Tuesday, February 27, 2024

First Nations Principles of OCAP Workshop coming up in March

A message from the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International.

Are you a researcher interested in partnering with Indigenous communities? Then this workshop is for you! As part of our institutional strategy on Research Data Management, and our commitments to Indigenous Data Sovereignty, the RDM Implementation Working Group alongside the Inclusive Research Team in the Office of Research is hosting a two-part virtual workshop on the First Nations Principles of OCAP®, facilitated by Leslie MacGregor from the First Nations Information Governance Centre.

• Part 1 will take place on Tuesday, March 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon;
• Part 2 will take place on Wednesday, March 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

The First Nations principles of OCAP® establish how First Nations’ data and information will be collected, protected, used, or shared. Standing for ownership, control, access, and possession, OCAP® is a tool to support strong information governance on the path to First Nations data sovereignty. Given the diversity within and across Nations, the principles will be expressed and asserted in line with a Nation’s respective world view, traditional knowledge, and protocols. For more information, please visit the OCAP training website.

There is limited space available, and we are accepting registrants on a first-come, first-served basis. If you want to learn more about OCAP® principles and are available to attend (virtually) both Part 1 and Part 2, please register.

Please note that the workshop will not be recorded, but there may be future opportunities to participate in similar sessions in the Fall term. Attendance at both parts is required. A link to the workshop, which will be hosted on Zoom, will be sent to registrants closer to the date.

For more information or questions, please reach out to Indigenous.Research@uwaterloo.ca.

Kinesiology researcher receives $1 million PHAC grant

This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced today that Dr. Laura Middleton, a researcher in Waterloo’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and Schlegel Research Chair in Dementia and Active Living, received a grant of more than $979,000 over four years for a project called Dementia Lifestyle Intervention for Getting Healthy Together (DELIGHT). Middleton leads the project alongside Dr. Heather Keller and Dr. Carrie McAiney, both in the Faculty of Health. 

Middleton describes the DELIGHT program as an eight-week multi-component healthy lifestyle program for people living with dementia and their care partners. It includes exercise and shared learning on health-related topics such as healthy eating, social engagement, sleep quality, mental well-being and physical activity. 

The project will build on promising results from previous pilots, adapting DELIGHT to new contexts by working with diverse organizations and audiences so that it can be implemented in community centres, rural communities and cultural centres that service the Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking communities. 

“DELIGHT was co-designed with people living with dementia, care partners, health-care professionals and community service providers to improve the health, function and well-being of people living with dementia and their families,” said Middleton. “This grant will allow us to adapt and implement the DELIGHT program for different communities – evaluating and spreading the impact of this program.”

In addition, Dr. Carrie McAiney — a professor in Waterloo's School of Public Health Sciences and Schlegel Research Chair in Dementia who leads the Forward with Dementia project — also received $435,492 funding from PHAC. “The Forward with Dementia initiative is expanding across Canada by adapting resources, developing website content and designing and implementing campaign strategies to address stigma within diverse cultural and linguistic groups, specifically Chinese, South Asian and Italian communities,” McAiney said.

As co-principal investigator on the Cultural Adaptation of MINT Memory Clinics project with McMaster's Dr. Linda Lee, McAiney’s team received another $831,810 in funding to adapt training and resources to meet the needs of several diverse populations across the country.

PHAC is an organization of Health Canada. Its activities focus on preventing disease and injuries, responding to public health threats, promoting good physical and mental health and providing information to support informed decision making. 

Antagonism and Intimidation in Academia event highlights health research

Antagonistic Responses to Health Research in the Academy, the latest in the speaker series, is scheduled to take place from 3:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. today in the Humanities Theatre and online. A reception will follow from 4:30 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. just outside the theatre.

Panel participants include:

• Dr. Geoff Bardwell, Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health Sciences in the Faculty of Health;
• Dr. Lisbeth Berbary, Associate Professor in Leisure Studies in the Faculty of Health;
• Dr. Kimberly Lopez , Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies in the Faculty of Health; and
• Dr. Nancy Waite, Professor and Associate Director Clinical Education in the School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Science.

Moderating the discussion will be Dr. Sherry Dupuis, Professor and University Research Chair, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Faculty of Health . Lead Organizer and Chair of the series is Dr. Suzan  Ilcan, Professor and University Research Chair, Sociology and Legal Studies in the Faculty of Arts.

This event is open to all faculty, staff and students and will be livestreamed beginning at 3:00 p.m.

IST celebrates career of Terry Labach

"It’s with mixed emotions that I announce the retirement of Terry Labach effective March 1, 2024," wrote Jason Testart, Director of Information Security Services in a memo to IST staff. "His last day at work will be February 29, 2024."

"Terry joined UWaterloo in September of 2004 where he provided Unix support in IST. In 2009, he became the 3^rd member of the IST security team. Over the last 14 years, Terry has successfully combined his technical skills and teaching background in delivering security awareness content to a variety of audiences, most notably annually at WatITis. He’s served as a trusted cybersecurity advisor to many departments and for many projects and initiatives. Terry has also provided leadership to the campus software developer community through his proactive security efforts, and to the campus at large through his active participation with the UW Staff Association."  

"Terry also volunteers outside of UW: You’ll often find him at Kitchener Bluesfest managing a stage, where I’m often managing crowds," Testart wrote. "Please join me in congratulating Terry on this milestone and wishing him a safe and happy retirement. I hope to see you again at Bluesfest, Terry!"

Tuesday's tales of interest

The UW Legal Studies Society is inviting members of the University community to join them on Thursday, February 29 at 6:30 p.m. to hear from Marlee Liss at a presentation entitled "Restorative Justice for Sexual Harm - Why I Fought for a Circle, Not a Courtroom."

"Marlee is a somatic educator, author, and sparkle-loving queer Jewish feminist, who made history in the justice system when her sexual assault case became the first in North America to conclude with restorative justice through the courts," says a note from the UW Legal Studies Society. "She's an award-winning speaker, who has been featured in Forbes, Huff Post, Buzzfeed, and more. She will be speaking on restorative justice and sexual violence, and her own experience in the restorative justice system - we are so honoured to have her join us, and we hope that all of you are able to join us to hear from her as well!"

This event will be held in person, and the location will be sent to all those who register closer to the date of the event. Register via Google Docs.

The Inclusive Research team is hosting an Inclusive Research Tools: Identifying Barriers webinar today from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. that focuses on inclusive research practice.

"A question that often comes to the Inclusive Research team from researchers is “what are the top three things I can do to embed EDI my work?”" says the webinar's promotional blurb. "This session takes EDI barriers as its focus to help researchers better understand what barriers are and the impacts they can have. This session looks at different approaches and considerations when identifying barriers to equity in order to help researchers identify ways to understand potential barriers that may exist in their research program, project and/or teams. The session also provides ideas for concrete and tangible actions to meaningfully address barriers."

Chapters of Change: Anti-racism & Conversations is going ahead on Wednesday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m. in the SLC Black & Gold Room. The event, hosted by WUSA, promises to be "a reading and conversation on Eternity Martis‘ book They Said This Would Be Fun – a powerful memoir that explores the author’s experiences as a Black woman navigating the predominantly white and privileged environment of a Canadian university."