Date: Thursday, November 16

Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Format: Hybrid – in person or on Zoom

Location: DCC-707/709, Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex, 288 Church St.

Access information: Screen captioning and ASL interpretation available. Wheelchair-accessible venue.

Introducing Professor Karen Soldatic

Professor Karen Soldatic, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Health Equity and Community Wellbeing, will join the Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University, in January 2024.

This $8 million 8-year program is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program supports world-renowned researchers and their teams in establishing ambitious research programs at Canadian universities. 

Professor Soldatic is a leading international scholar of disability, marginality and global inequality. Her research program will use a critical disability lens to expand social understandings of health and well-being.

The CERC program provides an opportunity to work in partnership with local communities, civil society and health-care providers on core equity issues. Please join us for a collaborative discussion and working session to review:

• Core areas of the research program as reviewed and approved by CIHR
• Prioritization and alignment with our community

The CERC research program’s intention is to engage in strategic policy advocacy for social impact, and to ensure that community research partnerships and shared collaborations are robust and sustainable.

FCS looks forward to creating an environment with our partners that will help put knowledge into action and mobilize research to create meaningful, lasting, accessible and equitable outcomes for the communities which we serve.

School of Health Studies is delighted to be holding an Inaugural Public Lecture presented by Senator Salma Ataullahjan.

Senator Salma Ataullahjan is the first Canadian Senator of Pakistani origin, appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2010 as a representative for the province of Ontario. She is Chair of the Canadian’s Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights and a member of the Canadian’s Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans and the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament. Senator Ataullahjan is committed to issues affecting women, youth and the world’s most vulnerable, having proposed several recognized studies in the Human Rights committee–one on women’s engagement in Afghanistan, another on cyberbullying of children, and one on Syrian refugee resettlement in Canada. Recently, she spearheaded the study on Islamophobia in Canada, the first study on the topic to be conducted by the Senate of Canada. Senator Ataullahjan is also an accomplished artist, mostly working with watercolours.

Date: November 24, 2023  | Time: 5.30-6.30 pm  | Location: Conron Hall, UC Room 3110

This lecture is open to all SHS members, students and members of the public.

Please RSVP by November 17, 2023

The recent study conducted by ICES Western and Lawson Health Research Institute has shed light on a growing crisis that affects the most vulnerable members of our community: the unhoused. The study’s findings underscore a grim reality: opioid-related deaths have sharply increased among those without stable housing. Unhoused individuals already grapple with adversity, isolation, and a lack of basic necessities, and the opioid crisis compounds their vulnerability. Many turn to opioids as a means of coping with the relentless challenges they face, often leading to addiction and fatal overdose.

This crisis is a clear call to action. Awareness alone is insufficient; we must actively seek solutions to address this urgent problem. Key steps include improving access to harm reduction services, providing affordable housing, offering mental health and addiction support, and engaging communities to reduce stigma and create a more inclusive environment.

It’s vital to approach this issue with compassion, recognizing that unhoused individuals are not mere statistics – they are real people facing unimaginable challenges. As responsible community members, it is our collective duty to address the opioid crisis among the unhoused, advocating for change and providing support to break the cycle of addiction.

For more information on the study, you can read the full article on Western University’s website.

Today, we would like to draw your attention to an important initiative that has the potential to make a significant impact on the lives of children with Autism in our community. Thames Valley Children’s Centre (TVCC) is actively seeking your expertise and experience to help shape the future of integrated Autism services in the southwest region.

Why Your Input Matters

Children with Autism and their families often require specialized support and services. Your unique insights, experiences, and perspectives are invaluable in ensuring that these services are effective, accessible, and comprehensive. By participating, you can help bridge gaps in services, improve coordination, and create a more supportive environment for children with Autism and their families.

Ways to Contribute

There are two main ways you can get involved:

1. Fill Out the Survey: TVCC has created a brief survey to help map the existing services and identify gaps in our community. Your input will be a crucial component in this process. Please take a few moments to fill out the survey by visiting this link.
2. Join Upcoming Meetings: TVCC is hosting two events to encourage collaboration and networking among professionals and stakeholders. The virtual meeting on October 27th and the in-person event on November 3rd offer a platform to discuss available offerings, gaps, and better ways to coordinate services for clients with Autism and their families. For registration details, please see the attached invitation.

TVCC is committed to providing ongoing opportunities for the community to connect, learn, and share. In the coming months, they will be offering more workshops and avenues for involvement. If you are unable to attend the events but would like to stay connected, please reach out to Lynn Seward, the Project Coordinator for Autism & Behavioural Services, at Lynn.Seward@tvcc.on.ca or call 519.685.870

Grounded Roots, Open Wings (GROW) provides comprehensive pre-and postnatal care to those in our community who do not have a family doctor. In addition, GROW provides wrap-around care to the majority of its service users who deal with socioeconomic and psychosocial challenges. 

GROW is seeking dedicated and passionate individuals to join our Board of Directors for a three-year term. Board members provide governance, financial and strategic oversight to advance the mission of Grow. We currently meet once a month, with a mix of in-person and videoconferencing. 

 Key Considerations 

We are looking for candidates with strong leadership and strategic skills, a good understanding of the organization’s mission and vision and the ability to communicate it effectively. Specific skills of interest this year include: 

• finance, and knowledge of the legal and regulatory environment. 
• experience in fundraising/development 
• grant writing 
• governance experience 

If you have the skills and experience to advance the work of Grow, GROW would like to hear from you. Grow is committed to broadening the diversity of its Board of Directors and encouraging applications from individuals with a variety of lived experiences. 

Expressions of Interest 

GROW invites expressions of interest from those wishing to serve on its Board of Directors for a term that would begin Feb. 2024. Questions and resumes can be directed to growboardofdirectors@prismahcc.ca for consideration by December 15, 2023