Supporting impactful community research
Our grants and research awards are designed to seed-fund research projects led by experienced academic researchers and community researchers/service providers collaborating to address gaps in community mental health and addressing community needs, while integrating the insights of people with lived experience into each stage of their project.
Vivian Tsang and Pamela Kryskow
Ketamine-assisted therapy may offer relief from difficult-to-treat mental health symptoms, but much remains unknown about care after treatment. Co-investigators Vivian Tsang and Pamela Kryskow are examining veterans’ longer-term experiences to understand what may help sustain wellness and guide better aftercare.
Denise Sinclair
Denise Sinclair is exploring how Black male youth aged 12–20 experience the youth justice system and how racial bias may affect their mental well-being. Their accounts of distress, resilience and coping could inform more equitable, culturally responsive youth justice and mental health supports.
Malcolm Disbrowe
Safe and stable housing matters for young people’s well-being, yet Indigenous youth can face overlapping barriers when seeking support. Malcolm Disbrowe is examining Indigenous youths’ experiences of Winnipeg housing systems to identify culturally safe, community-informed approaches to housing access and stability.
Courtney Labrecque
Farmers and ranchers face distinct pressures, and mental health services work best when they reflect agricultural realities. Courtney Labrecque is evaluating SaskAgMatters, a free therapy service for Saskatchewan producers, by gathering therapists’ perspectives on what works, what needs improvement and how the program can evolve.
Alashua Crowley
Inuit mental health workers play a central role in community care across Nunavut, yet recruiting and retaining local staff remains a challenge. Alashua Crowley is working with Nunavut-based organizations to understand Inuit frontline workers’ experiences, strengths and workplace needs, with the goal of informing more supportive and culturally responsive services.
Sarah Prosper
Nature can create space for young people to reflect, connect and talk about mental health in their own ways. Sarah Prosper worked with Indigenous youth from Eskasoni Mi’kmaq First Nation using photovoice to explore how nature and nature-based programming can support well-being, self-expression and youth-led conversations about mental health.
Sianna Williamson
Finding meaningful work can support well-being, but employment systems do not always reflect Inuit cultural and social realities. Sianna Williamson’s research with Ivirtivik explored the employment experiences of Inuit people in Montréal, identifying barriers and supports that can inform more culturally safe and inclusive approaches to employment.
Nikki-Rose Hunter-Porter
Mental wellness services in rural First Nations communities do not always reflect local knowledge, priorities and experiences. Working with St’uxwstews te Secwépemc of Bonaparte First Nation in British Columbia, Nikki-Rose Hunter-Porter explored the social, cultural and systemic barriers shaping access to care and identified community-grounded directions for more culturally safe and responsive services.
Madison Young
Mental health screening during pregnancy and after birth can help identify when support is needed, but the tools and practices used must reflect the people receiving care. Madison Young is examining how perinatal mental health screening can better incorporate First Nations mothers’ cultural, social and health-care contexts to support more culturally safe care.
Karen Aglukark
Healing from trauma is deeply shaped by relationships, culture and community. Working with Aqqiumavvik Society in Arviat, Karen Aglukark explored Inuit understandings of healing and social support, generating community-informed knowledge to support more culturally respectful mental health research and practice in Nunavut.
Laurence Sonier
For firefighters, workplace culture can shape whether mental health concerns are discussed and whether support feels accessible. Laurence Sonier’s research with firefighters in Edmundston, New Brunswick examined how stigma, organizational culture and workplace relationships influence help-seeking, identifying practical opportunities to strengthen mental health support within fire services.
Jersee Hill
Violence-prevention programs need to reflect the experiences and needs of the women they are designed to support. Jersee Hill’s research will gather professional and lived perspectives from Indigenous women to help strengthen Connections, a program for women with young children who have experienced violence in relationships.