Two Thompson Rivers University (TRU) researchers affiliated with the Population Health and Aging Rural Research (PHARR) Centre have been awarded up to $20,000 each through the Michael Smith Health Research BC Reach Program. The Reach Program is designed to support research teams and users expand the reach of their work.
Dr. Juanita-Dawne Bacsu, assistant professor and Canada Research Chair in Nursing and Population Health, joined forces with Christine Matuschewski, CEO of STEPS, and the Alzheimer Society of B.C. to tackle the urgent issue of dementia stigma on social media. Their project, Addressing stigma of dementia on social media: Collaboration, innovation and knowledge translation, aims to improve awareness, reduce stigma and improve the quality of life of people with dementia.
By collaborating with community leaders, health professionals, student trainees and people with lived experience, they are working to create a more dementia-inclusive environment. One of their noteworthy initiatives includes a hybrid Café Scientifique event, offering an online and in-person panel discussion that invites the public to participate in an open dialogue to address the stigma of dementia on social media.
Dr. Wendy Hulko, professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, partnered with co-lead Karen Lok Yi Wong, doctoral student at the University of British Columbia and social worker at Providence Health Care, Louise Stern, social work chair and professor at Vancouver Island University, and Pacific Public Health Foundation for Building an anti-oppressive gerontological social work community of practice in Canada in collaboration with researchers, practitioners, and older adults.
Their goal is to build a community of practice to better equip social workers to support Canada's aging and increasingly diverse population, leading to a symposium at TRU next summer. Bringing together scholars and practitioners at different stages of their careers in this way will support the preparation of the second edition of Hulko and Stern's popular and nationally adopted 2020 Routledge Press text on anti-oppressive social work practice with older adults, their families and communities. This project will amplify the work of Black, Indigenous, racialized and queer scholars whose work is often underrepresented.
"Juanita-Dawne Bacsu and Wendy Hulko have been awarded for their groundbreaking contributions to health research, particularly in the field of aging. Their work is essential in developing innovative strategies to enhance the quality of life for older adults, reflecting TRU's mission to drive impactful research that benefits society. This recognition underscores their dedication and highlights the university's commitment to tackling critical health challenges through research," says TRU Vice-President Research Dr. Shannon Wagner.
