIV in relation to gender. Each woman’s story is rooted in her own individual experience. This is mine. Similar to the many conversations that were had during Tea Time, these pages offer glimpses of the complicated thought process of living with HIV. You will read about some of these thoughts in the letters that were shared by the women who attended.”

    The book is a 194-page, hard cover coffee table book that has a very limited printing of 100 copies. There will be a smaller number of copies that have very limited edition cover sleeves by Jessica MacCormack, Johnny Nawrajac and Anthea Black. Each book has gold foil stamping and will be numbered. All the donations will go towards continuing the project and continuing to build the community.

    Jessica has scheduled February tea time book launches in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto and has a free online version of the book available to everyone at http://jessicawhitbread.com/project/tea-time/

    More  |  Jan 31, 2014

  •  < 1 2 3 4 >  Last ›