Spring vibes, fresh starts

WISE is pleased to announce a virtual WISE Public Lecture with Dr. Niall Conroy. Please join us on Zoom to discuss the remarkable transformation of newborn care at Bo Government Hospital in Sierra Leone’s second-largest city. In 2013, when Niall first arrived in-country, the hospital’s children’s ward was seeing only around 10 newborns a month—despite handling 5,000 deliveries per year in a country with one of the highest neonatal mortality rates in the world. Limited services and poor outcomes led many parents and healthcare workers to believe that seeking care for sick babies was futile; most newborns died either at home or in the labour ward. Over the past decade, the hospital’s special care baby unit has been transformed. This talk will share the story of that evolution and explore how sustainable energy solutions played a key role in building a trusted, life-saving service for the community.

You’re invited to Research Talks, a public event and panel discussion, featuring guest speakers Karla Boluk, Feng Chang and Tejal Patel from the University of Waterloo, and Jay Bailey and Ellie Joseph, co-founders of Two Row on the Grand.

The presentation on rural community development and wellbeing will highlight key strategies and initiatives to improve the quality of life in rural areas. It will emphasize the importance of sustainable economic growth, access to quality healthcare and education, and the promotion of social inclusion.

The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies is proud to present the Shaw-Mannell Leisure Research Award Lecture featuring 2024 recipient, Dr. Ana Maria Munar.

The award recognizes international career contributions to the study of leisure, broadly defined, and influence on leisure scholarship at the University of Waterloo. The award is named in honour of retired faculty members Sue Shaw and Roger Mannell to recognize their outstanding individual career achievements.