Dear faculty, staff and graduate students,
This Lunar New Year, my family celebrated the launch of the year of the rabbit, which will see 13 moons in 2023. My kids joined in the activity of making Chinese dumplings, a ritual at home when I was growing up. The celebration will continue for two weeks until the next new moon.
Chinese culture can be rife with superstitions and taboos. During Lunar New Year celebrations, people avoid washing hair or clothes as these could wash away good luck, and there is no sweeping as it could sweep away wealth. The list goes on and includes what colours not to wear and why red symbolizes good fortune.
For younger generations, these superstitions are generally harmless and can be amusing stories that show ways of life, values and preoccupations in earlier times. But certain superstitions or taboos are barriers to health and well-being in modern times, and they can crop up in unexpected ways.
For example, the topic of death is taboo among traditional Chinese populations. I grew up in Canada as an immigrant and, by all accounts, I have adopted a predominantly Western approach to life. However, when my mother was in hospice care, I was unable to broach the topic of death with her.
I could navigate a complex health-care system, but I was not able to have an open dialogue with my dying mother. Days before she passed, I saw her make a cross on her chest. That was when I realized, with relief, that she understood she was dying. But it irked me that a deeply ingrained taboo prevented me, a health-care professional, from spiritually comforting my dying mother.
Throughout the years, these experiences, and others, have helped me evaluate what I love about my heritage and how I incorporate cultural practices or eliminate them in my life. Today, we openly discuss death with my kids, including organ donation, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying the celebration of other rituals and traditions.
Wishing you a happy year of the rabbit,
Lili Liu
News I Events I Did you know
NEWS
Funding spotlight: Graham Seed Fund recipients
Congratulations to Dean Lili Liu, Charity Oga-Omenka and Monica Maly for being three of 10 recipients of the newly launched Graham Seed Fund, which aims to strengthen the University’s health system partnerships by providing resources for collaborating directly with health providers and clinicians.
Funding spotlight: PhD candidate Emily Kocsis
Congratulations as well to Emily Kocsis, a PhD candidate in Public Health Sciences who received a Doctoral Research Award from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Her research will explore the socio-ecological resilience of Indigenous small-scale farming households in the Western highlands of Guatemala through an examination of the nexus of agro-ecology, gender and rural livelihoods. Her supervisor is Warren Dodd.
Let's play Wellness Bingo
The Dean’s Advisory Committee on Health and Well-being has launched a monthly Wellness Bingo game to promote healthy habits and behaviours. Everyone in the Faculty of Health is welcome to download a bingo card and play along. When you complete a line, you can send a picture to health.wellbeing@uwaterloo.ca to be entered for a monthly prize draw. February’s prize is dinner and a movie for two at the Princess cinema and café.
Health in 3D research impact report launches
Health in 3D is the Faculty of Health's research impact report, highlighting how our three academic units work to address physical, mental and social well-being. See how some researchers are tackling problems in areas such as health technology, aging, mental health, brain and body, environment and communities.
UPCOMING EVENTS
GRADflix virtual showcase: January 31
Tune in to the live GRADflix virtual showcase, starting at 3 p.m., to cheer on three finalists from the Faculty of Health: Kiran Dhuga, Karen Hock and Madara Marasinghe, all from the School of Public Health Sciences, who reached the competition final. Their creative 60-second videos will be competing with 22 other finalists for the GRADflix showcase winner. Join the live stream for the event and vote in the People’s Choice category. Register via Eventbrite.
Queer Mixer: January 31
Graduate and undergraduate students are invited to a Queer Mixer on January 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the AHSUM lounge (BMH 1035). Snack, socialize and have fun!
Networking workshop: February 2
Spread the word to undergraduate students that a career advisor from the Centre for Career Development will be providing networking tips at a workshop hosted by Recreation and Leisure Studies. The event takes place February 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in LHS 1621.Undergrads from all academic units are invited, but they need to register in advance.
Teaching Award nominations deadline: February 3
Please consider nominating a Faculty of Health TA or instructor for the following awards by February 3:
- The Amit & Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student is open to all students who have a formal teaching role at Waterloo. Nominees must be endorsed by at least five individuals, including present and past students and faculty supervisors of the nominee.
- The Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes exceptional teaching by an instructor over an extended period of time at Waterloo. A successful nomination requires at least 10 nomination letters from students and colleagues.
Ukrainian student photo gallery and talk: February 9
A photo gallery compiled by Ukrainian students capturing the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is on display on the second floor of the Health Expansion building. Themes include evacuation and migration, defenders, education during the war, occupation and civil destruction. You can also leave wishes or donate to the University for Ukraine Fundraiser. Also, on February 9, Ukrainian students will be available from 12 to 2 p.m. to speak and facilitate a VR trip through parts of Ukraine before and after the war.
Professional Community Networking Fair: February 9
Recreation and Leisure Studies is hosting a Professional Community Networking Fair open to all Faculty of Health students. Community partners that will be there include municipalities such as the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, as well as professional associations like Parks and Recreation Ontario, Grand River Conservation Authority, Festival of Events Ontario, Waterloo Region Tourism Corporation and Therapeutic Recreation Ontario. The event takes place February 9, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in HLTH EXP 2691.
Blanket Exercise: February 10
Please join us for a Blanket Exercise on February 10 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., with breakfast beforehand. The event is an interactive education program that teaches the history of colonization in Canada. Please register in advance to attend the Blanket Exercise. Space is limited.
Insights on starting a business book launch: February 15
Join Marc Lafleur (BSc '14, Health Studies) for the launch of his new book, True Founder: What no one else has the guts to teach you about your first business. Lafleur is co-founder of truLOCAL, a company that he eventually sold for almost $17 million. He will be speaking at 3:30 p.m., followed by a reception and book signing from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. Please register in advance for the True Founder book launch.
Grade 10 Family Night: February 23
Every year, the University hosts Grade 10 Family Night, an opportunity for students in grade 10 to begin thinking about their university journey and learn more about opportunities at the University of Waterloo. If you know families with students in this age group, please let them know about this special event and ask them to register for the in-person or live-streaming Grade 10 Family Night options.
Naloxone training: February 28
Learn how to save lives in this training session hosted by the Dean's Advisory Committee on Health and Well-being. The session is open to everyone in the Faculty of Health: staff, students, faculty and postdoctoral fellows. The session is free, but registration is required on the Naloxone training event page.
Alumni Office Hours: February 28-March 2
This month's Alumni Office Hours will take place between February 28 and March 2. The series connects students with alumni, so please share with anyone who's interested in hearing about various career trajectories. Speakers will be announced soon on the Alumni Office Hours web page.
DID YOU KNOW
Truth, reconciliation and health course
A new Contemporary Health Issues course, HLTH 373: Truth, Reconciliation and Health, engages almost 50 third- and fourth-year students in the School of Public Health Sciences in learning and activities about Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. Co-taught by Elder Myeengun Henry and Rhona Hanning, with support from Tasha Shields, PhD candidate and Gabrielle McInnis, the School's research graduate programs assistant, students participate in learning circles and ceremony, curriculum centred around past, present and future considerations for Indigenous peoples and a range of exploration and reflection activities. Decolonizing processes are integrated where possible.