SWRC Research Projects
Dr. Darlene Chalmers
Animal Awareness for Substance Use Recovery and Community Reintegration
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant $10,000 (2025-2026)
This project will use a patient-oriented research (POR) process to explore the expansion of the PAWSitive Support Program at Drumheller Institution. While the program was developed using a community-based program development framework consistently seeking input and guidance from participants, a POR approach is relatively new within federal correctional institutions. POR focuses on the prisoner participant in the context of the whole person and has been defined as a “continuum of research that engages patients as partners, focuses on patient-identified priorities, and improves patient outcomes” (Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research, n.d.).
Dr. Kara Fletcher
A digital hub for strengthening relationships: Confronting the challenges of conspiracy thinking and misinformation in Saskatchewan. SHRF Connections Grant: $10,000 (2025-2026)
This proposal aims to create an accessible, engaging, and evidence-based virtual hub to address the psychological and relational impact of conspiracy theories and misinformation on Saskatchewan individuals, couple and families. The team will create a website with practical resources and information on conspiracy theories and misinformation. This website will include information sheets, infographics, support resources and tip sheets to help users better understand what conspiracies are, how individuals can recognize misinformation, and ways to support loved ones and family members. This website will provide an important psycho-educational resource promoting healthier coping strategies and conflict resolution for family members and have potential positive impact on mental health and well-being.
Love in the age of rage: The impact of misinformation, conspiracy theories and political polarization on intimate relationships, a pilot study SSHRC Explore Grant: $5954 (2024- 2026)
The current socio-political environment has created a context for conspirational narratives about COVID-19, vaccines, election fraud and other counterfactual information. A belief in conspiracy theories has increased in Canada since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conspiracy theories have undoubtedly impacted intimate relationships. For example, a recent study on the impact of QAnon involvement on interpersonal relationships found that involvement with QAnon created a "malignant force" in relationships which caused distance and distress (Mastroni & Mooney, 2024)
Mental health and substance abuse treatment in a Saskatchewan context: Who accesses and benefits from treatment? Who is missing?
SHRF Establishment Grant: $117,213 (2021-2026)
The purpose of this study is to identify, in the Saskatchewan context, the characteristics of those who are accessing mental health and substance abuse services, what their treatment experiences are, the characteristics of those who drop out of treatment, and the reasons for dropout. In an effort to improve treatment retention and outcome, the Saskatoon Health Region implemented a clinically validated self-report program called Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS) which tracks treatment outcome and experience in a database called Better Outcomes Now (BON) (Anker, Duncan, & Sparks, 2009).
Stories to tell: A pilot podcast project for youth with lived experience of crystal meth use in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
SSHRC Insight Development Grant: $74,935 (2022-2026)
The project is a two-year community podcast collaboration between the University of Regina Faculty of Social Work, and community organizations Chokecherry Studios and AIDS Saskatoon. The objective of this pilot research project is to respond directly to the current crystal meth crisis in the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We will do this by documenting the perspectives of youth (age 18-25) who have lived experience of crystal meth and polysubstance use through a podcast project. The potential benefit of doing this includes mobilizing a community with lived experience, reducing stigma through informing and including the broader public, raising awareness, and working to mobilize policy responses.
Dr. Sulemana Fuesini
Fathers in Transition: A Narrative Inquiry into Immigrant Masculinities and Parenting in Saskatchewan
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant $10,000 (2025-2026)
In Saskatchewan’s rapidly diversifying communities, grassroots organizations have observed limited participation of immigrant men in family-focused programs. Barriers include cultural mismatch, rigid scheduling, and perceptions of exclusion (Omidvar et al., 2022). Despite these gaps, few studies in the Canadian Prairies have centered the voices of immigrant fathers to inform policy and service innovation. By prioritizing narrative inquiry and community collaboration, this project responds to urgent calls for inclusive, culturally responsive, and equity-focused approaches to parenting support in immigrant communities.
Dr. Daniel Ji
Institutional resistance: How gender diverse adolescents and young adults view and respond to Saskatchewan’s Education Amendment Act (Bill 137)
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant $10,000 (2025-2026)
In August 2023, the Saskatchewan government enacted the Education Amendment Act, also known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights. One of the requirements of this Act is for parental consent when students under 16 wish to use a different name or gender identity at school. The Act is being challenged on grounds that it may invalidate many young people’s identities as well as several sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code (Clarke & Sorensen, 2024). Results from this study will be used to challenge Saskatchewan’s enacted pronoun laws using both quantitative and qualitative data. Formulation of policy and legislation which supports the healthy growth and identity of gender diverse youth requires data which show what factors name and pronoun laws play in the lives of gender diverse youth. Knowledge will be mobilized in the form of research articles, community friendly reports, and information/fact sheets to maximize reach to academic and professional stakeholders.
Dr. Lise Milne
Exploring the optimal conditions for implementing a trauma-focused prenatal group program in Saskatchewan: Interrupting the intergenerational cycle of trauma
SHRF Establishment Grant: $119,958 (2022-2026)
This project will set to uncover the necessary conditions to successfully implement an evidence-informed prevention program in Saskatchewan - Supporting the Transition and Engagement in Parenthood (STEP) for expectant parents with histories of childhood trauma.
The Child & Youth Trauma Research Incubator (ThRIve)
Office of VP (Research) Innovation Fund: $60,000 (2024-2027); Canadian Foundation for Innovation: $60,000 (2024-2027).
Stemming from a SSHRC Partnership Grant on Child and Youth trauma, a need was identified to develop dynamic spaces across Canada for community-led research to be accelerated, actioned, and assessed. Currently, deeper understanding of the impact of trauma on children and youth is restricted by the disconnection between academia, community knowledge, and lived experience. The Child and Youth Trauma Research Incubator (ThRIve) is a multi- pronged network of labs to create
conducive environments for collaborative, community-based research to be nurtured and amplified at the institutional level.
Seven regional labs (including University of Regina), one lead lab at McGill University and one virtual lab are being established.
Research Chair in Intervention and Prevention Approaches to Support Child and Adolescent Health and Well-Being - University of Regina Child Trauma Research Centre (CTRC). Research Chair: $300,000 (2022-2025)
Research in Assisting the Well-being of Pregnant Women. iA Financial: $10,000 (2025-2099)
Dr. Michele Sorensen
Subgrant: Retracing, reimagining and reconciling our roots
(PI: Rita Irwin, UBC) SSHRC Insight Grant: $45,000 (2020-2025)
Subgrant: Learning with the land
(PI: Rita Irwin, UBC) SSHRC Partnership Development Grant: $9,500 (2022-2026)
Dr. Kedi Zhao
Conceptualizing East Asian older adults’ mental health struggles: The influences of anti-Asian racism arising from the COVID-19 pandemic SWRC Start-Up Grant: $5,000 (2024-2025)
Anti-Asian racism is a social issue that entrenches in Canadian society. The largescale anti-Asian racism that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe harm to East and Southeast Asian communities in Canada, particularly to older adults. However, how older East and Southeast Asian adults cope with anti-Asian racism after the pandemic is still not clear. Through a mixed method design, this study explores various contextual and individual factors that affect their perceptions and coping strategies of anti-Asian racism in Canada. It is anticipated that the findings from this study can help us identify the 9 evolving influences of anti-Asian racism on older adults from East and Southeast Asian communities, and explore how relevant services and policies can be improved to better support them and other racialized communities.
Navigating cannabis use as a cultural conflict: Understanding differences among Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China
SSHRC Explore Grant: $7,000 (2025-2027)
It is anticipated that findings from the study can uncover rich information on how the interactions between participants’ heritage culture and Canadian culture influence their perceptions of cannabis use. Particularly, various social factors from participant’s social and cultural contexts are anticipated to emerge and help us understand the contextual influences. Participants’ individual reasoning during this process can also be uncovered to highlight their proactive role in this navigation. Participants’ unique upbringings and their influences on how they perceive and navigate cannabis use as a cultural conflict will be expected to show from the interviews. Furthermore, the intertwined effects of their sociocultural contexts and individual human agency of exploring this cross-cultural context will be uncovered throughout the study. Findings from this study can show the complexity and nuances of navigating cultural conflicts in cross-cultural contexts. These insights can provide references for future research to continue exploring immigrants’ and migrants’ cross-cultural experiences.
Exploring international students’ immigration intention to Canada amid drastic immigration policy changes
Social Work Research Centre Seed Grant $10,000 (2025-2026)
The changes in Canada’s immigration policies since 2024 (e.g., cancelling post-graduate work permit for certain programs) (Government of Canada, 2024b) have put many international students in limbo (Roberts, 2024). For those who came to Canada with an intention to work and further apply for permanent residency after graduation, these drastic changes have dimmed their changes of staying in Canada permanently (Ghobrial, 2024). While the government has been emphasizing the positive effects of these changes on Canadian society (e.g., alleviating the housing crisis) (Government of Canada, 2024c), international students’ struggles during this process are largely overlooked, particularly, how they navigate these changes and further plan their future is unknown. This proposed study aims to understand international students’ lived experiences of navigating these policy changes and how their immigration intention has been impacted by these changes. Findings from this study can uncover challenges faced by this marginalized group and provide important insights into promoting social justice for them in Canadian society.
Adjunct Researchers
Dr. Andrew Eaton
Alternative crisis mental health response models: A knowledge-to-action study
SSHRC Insight Development Grant: $75,000 (2024-2027) Police services assume the role of first responders for mental health crisis situations, providing no mental health support risking police-inflicted harm to the person in crisis. Advances in mental health and police reform have produced alternative response models like co-response that includes both police officers and trained mental health service providers. This scoping review synthesises knowledge to present key processes that facilitate co-response models.
Community-based pop-up strategies: A rapid assessment and response system to map needle prevalence and implement HIV and syphilis prevention interventions in Regina, Saskatchewan
CIHR Project Grant: $332,776 (2024-2029); President's Tri-Agency Support Grant: $10,000
Saskatchewan is facing a public health crisis driven by high rates of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C (HCV) infections, particularly among people who use drugs (PWUD). Injection drug use is a major contributor to these syndemic infections,
exacerbated by structural barriers such as stigma, poverty, and limited culturally safe healthcare. Innovative, community-informed approaches are urgently needed to improve prevention, testing, and linkage to care.Methods and analysis: This study will implement a rapid assessment and response system in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada integrating geospatial mapping of community needle prevalence with pop-up interventions. Needle hotspot maps will be used to guide the deployment of community-based pop-up events offering point-of-care testing for HIV, syphilis, and HCV, alongside education on pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP).
Community-engaged pop-up prevention: Establishing a rapid assessment and response system to map needle prevalence and pilot HIV and syphilis prevention interventions in Regina, Saskatchewan
SHRF Establishment Grant: $150,000 (2024-2027)
The purpose of this research is to map community needle prevalence and respond with HIV and syphilis prevention interventions. This project will evaluate health outcomes (linkage to clinical care and knowledge of pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP)) of these interventions, alongside the feasibility and acceptability of this rapid assessment and response strategy. A technology-driven, real-time, web-based community needle reporting application gathers data on community needle prevalence in public spaces in Regina, Saskatchewan. These map visualizations will be used to deploy and study the impact of pop-up HIV and syphilis point-of-care testing, HIV self-test distribution, and PrEP and PEP education in hotspot areas.
Engaging Indigenous Communities in Cognitive Remediation Group Therapy
SHRF Align Grant: $10,000 (2024-2025)
The purpose of this research is to engage Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers in Saskatchewan regarding Cognitive Remediation Group Therapy (CRGT). CRGT is a psychosocial model of care for people living with HIV and cognitive health concerns that has been developed, tested, and adapted over a decade of community- based participatory research. The Principal Investigator (PI) and research team seek to partner with Saskatchewan-based Indigenous organizations to further adapt, test, and implement CRGT in community health settings.
Identity development, attraction, and behaviour of heterosexually-identified men who have sex with men
SSHRC Insight Grant: $294,305 (2022-2026)
Heterosexually-identified men who have sex with men (H-MSM) may comprise ~8% of North America’s sexually active cisgender adult male population. H- MSM may experience greater guilt and shame, have poorer relationship communication, and be at higher risk for HIV and STBBI transmission than both their gay and bisexual peers, and their concordant heterosexual peers.
Indigenizing Cognitive Remediation Group Therapy: A Two-Eyed Seeing Approach
Social Work Research Centre Community Grant: $10,000 (2024-2026)
The project aims to engage Indigenous organizations regarding Cognitive Remediation Group Therapy (CRGT), a promising model of psychosocial care for people living with HIV and cognitive health concerns, to join an ongoing community-based participatory research initiative to further adapt, test, and implement CRGT in community health settings.
Dr. Fritz Pino
Social Work Research Centre Community Grant: $9,998.50 (2024-2026)
In partnership with Bahay Kubo, the purpose of this project is to produce a short video/film (approximately 30 minutes) that will feature Bahay Kubo’s stories in terms of how they have come together as a particular group of Filipino queer drag performers in Saskatoon, how they use ‘drag’ as a tool for community connection and support with one another, and how they use both queer and Filipino cultural ways of knowing and practices to raise consciousness on issues that affect them as racialized queer migrants in the city. Ultimately, the film will highlight the contributions of queer Filipino drag queens liberations movements, history, and activism.
Recently Completed Projects
Dr. Gabriela Novotna
Professional Identity Development of Addiction Counsellors in Recovery Working in Addiction Services in Saskatchewan: Grounded Theory
Funder: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) - Establishment Grant. Duration: 2018-2024 Amount: $78,000
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation [SHRF] supported the study led by Gabriela Novotna, which explored lived experience of substance use and recovery among addiction counsellors in Saskatchewan. Twenty-two participants shared how burnout and stigma in small rural recovery networks often blurred personal and professional boundaries. Participants emphasized the importance of personal growth and experiential knowledge in sustaining the quality of their work; many of them considered personal and professional well-being an individual responsibility, and self-care (e.g. personal hobbies and lifestyle choices) as an antidote against a lack of organizational support, training, or acknowledgement of systemic challenges.
As a sole researcher, Dr. Novotna utilized this project to provide numerous opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to serve as Research Assistants across various project stages. These students then received training in interviewing, data analysis, conference presentations, and manuscript co-writing. The project demonstrates the inherent value of social work research in fostering reflective practice, effective supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Erin Beckwell
Solutions-focused storytelling to promote people-centered care: challenging stigma with chronic pain and substance use through graphic medicine
Fellow Investigators: Tupper, S.M., Singh, A., Beckwell, E., Fescuic, D. & Fornssler, B.SaskPain supports The Improving Pain in Saskatchewan (IPSK) research project. The team recently wrapped up the final phase of their work funded by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, Saskatchewan Centre for Patient Oriented Research, and Saskatchewan Community Initiatives Fund. Phase 1 results of the study informed the Saskatchewan Health Authority Chronic Pain Provincial Clinical Network application and action planning. Phase 2 and 3 involved development, implementation, and evaluation of change strategies selected by working groups in three communities. For more information: https://saskpain.ca/improving-pain-in-saskatchewan-study/