The province currently provides the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU) with $250,000 in core funding, along with additional funding through a competitive application process. Beginning in 2004-05, the province will provide guaranteed core funding of $500,000 through to 2006-07. The newly established Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation allocates provincial funding to SPHERU, a research partnership between the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan.
“Through the Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care, our government is providing increased funding for health research to improve the quality of our health system and create economic opportunities in our province,” Nilson said. “I am pleased to support this worthwhile initiative and I congratulate SPHERU members for their achievements in health research.” SPHERU conducts collaborative research and policy evaluation relating to determinants of population health such as early childhood development, economic globalization, community and environment, indigenous peoples’ health, gender and socio-economic status. Multi-disciplinary teams of faculty, community groups, policy analysts, and researchers from other universities are involved.
“Without the Saskatchewan government's long-term funding commitment, re-affirmed today to 2007, and the commitment of our other partners, SPHERU would not be the success it is today,” said SPHERU director Ron Labonte.
SPHERU’s partners include Saskatchewan Health, the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, the University of Regina (U of R) and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), all of which have representation on the SPHERU board of directors.
At today’s news conference at the U of R, the first nine students supported by scholarships through SPHERU's new Community and Population Health Research (CPHR) Training Program were recognized.
“Their work will help set the agenda for future health research in Saskatchewan,” said Labonte.
Among the student projects (see backgrounder for more details):
- Flavia Bianchi, a U of S PhD student in geography, will explore the health needs and challenges of First Nations
children (birth to age five) living in Canada’s low socio-economic communities.
- Allisson Quine, a U of R PhD student next year in clinical psychology, will study the patient-provider relationships
of Aboriginal people with Type 2 diabetes to determine factors that influence healthcare services for these
patients.
- Karen Lynch, a master’s student from the U of S department of community health and epidemiology, will
investigate how green spaces such as parks and schoolyards contribute to a population’s health.
- Jodi Burnett, a U of R educational psychology master’s student, will examine the effects of problem gambling on Aboriginal family members including impacts on the family's economic, social, psychological, community, and health status.
Funding for the CPHR training program comes from a six-year, $1.8-million grant awarded last year by the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research, as well as a total of almost $1.3 million in cash and 'in-kind' support from the U
of S and the U of R. Up to 40 individuals will undertake graduate studies, post-doctoral fellowships, work sabbaticals and
internships.
Including this training program money, SPHERU researchers have attracted a total of close to $5.5 million in faculty research grants and contracts over the past year, Labonte said.
“When collaborative projects with other organizations are included, that figure jumps to almost $7.5 million,” Labonte said. “It is an exceptional figure that is cause for celebration by SPHERU, the universities, and the province. This success rate is due to the quality of SPHERU’s faculty and staff, and the successful collaboration among researchers and between the two universities.”
For more information about SPHERU and the CPHR training program, visit www.spheru.ca and www.cphr.ca.
For more information, contact:
Ronald Labonte
(306) 966-2349
Therese Stecyk
U of R University Relations
(306) 585-4683
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications
(306) 966-2506
Backgrounder
Students funded by the COMMUNITY AND POPULATION HEALTH RESEARCH (CPHR) training program
Master’s students:
Helen Oliver (BA Arts, University of Saskatchewan; post-degree diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of
Waterloo) is a master’s student with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan.
Oliver will study the impact of domestic policies on the improvement of national health outcomes from a global
perspective.
Karen Lynch (BA Geography & Anthropology, University of Saskatchewan; BA Human Geography, Kwantlen University College, British Columbia) is a master’s student with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan. Lynch will investigate the methods by which green spaces (i.e., parks, undeveloped lots, and schoolyards) facilitate and contribute to a population’s health.
Tara-Leigh Fleming (BSc Kinesiology, Dalhousie University) is a master’s student in the College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan. Fleming will study the impact of social physique anxiety on Aboriginal adolescent female’s health.
Jodi Burnett (BA Psychology, University of Regina) is a master’s student in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Regina. Burnett will explore the effects of problem gambling on Aboriginal family members (i.e., on the family's economic, social, psychological, community, and health status).
Doctoral students:
Gloria DeSantis (BA Psychology & Geography, Wilfred Laurier University; MA Regional Planning and Resource Development,
University of Waterloo) is a doctoral student with the Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. DeSantis will
study how non-profit/voluntary organizations help to create empowering situations that influence social policies for
marginalized people.
Allisson Quine (BA Psychology, University of Regina) will complete a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina this fall and will continue her studies in this area as a doctoral student. Quine will study the patient-provider relationships of Aboriginal persons with Type 2 Diabetes (i.e., the factors that influence healthcare services provided to Aboriginal persons with diabetes)
Brandace Winquist (BA Sociology, University of Saskatchewan) will complete a master’s degree in Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan this fall and will continue her studies (in this area) as a doctoral student. Winquist will study the characteristics of children, their families and their environments that protect against the development of emotional disorders in adolescence. This study will assess the impact of early life stressors on the social, emotional, and behavioural development of adolescents.
Flavia Bianchi (Bachelor’s of Environmental Studies, York University; Master’s of Environmental Studies, Wilfred Laurier University) is a doctoral student in the Department of Geography, University of Saskatchewan. Bianchi will study the health needs and challenges of First Nations children (birth to age 5) living in low socio-economic communities in Canada.
Postdoctoral Fellow:
Dr. Lewis Williams (BA Psychology & Education, MSc Public Health, and PhD Social Policy & Social Work, University
of Auckland, New Zealand) will join the CPHR Training Program as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Williams will study the use of
culture as a means for strengthening cultural minority communities’ ability to address various issues that impact
their health. These communities will collaboratively participate in this project to develop and test an evaluation tool for
mapping aspects of culture that may enhance and/or constrain community capacity, taking into account the power dynamics
that also influence this dynamic, as this occurs within communities and the community-organizational partnerships.