番茄社区

HSD announcements

Ren茅e Monchalin envisions a day when Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ people in Canada can pick up a phone and call an auntie for abortion support and wraparound care. Monchalin, a M茅tis scholar and assistant professor in UVic鈥檚 School of Public Health and Social Policy (PHSP), is one step closer to making that goal a reality with a $1.9 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

UVic鈥檚 first new faculty in 30 years will become operational on May 1, 2025. A new website is now live with key information, including programming.

Welcome to a new series that celebrates the legacy of HSD. Our second interview is with Bart Cunningham, who retires from UVic at the end of the year after 50 years of teaching in the School of Public Administration. Cunningham joined SPA in 1974, the same year that Human and Social Development became a faculty.

New to the Faculty of Human and Social Development? Get to know us better with these 10 fun facts.

番茄社区 Nursing PhD student Nancy Henderson has seen first-hand how access to a safer supply can change the lives of people who use drugs. Read more about the research Henderson will continue as one of four 2024 Vanier Scholars at UVic.

What do we mean when we talk about planetary health? Listen to the new podcast Indigenous Planetary Health.

The winners of this year鈥檚 HSD Research Excellence Awards are testament to the diverse fields of expertise across the Faculty of Human and Social Development.

Welcome to a new series that celebrates the legacy of the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD) at UVic. In coming months, we will be featuring interviews and stories with past and present faculty members, instructors, students, and staff, exploring the achievements and evolution of our faculty from its inception to present day. Our first interview is with Professor Jeannine Carriere, who retires from UVic at the end of the year after nearly 20 years鈥 teaching in the School of Social Work鈥檚 Indigenous specialization.

Two research projects focused on addressing some of the most pressing issues facing society and our planet will receive almost $5 million worth of federal funding. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grants were among four awarded to the 番茄社区, two of which were granted to research teams from the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD).

Staff members who go above and beyond their job descriptions and inspire others with their work were celebrated at a recent special event.

Those who want to honour the life of former HSD faculty member Lyn Davis can contribute to an award she established to help Indigenous students. Davis, who died on Oct 24 last year, after a brief illness, was a long-time faculty member in HSD.

It鈥檚 National Nursing Week, a time to honour the contributions that nurses make to people, communities and health care. We spoke to graduating Bachelor of Science in Nursing student Tessa Whitehouse about her experience at UVic and her work over the past two decades in geriatric care, primary care and at local non-profit agencies as a licensed practical nurse.

The long history and accomplishments of Indigenous nurses鈥攑ast, present and future鈥攚ere celebrated on Indigenous Nurses Day last week at a special event at Na-tsa-maht Gathering Place at the Camosun Lansdowne campus. The 番茄社区 and Camosun College nursing program came together on April 10 to mark the historic day that celebrates the birth of Edith Monture, the first Indigenous nurse in Canada, and Rose Casper, the first Indigenous nurse in Western Canada.

Public health scholar Jeff Masuda has been named a fellow to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), one of the highest honours in the country鈥檚 health sciences community.

We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our colleague and friend, Rod Dobell. Read the tribute.

How can we partner for a better future that nurtures and builds healthy communities? Join the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD) and the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health (IALH) for 鈥淧eople, Place and the Planet,鈥 a joint conference on May 2 and 3 at the 番茄社区.

Tamara Krawchenko is an assistant professor in the School of Public Administration and chair of the Local Governance Hub. Krawchenko, who is part of the organizing committee for Women Leading Change in Politics, talks to us about the initiative鈥檚 importance and her hopes for the future of women in politics.

Come celebrate the incredible research of postdoctoral fellows working across the Faculty of Human and Social Development.

Need a quiet research workspace? Drop in to room B205 in the HSD Building to use one of 15 private work stations.

HSD has launched a new strength-based, non-competitive initiative to recognize our amazing administrative support staff across the faculty.

A Child and Youth Care staff member who goes above and beyond in her work to support students, coworkers and faculty alike has been honoured with this year鈥檚 Island Savings HSD Staff Professional Development award. Sierra Jasper, an undergraduate program assistant in the School of Child and Youth Care (CYC), was presented the award at HSD鈥檚 Winter Party in December.

Elizabeth Borycki has been elected to the board of directors of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS).

Justin Brooks joined the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD) as director of Indigenous Initiatives in June. Before joining us, he worked at First Peoples House as the Indigenous Student Support Coordinator for Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement (IACE). Read on to find out more.

When Adrienne Lagura was a child in the Philippines, she鈥檇 spend time every summer with her aunt, a nurse at a local hospital. Lagura would pretend to be a patient as her aunt, Regina assessed her. She became her aunt鈥檚 study companion. Even then, Lagura felt a strong pull toward health care. This month, Lagura will be among 25 students graduating from UVic鈥檚 Master of Nursing, Nurse Practitioner (NP) program.

There's still time to immerse yourself in Debra Thompson's bestselling The Long Road Home: On Blackness and Belonging, ahead of HSD Reads in September.

Their work touches on some of the most important issues of our time: climate change, food security, the toxic drug crisis and Indigenous political life. Four recipients of the 2023 HSD Research Excellence Awards share a commitment to building just, equitable, sustainable and decolonial futures. Read on to find out more about their work.

Budd Hall has spent the past 45 years championing community-based research. A professor emeritus with the School of Public Administration and a former dean of education at UVic, Hall is a UNESCO Co-Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. In December, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. Here, he talks about his work, what community-based research can offer early career academics and its increasing relevance in higher education and society.

Congratulations to our new Associate Dean Research Nathan Lachowsky. An associate professor with the School of Public Health and Social Policy, Lachowsky has been ratified as HSD's associate dean research for five years. He has been in the acting role since January.

Better supporting students鈥 mental health in the classroom doesn鈥檛 have to be onerous. Natalie Frandsen says simple changes to course design can have big impacts on student learning.

Join us Friday, April 21, as we celebrate the winners of the HSD Research Excellence Awards at our second annual HSD Research Day!

Join us for two important upcoming presentations for the position of associate dean research from candidates Nathan Lachowsky and Jaehee Yi.

Join us on April 21 to celebrate the breadth of research and teaching scholarship happening across the Faculty of Human and Social Development. The second annual HSD Research Day: Sharing our Research and Teaching Scholarship is open for registration to HSD faculty, sessionals and staff.

Happy International Women鈥檚 Day! This year, we'd like to celebrate the roughly 60 per cent of Health Information Science students who are women, many of whom go onto become leaders in their field.

A social work scholar committed to decolonizing her teaching practices, a health information science team that will create a chat bot to support student recruitment, and a community of nurses dedicated to anti-racist education are the recipients of the 2023 HSD teaching awards.

Strengthening students' mental health will be the focus of three upcoming online sessions organized by the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD).

Two valued staff members, Gillian Cornwall and Coretta Peets, were recognized with the inaugural Island Savings Staff Professional Development Award.

Join us in January for three special events organized around Rehearsals for Living authors Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson.

A new 番茄社区 study is calling attention to the unintended鈥攂ut harmful鈥攃onsequences of BC鈥檚 push for universal child care. The study, by Adjunct Professor Janet Newbury and Assistant Professor Alison Gerlach, from UVic鈥檚 School of Child and Youth Care, says inclusive child care in BC is at a critical tipping point.

Esteemed Blackfoot researcher, educator and First Nations advocate Leroy Little Bear brought a message of resurgence, cooperation and hope to the Faculty of Human and Social Development鈥檚 (HSD) HSD Engage: The Buffalo Treaty event held Nov. 2 at UVic鈥檚 First Peoples House.

Public Administration alumna Precious Ile鈥檚 consulting firm has received a prestigious national award in partnership with the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD). The award recognizes Impact Plus鈥檚 partnership with HSD in developing the faculty鈥檚 first-ever strategic plan, which was published in March this year.

Over the past decade, Karyn Hurlbut has lovingly stitched together nearly 50 quilts for family and friends. When the time came for the Fort Saskatchewan-based public servant to submit her thesis for a Master of Arts in Community Development (MACD), Hurlbut turned to a textile tradition that stretches back to medieval times.

Acting Dean Jennifer White brings more than 30 years of experience as a clinical counsellor, youth suicide prevention educator, researcher, policy consultant and community developer to her new role in the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD). White who took up the position of acting dean in August.

Intelligent, curious and a passionate advocate for transforming our social care systems, Lilia Zaharieva left a deep impression on the people she met. Zaharieva died on June 17 at the age of 35. The 番茄社区 is establishing an endowed scholarship in her name.

Esteemed Blackfoot researcher, educator and First Nations advocate Leroy Little Bear is coming to UVic on Nov. 2 to discuss the historic Buffalo Treaty.

Sixty people gathered at Pacheedaht First Nation on National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) for the blessing of the newly named and painted canoe, one of the final steps in a two-year partnership between the community and 番茄社区 Assistant Professor Sarah Wright Cardinal, from the School of Child and Youth Care.

Applications are open for HSD's graduate student research awards. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 14.

Human and Social Development has welcomed two new school directors in recent weeks: Kristen Cheney to the School of Child and Youth Care and Vera Caine to the School of Nursing.

From working with immigrant and refugee groups to empowering First Nations youth, the winners of the inaugural HSD Research Excellence Awards put communities at the heart of their research. Three faculty members were recognized at HSD Research Day in May at the 番茄社区 for seeking to build just, equitable, decolonial and sustainable futures through their research.

After more than two decades of nurturing the next generation of leaders, Indigenous Governance will welcome students this fall with a strengthened commitment from the university and more professors in its ranks than ever before. On this National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD) is proud to announce that Indigenous Governance, a program at the 番茄社区 since 1999, is now officially the seventh school within HSD.

Weeks after finishing her degree, Elika Yamauchi is fulfilling the kind of child and youth care work she always wanted to do. A community youth worker with RayCam Cooperative Centre, Yamauchi serves one of Canada鈥檚 most under-served neighbourhoods, the downtown eastside. At spring convocation, Yamauchi was awarded a Certificate of Outstanding Academic Distinction in the Faculty of Human and Social Development.

Jessica Pratezina has been awarded the Lieutenant Governor鈥檚 Silver Medal, her submission singled out and held up as the best master鈥檚 thesis from the spring 2022 convocation class. Pratezina graduated with a MA in Child and Youth Care.

More than 4000 people live one step away from houselessness in privately owned buildings called Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing in Vancouver's downtown Eastside. For the past five years, the Right to Remain Research Collective has fought for community-controlled housing as SROs verge on collapse from decades of structural neglect.

It's National Nursing Week. The Faculty of Human and Social Development (HSD) would like to recognize the extraordinary work and commitment of nurses and nurse educators throughout the pandemic.

Here are seven first-person testimonials on what UVic nursing and health information science students learned from the 2021 Covid-19 virus outbreak while helping to contain it.

Substance UVic offers storefront service as well as the island's first-ever mail-in drug checking service to provide broader access to drug checking services throughout the region. This new approach was launched mid-December to provide communities without local facilities with potentially life-saving overdose prevention measures.

The ePAC collaborative team -- equity program in palliative approaches in care research -- are deeply grateful to have been one of eight grant recipients selected by the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller Victoria Commandery. This group supports projects that directly benefit people who experience inequities and that are living with chronic life-limiting illness.

Kinship Rising is an Indigenous-led, community-engaged research project focused on restoring Indigenous practices of gender wellbeing and works in partnership with Indigenous young people, communities and organizations across BC through land- and arts-based research workshops on issues related to gender-based reclamation, healing and resurgence.

Three accomplished scholars and researchers share their insights on what it takes to secure research funding in a one-hour video produced by the HSD Research Support Centre.

Associate professor Dr. Katya Rhodes and former master鈥檚 student Aaron Hoyle shared their findings on how governments can match their climate policy questions to an appropriate model. The key takeaway: climate policy models vary widely along with the results they generate.

Dr. Alison Gerlach, associate professor with the School of Child and Youth Care, and Jason Gordon executive director with the BC Association of Child Development and Intervention have secured a research grant to gather information from families living in rural and northern regions of BC raising children with disabilities and/or medical complexities. This study is focused on their experience accessing information and communication technologies to find information, supports and services for their children鈥檚 early health, development and well-being.

Jaime Arredondo Sanchez Lira is a new faculty member and research scientist who was recently named a Canada Research Chair in Substance Use and Health Systems.

Love of nursing, of people and place

When asked why she wanted to be a nurse, Lara says, 鈥淚 love people. I鈥檝e always been caring for people. It鈥檚 a big part of who I am. It鈥檚 that calling, I think. I鈥檓 passionate about learning how the body works, maintaining good health and diving into the science behind it all.鈥

Story, artistry and resilience

Shawna Bowler, a proud M茅tis woman from Winnipeg, and a UVic social work master鈥檚 graduate, was a candidate for this year鈥檚 Governor General鈥檚 gold medal award for her outstanding thesis on Indigenous women鈥檚 healing through beading methodology. Her paper, Stitching Ourselves Back Together: Urban Indigenous Women's Experience of Reconnecting With Identity Through Beadwork, is also a testament to her experiences in reconnecting with her own M茅tis ancestry.

My pandemic teacher

Victoria Pickles is completing her master鈥檚 degree in nursing while working with Broadmead Care, a non-profit long term care organization. For her final practicum, she worked with UVic鈥檚 School of Nursing faculty and Island Health鈥檚 Professional Practice office to plan third and fourth year undergraduate student involvement in BC鈥檚 vaccination program and COVID-19 response for the elderly.

Indigenous nurses on Indigenist nursing

The 番茄社区鈥檚 School of Nursing has made a commitment towards inclusion of Indigenous peoples and reconciliation in step with the Calls to Action of Canada鈥檚 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Here, three Indigenous nurses talk about what it takes to realize that promise.

Student joins vaccination effort

Megan Fraser started a three-month nursing practicum with the Cowichan Tribes鈥 Ts鈥檈wulhtun Health Centre on January 12 and worked her first drive-through vaccination clinic the very next day. Fraser, born and raised within the Cowichan Valley, has faced challenges before. True to form, she saw the beauty in this historic learning opportunity.

Reducing harms from substance use

Harms of substance use aren鈥檛 just caused by drugs, says Bernie Pauly, a research scientist and professor with the School of Nursing. 鈥淭hey are caused by policies, laws and social dimensions of health, and we are working towards adding in or creating metrics that will get at some of those factors.鈥 Metrics include discrimination in housing policies, experiences of racism, distance to services of different kinds, or per capita police spending.

Return to well-being

Nick Claxton wants to teach youth how to build community, find themselves and enjoy a healthy life through land- and water-based knowledge and healing. As part of his doctoral research, Claxton (BSc 鈥00, MA 鈥03, PhD 鈥15) brought back his Tsawout First Nation traditional reef-net fishing practice to empower and reconnect his community. Elders, youth, families and community members came together around the SX瘫OLE project. Children learned about the history and practice of the SX瘫OLE. Youth and elders designed and built the reef net and planned the journey to their hereditary fishing grounds near Pender Island. Even old relationships with other nations were rekindled.

From doubt to transformation

Madison Wells, master's graduate with the School of Public Health and Social Policy, talks of learning about cultural safety, how one鈥檚 identity is shaped by society, what it really means to 鈥榰npack white privilege鈥 and the value of studying diverse perspectives. 鈥淭hese studies set me up to open my mind. I was not conscious of it at the start, but I came to see that this learning was preparing me, putting me in a good place to learn more and to remain humble.鈥

Jasmine Dionne has received a $180,000 Trudeau scholarship

Growing up, Dionne knew her Metis and Cree upbringing was unlike those of her non-Indigenous neighbours鈥攂ut it was only when she was older that she found out her community was in the midst of an epidemic. The effects of gendered violence鈥攎issing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples (MMIWG2S)鈥攚ere rippling across the country.

Our annual report provides an overview of key accomplishments across our seven academic units: Child and Youth Care, Health Information Science, Indigneous Governance, Public Administration, Public Health and Social Policy, and Social Work.

Thank you for all you give 鈥 whenever you can

Named as one of our city鈥檚 most inspiring change makers for 2020, Dr. Loppie was recognized by Leadership Victoria for making lasting positive change in health and wellness impacting all citizens across our region

Congratulations to Devi Mucina (third from left), director of our Indigenous Governance Program, who was awarded the 2019 HSD Award for Teaching Excellence and Education Leadership. Helping him mark the occasion are students, alum and Mrs. Mucina (second from left), assistant professor with our School of Child and Youth care. From l to r: Erynne Gilpin, Mandeep Mucina, Devi Mucina, Josh Ngenda, Parker Johnson and Ariel Reyes Antuan

Pacheedaht Canoe Blessing marks a return to Tribal Journey

Planning for death, when life is a struggle

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Borycki, 2018 recipient of the HSD Teaching Excellence awards presented by the Faculty of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria

Congratulations to the Voices in Motion community choir,

Cindy Blackstock, of the Gitxsan First Nation, and Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, spoke at UVic in November about Spirit Bear's Guide to Reconciliation.

Forum - Linking Evaluation and Spending Reviews

BCIT Specialty Nurses offered new pathway to UVic Master of Nursing program

Four of UVic鈥檚 Health Information Science faculty members were named to the top 100 biomedical and health informatics researchers in the world.

Nathan Lachowsky received the Michael Smith Health Research Foundation scholar award for 2017.

Lenora Marcellus named the school鈥檚 new Associate Director

Evert Lindquist & Rich Marcy wrote a paper on The competing values framework

Charlotte Loppie, named a member of the Royal Society of Canada

Chantel Adams School of Child and Youth Care Recipient of the Ramona Williams Memorial Scholarship

HSD annual review

Through learning and teaching, mentorship and support, we collectively prepare the next generation for careers across the health and governance sectors. Written in between the lines of our annual report is a shared vision—to lead in the generation and mobilization of knowledge for social change, health and well-being.

Download the 2019-2020 annual review - 3.4 MB, 32 pgs

Download the 2018-2019 annual review - 1.69 MB, 28 pgs