health

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series: March 2026

The BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series is an opportunity for professors, established researchers and/or early career investigators and trainees across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress primary care research.

When: March 11th, 2026 12:00 – 1:00pm AT

Join Link:  

Attend BRIC NS March Primary Care Learning Series on Microsoft Teams

Meeting ID: 296 472 239 082 3  Passcode: jG38BF3a  

If you need help joining the webinar, or have any questions, please contact bricns@dal.ca 

Title: Designing Sleepwell for Reach

This session will highlight some of the stories behind building Sleepwell as a knowledge mobilization program, which aims to increase awareness and use of self-management strategies for insomnia while reducing reliance on medications.  

Presenters: Drs. David Gardner and Andrea Murphy

Drs. David Gardner and Andrea Murphy are professors with the Department of Psychiatry and College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University. The scholarly work is focused on improving mental health care through research, education, and implementation. They are co-developers of the Sleepwell research and knowledge mobilization program, which promotes evidence-based approaches to managing insomnia and reducing reliance on sedative medications, and they led the recently completed the Your Answers When Needing Sleep in New Brunswick (YAWNS NB) clinical trial and the YAWNS across Atlantic Canada knowledge mobilization project.  

BRIC NS

BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series: February 2026

The BRIC NS Primary Care Learning Series is an opportunity for professors, established researchers and/or early career investigators and trainees across Nova Scotia to share their completed or in-progress primary care research.

This session featured two presentations:

Presentation #1

Title: How Relational Continuity, Serious Mental Illness, and Substance Use Disorders Shape Management of Diabetes and Hypertension: Analysis of Population-Based Administrative Health Data in British Columbia

Presenter: Eric Poarch, MSc

Eric Poarch is an MSc student graduating this spring from the Epidemiology and Applied Health Research program at Dalhousie University. He completed his thesis work under the supervision of Dr. Ruth Lavergne and has recently begun work as a research assistant for Dr. Thomas Brothers and Nova Scotia Health, with research interests in mental health, substance use, and primary care. Eric enjoys cooking, playing music, and rock climbing in his spare time.

Presentation #2

Title: Understanding Health Inequities Among Older Immigrants: Population Evidence and Lived Experiences

Presenter: Arezoo Mojbafan, PhD Candidate

Arezoo is a PhD candidate in Health at Dalhousie University, supervised by Dr. Elaine Moody and Dr. Lori Weeks. She holds a bachelor’s degree (2012) and a master’s degree (2015) in Health Services Management from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran and currently works as a Teaching and Research Assistant at Dalhousie University. Before beginning her PhD, Arezoo worked in health policy consulting and the insurance sector in her home country, experiences that shaped her interest in how health systems and policies influence equity in people’s everyday lives. Since moving to Canada, she has been involved in multiple research projects and publications focused on health policy and older adults and has collaborated with Dr. Elaine Moody on a book chapter examining contextual factors that influence care for older persons.

In 2024, Arezoo completed the TUTOR-PHC Program, an interdisciplinary primary healthcare research training program. She pursued this program to strengthen her understanding of primary care systems, collaborate with researchers and practitioners across disciplines, and better connect her research on health inequities to real-world care delivery. Her research interests include health policy, older adults, health inequities, and health human resources. Outside of academia, Arezoo is passionate about spending time in nature, dancing, and staying active, which helps her maintain balance, creativity, and perspective in both her personal and professional life.

When: February 18th, 2026 12:00 – 1:00pm AT

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*** Click here to view the recording***