Learners

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Student Research Award Application Cycle 2023

Applications for the BRIC NS Student Research Award will be accepted from March 17 to May 17, 2023.

Note: Any applications received after the deadline will not be considered and you must resubmit for consideration when the next application cycle opens in Y2024.

Click here to view/download our Fillable Application Form

Click here to view/download Student Research Award Application Guidelines

Objectives

The goal of the BRIC NS Student Research Award aims to encourage future health researchers to consider primary care research as part of their career path.

Funding Details

The BRIC NS Student Research Award is offered annually to a minimum of two eligible recipients. In addition to receiving this prestigious recognition, BRIC NS will contribute an award of $1,500 (non-renewable) to assist the recipient in furthering their research. Award recipients will be required to present their primary care research project at a BRIC NS event.

Eligibility

To be considered, student research award applicants must:

  1. Be a BRIC NS member (membership is free and can be obtained on our Membership page).
  2. Be a Master’s student, Doctoral student, or Medical Resident within a Nova Scotian institution.
  3. Be engaged in primary care research in BRIC NS’s priority area (Listed on our Priorities page)

Application Requirements

A completed application package must be submitted via e-mail to bricns@dal.ca with the subject heading “BRIC NS Student Research Award Application”. SRA Applications must include:

  1. Completed application form
  2. Research project description (see application guidelines for format requirements)
  3. CV (Note that a Canadian Common CCV is not required, but would be acceptable)
  4. Copy of all academic transcripts (Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts may be requested upon receiving the award).
  5. A letter of reference from the applicant’s supervisor or other academic reference to be submitted separately by the referee. (see application guidelines for format requirements)

Assessment Criteria

Applications are assessed by the BRIC NS Student Research Award Review Committee using the following criteria and marking rubric:

  1. Addresses Primary Care Research Priorities (Yes or No)
  2. Relevance and potential impact of the primary care research project to BRIC NS’s goals and research priorities (20%)
  3. Quality and feasibility of the proposed primary care research project (20%)
  4. The relationship of the work to primary care (15%)
  5. Quality and feasibility of the patient engagement plan (15%)
  6. Quality and feasibility of the knowledge translation plan (15%)
  7. Quality, relevance and potential impact of academic abilities, training and past experiences (15%)

For all inquiries pertaining to this award:

bricns@dal.ca

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Student Seminar Series

The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide-variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated health care. Everyone is welcome!

Details:

Date: July 13, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm AST
To Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4RR3_i9fRj-AAIgCIxdfkA

After registering, you will receive an email with details about joining the Zoom session. If you need assistance registering email bricns@dal.ca.

This seminar will cover two topics:

Brannon Senger will present: Pathways to care, perceptions of services and clinical outcomes in a first episode psychosis setting.
Chiara Gottheil will present: Understanding diagnostic pathways for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer: A mixed-methods study.

About the speakers:

Brannon Senger is completing his first year in clinical psychology. With a Master’s in Public Health, his interests are in improving mental healthcare by making services more accessible and fostering coordination between primary care and specialized psychiatric services. Brannon strongly believes in the scientist-practitioner model and hopes to conduct research that improves outcomes for those with mental illness and have this research inform his future clinical work.

Chiara Gottheil is finishing the first year of her Master’s in Community Health & Epidemiology at Dalhousie University. Chiara works under the supervision of Dr. Robin Urquhart. Previously, Chiara completed an honours BSc at Queen’s University in Life Science. Her research will examine barriers to diagnosing ovarian cancer in Nova Scotia. Ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at a late stage, so this research will help determine why that is and how we can diagnose it in a more timely manner. Chiara is looking forward to speaking about her project!

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Student Seminar Series

The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide-variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated health care. Everyone is welcome!

Details:

Date: March 9, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm AST
To Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RwU9QET6Tniui-z1Oanzzw

After registering, you will receive an email with details about joining the Zoom session. If you need assistance registering email bricns@dal.ca.

This seminar will cover two topics:

Julia Kontak will present: The role of Youth Engagement in Health Promoting Schools

Rachel Erskine will present: Thyroid testing: Are we choosing wisely?

About the speakers:

Julia Kontak is a PhD in Health student at Dalhousie University. Julia’s research interests include healthy school communities, youth engagement and knowledge translation. Julia’s PhD work is embedded within UpLift, a School-Community-Partnership co-led by her supervisor, Dr. Sara Kirk, that aims to catalyze and support Health Promoting Schools efforts across Nova Scotia, Canada. Prior to pursuing her PhD, Julia completed her MA in Health Promotion at Dalhousie University and worked at two leading health research organizations in Nova Scotia. Most recently, Julia held the position of the Knowledge Translation Coordinator at the Maritime SPOR Support Unit for four years.

Rachel Erskine is a fourth year medical student at Dalhousie University, planning to pursue a career in Family Medicine. Her research interests include quality improvement and medical education. This talk will provide an update on current thyroid screening guidelines. A chart review at a Dalhousie Family medicine clinic was done to assess how well we are adhering to the Choosing Wisely guidelines when it comes to TSH testing. We also compare our performance prior to pandemic restrictions to during restrictions and hope to spark discussion on how COVID restrictions have impacted clinical decision making. 

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Student Seminar Series

The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare. Everyone is welcome!

Details:

Date: January 12, 2022
Time:12:15-1:30 pm AST
To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jjP7uw2fRWOOy-TqdzP_Qw

After registering you will receive an email with details about joining the Zoom session. If you need assistance registering contact bricns@dal.ca.

This seminar will cover two topics:

Kaylee Jabbour will present: Exclusive breastfeeding prevalence in an urban Nova Scotia primary care setting at six months of age

Hailey Burns will present: Attention bias and social skills in youth with anxiety disorders

About the speakers:

Kaylee Jabbour is currently a 3rd year Dalhousie medical student. She graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island with her Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2017. Her supervisor is Dr. Helena Piccinini-Vallis. Her primary clinical and research interests include maternal health, women’s health and sexual health. 

Hailey Burns is a first year Master’s student in the Masters of Psychiatry Research Program at Dalhousie University under the co-supervision of Dr. Sandra Meier and Dr. Raymond Klein. Her research focuses on the relationship between negative attentional biases in anxious and healthy youth in various social situations. This innovative project blends the study of cognitive behaviours and emotional well-being with modern eye-tracking software to potentially identify new targets, such as altering one’s attention bias, to help guide the development of new therapeutic techniques for those living with anxiety. Outside of academia, Hailey has taken up many hobbies due to the ongoing pandemic, including embroidering, painting, hiking with her dog Hudson, watching all of the marvel movies in chronological order, and has now moved on to a new hobby to try: knitting.

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Student Seminar Series

The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare. Everyone is welcome!

Details:

Date: November 10, 2021
Time:12:00-1:15 pm AST
To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qKTLTdvNT3aZ6QAA-nsHdw

After registering you will receive an email with details about joining the Zoom session.

This seminar will cover two topics:

Cassidy Bradley will present: Treatment regret, mental and physical health indicators of psychosocial well-being among prostate cancer survivors

Rachel Ollivier will present: Exploring Postpartum Sexual Health in Nova Scotia Using Feminist Poststructuralism

About the speakers:

Cassidy Bradley is a 2nd year MSc student at Dalhousie, studying Epidemiology and Applied Health Research. Her supervisor is Dr. Gabriela Ilie. Cassidy’s primary research interests include chronic disease management, quality of life, health equity and mental health. For her thesis she is studying the role of treatment regret, mental and physical health, as well as prostate cancer physical side effects to the quality of life (emotional, social, functional, and spiritual well-being) of survivors.

Rachel Ollivier is a PhD Candidate and Vanier Scholar at the Dalhousie University School of Nursing. She is also a practicing Registered Nurse at the IWK Health Centre. Her areas of research interest include maternal health, women’s health, and global health. Within nursing, Rachel’s experience spans education, teaching, research, and clinical practice.

BRIC NS

Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 BRIC NS Student Research Award!

BRIC NS is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Student Research Award. The award provides financial support to graduate students undertaking a health-related research project related to BRIC NS priorities. Winning applications demonstrate their relevance to, and potential impact on, primary and integrated health care. Applications are also assessed on patient engagement and knowledge translation plans, feasibility and overall quality. Thank you to all of our applicants and reviewers.

This year’s recipients will be recognized at a virtual reception. Winners will present during the 2021-22 Student Seminar Series. Read on to learn more about this year’s recipients.

Rosanne Burke

Master of Arts in Family Studies and Gerontology, Mount Saint Vincent University

Project: How Do Interrelationships Impact Home Care Service Delivery and Client Satisfaction?

What is one thing you would like people to know about your research?

Caring for aging adults who often live with multiple health conditions requires a comprehensive team of individuals from both the formal sector of home care services and family (Goodwin et al., 2014). With this in mind, my research will examine how home care services are affected by interrelationships of people coming together to care for the older adult and will include how these relationships may have been impacted in the context of the pandemic.

Hailey Burns

Master’s of Science, Psychiatry (Research), Dalhousie University

Project: Attention bias and social skills in youth with anxiety disorders

What is one thing you would like people to know about your research?

My research focuses on the relationship between negative attention bias in anxious and healthy youth in various social situations, including photos, videos, and social media. This innovative project blends the study of cognitive behaviour and emotional well-being with modern eye-tracking software to potentially identify new targets, such as altering a negative attention bias, to help guide the development of therapeutic techniques for those living with anxiety. Nova Scotia has previously reported having one of the highest rates of using healthcare services for anxiety in Canada, thus it is essential to advance treatment options to help individuals conquer their anxiety. As we are currently practicing social distancing due to COVID-19, it is imperative to see the impact of social media on mental wellbeing as the prevalence of online methods of communication are increasing. 

Chiara Gottheil

Master’s of Science, Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie Unversity

Project: Understanding diagnostic pathways for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer: a mixed methods study

What is one thing you would like people to know about your research?

Ovarian cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose.  Many cases are diagnosed at a late stage, resulting in a high mortality rate.  This demonstrates the importance of an efficient system for identifying ovarian cancer.  Factors such as long wait times and difficulty accessing healthcare can contribute to the delay in diagnosis.  I am hoping that my research will lead to the development of new tools for primary care providers so that ovarian cancer can be diagnosed at an earlier stage.  

Additionally, I believe that patient-oriented research should include the patient perspective.  Therefore, my project includes interviews with ovarian cancer patients and their healthcare providers so that we can learn about the barriers to diagnosis they have experienced, with the goal of learning how patients can be better supported during the process. 

It is my hope that this research helps contribute to a system where no one goes undiagnosed due to issues of access and quality of care. 

Brannon Senger

Master’s of Science, Psychology (Clinical), Dalhousie University

Project: Evaluating a peer support intervention for youth transitioning from early psychosis services to primary care

What is one thing you would like people to know about your research?

Mental illnesses are no different from physical illnesses, like cancer, in that earlier intervention often results in better outcomes. This is especially true in areas of severe mental illness like psychotic disorders which historically have been associated with a great deal of stigma and “therapeutic nihilism”.  Those experiencing psychosis, who receive early intervention services, tend to have better outcomes than those who don’t.  Nonetheless, those transitioning out of specialized psychiatric services, and into primary care, are at risk for relapse.  For this reason, better collaboration between these two systems can help to transition youth and provide primary care physicians with the appropriate context to best support their patients.

Emily Wildeboer

PhD, Clinical Psychology, Dalhousie University

Project: The Relationship Between Chronic Pain, Depression and Suicidality in Adolescents

What is one thing you would like people to know about your research?

My research focuses on the complex relationship between mental health and suicide in adolescents with chronic pain. Chronic pain and suicide in adolescents are important topics in the area of health research, and both are significantly impacted by psychosocial concerns, such as social isolation, and poor mental health, such as depression. We know a lot about how these concerns interact with chronic pain on its own, and how they contribute to suicidality on its own, but we don’t know a lot about suicidality within the adolescent chronic pain population, and that’s what my research aims to explore. My research is important because understanding more about factors that influence suicidality in these adolescents can allow health researchers to implement early intervention strategies that are targeted at not only managing pain, but also at managing the associated psychosocial concerns that could contribute to suicidality.

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Student Seminar Series

The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare. Everyone is welcome!

Details:
Date: July 21, 2021
Time: 12:30 – 1:45 pm ADT
To Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vJoVa2-pSm2ukq_Dqc4Qrg
After registering you will receive an email with details about joining the Zoom session.

This seminar will cover two topics:

  • Anders Lenskjold will present: Overtesting Behaviour in Primary Care in Nova Scotia Based on Data Mining
  • Jake Domm will present: Application of a community-based intervention to reduce impairment-related motor vehicle collisions: strategy and ethical considerations

About the Speakers:

Anders Lenskjold is a Danish trained physician with clinical experience in primary care, orthopedic surgery, trauma, and rural medicine in Denmark and Norway. Master of Science in Medicine from the University of Copenhagen and Master in Health Informatics (in progress) from Dalhousie University. Research associate at the Department of Family Medicine at Dalhousie University. Ph.D. student in Radiology and AI bridging the workflow between primary care and radiology with planned official enrolment at the University of Copenhagen later this summer.

Jake Domm is a Dalhousie medical student, born and raised in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia. He completed his MSc. at University of Guelph in gene therapy and is an avid podcast host for CanadiEM. His research interests have morphed over time, from gene-editing solutions for rare diseases, to community-based interventions for preventative medicine. Otherwise, Jake enjoys crossfitting with his wife and hiking with their dog.

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Student Seminar Series

The BRIC NS Student Seminar Series is an opportunity for students across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress research. Presentations cover a wide variety of disciplines, but all address the common thread of primary and integrated healthcare. Everyone is welcome!

Details:
Date: March 17, 2021
Time: 12:30 – 1:45 pm ADT
To Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1ha_v8CdToKr17ris0iLJQ
After registering you will receive an email with details about joining the Zoom session.

This seminar will cover two topics:

  • Shauna Hachey will present: Integrating Oral Health and Primary Healthcare: Exploring Knowledge and Practice
  • Emma Cameron will present: Access to postnatal health services and supports: The experiences of resettled Syrian refugee women in Nova Scotia

About the Speakers:

Shauna Hachey, Assistant Professor, School of Dental Hygiene, is a co-lead of the Dalhousie Healthy Populations Institute’s Putting “Oral Health is Health” into action Flagship Project, which is committed to improving the oral and overall health status of Nova Scotians by enhancing oral health care strategies and accessibility through interdisciplinary research. She is also currently a trainee in the TUTOR-PHC (Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research in Primary Health Care) program at Western University. With the aim of improving the oral health of priority populations, her research interests surround interdisciplinary approaches to oral health, and oral health policy and programming. Her current work focuses on 1) oral health curriculum in nursing, physician and SLP educational programs across Canada and 2) oral health care within Nova Scotia’s primary healthcare system.  

Emma Cameron is a second-year Master of Arts student in Health Promotion at Dalhousie University. She completed her BSc (honours) at Dalhousie University in Psychology. Her master’s thesis focuses on access to postnatal care for resettled Syrian refugee women in Nova Scotia. Emma has additional research interests in sexual and reproductive healthcare for refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant women, and the experiences of discrimination among refugee youth in Canada. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia and is the co-founder of the Women’s Health Interest Group at Dalhousie.