The UBC Department of Medicine is pleased to report that two exceptional researchers from the Division of AIDS have been named 2020 MSFHR Scholar Award recipients
The MSFHR Scholar Program is designed to support early career researchers as they establish independent research careers, form their own research teams and develop research programs that advance cutting-edge health solutions.
Dr. Jade Boyd (Division of AIDS)
Research Location: BC Centre for Substance Use (BCCSU)
Research Pillar: Population Health
Investigating Women’s Socio-Structural Risk Environment Of Overdose
British Columbia, Canada, continues to grapple with an overdose epidemic. Substantial gaps remain in the implementation and scale up of overdose prevention strategies, including attention to gender equity. Little has been said regarding how marginalized women (trans inclusive) are impacted by the crisis, or how they might be differently navigating overdose risk environments or access to life-saving health services.
The ultimate goal is to generate new evidence to reduce overdose-related harms among women who use drugs and increase the responsiveness of existing and emerging overdose interventions to gender inequities. The objectives of this research program are to:
- Identify how women’s overdose risk is shaped by evolving individual, social, structural, and environmental factors;
- Investigate factors that create barriers to (or that facilitate) women’s engagement with existing, novel and emerging overdose prevention interventions; and
- Document perspectives, experiences, and impact of women who use drugs working in overdose-related interventions to inform how best to optimize their engagement in ongoing and future initiatives.
Dr. Kathleen Deering (Division of AIDS)
Research Location: Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE)
Research Pillar: Population Health
A Program Of Research On Optimizing Trauma-Informed Practice In Sexual, Reproductive And HIV-Related Health Services Among Marginalized Women
Marginalized cisgender (cis) and transgender (trans) women experience high levels of gender-based violence, defined as violence perpetrated against someone based on their gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender, as well as multiple forms of stigma. With the overarching aim to optimize trauma- and violence-informed approaches to enhance access to sexual and reproductive care and HIV prevention and treatment, this research program aims to work closely with marginalized cis and trans women to:
AIM 1. Launch a program of research that will i) develop an evidence base to describe complex relationships between and mechanisms linking gender-based violence and multiple forms of stigma with sexual and reproductive health access, and access to HIV treatment and care; and ii) develop innovative metrics, methodologies and tools to advance an understanding of gender-based violence and stigma and trauma- and violence informed care and practice;
AIM 2. Create a research and training platform to develop and inform innovative community-based interventions tailored for and with marginalized women to inform program and policy interventions.