SGPS Student Info Sessions for the Tri-Agency Awards Competitions

SSHRC Doctoral Awards Student Info Sessions:

  • Wednesday, October 4, 2017 from 12:30pm-1:30pm EDT
  • Friday, October 6, 2017 from 12:30pm-1:30pm EDT
  • Wednesday, October 11, 2017 from 12:30pm-1:30pm EDT

SGPS staff will walk through the process of preparing a doctoral scholarship application at Western. These are lunch-hour sessions and all are held in the International and Graduate Affairs Building Classroom (IGAB 1N05) which is located on the main floor near the SGPS Office. The one-hour sessions are offered multiple times to accommodate as many students as possible. No registration is required.

Eligible continuing PhD students and Masters students planning to apply to a PhD program next year should plan to attend an information session. Information is also available on SGPS’s Student Finances pages: http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/student_finances/sshrc.html.

The application process will take some time, so it is recommended that you start early to order your transcripts and prepare your application materials. You can review “What’s in an application?”: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/apply-demande/tips-astuces/doctoral_awards-bourses_de_doctorat-eng.aspx

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Researcher position available in Vancouver

The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation is a non-profit organization primarily involved in the design, research, and evaluation of social programs and policies.

SRDC is seeking a dynamic full-time researcher for its office in Vancouver. The successful candidate will be attached to a team of professional policy analysts and evaluators conducting various research and evaluation projects dealing with social policy issues and programs targeted towards youth, persons with disabilities, new immigrants and refugees, social assistance recipients, or other populations for whom social and economic integration may represent a challenge.

The successful candidate will primarily support field research activities and perform qualitative analysis. He/she will be called to work closely with service delivery agencies, such as employment income assistance offices, WorkBC employment service centres, or partnering non-profit organizations and employers throughout the province (and occasionally outside). The researcher will oversee the proper implementation of research protocols and data collection processes, providing on-the-ground insights on how programs are implemented in practice and report back to the research team.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • administering surveys to study participants, conducting stakeholder and key informant interviews, and facilitating focus groups;
  • ensuring consistent implementation of research protocols and reliable data collection;
  • participating in the development of work plans and research instruments and protocols;
  • designing logic models and evaluation frameworks;
  • undertaking literature reviews and environmental scans;
  • coding and analyzing qualitative data;
  • writing research reports and presenting research findings; and
  • developing evaluation and research proposals in response to specific client needs.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS:

  • a post-graduate degree in social sciences, combined with previous experience working in a field research capacity;
  • sound knowledge of research methods used in program evaluation;
  • experience collecting, managing, and analyzing research data;
  • general knowledge of federal and provincial programs targeted at disadvantaged populations;
  • strong interpersonal, relationship-building, facilitation, and communication skills;
  • strong writing skills; ability to present research results clearly and concisely;
  • capable of working in a self-directed manner and collaborating in a team environment;
  • problem-solving skills; ability to exercise good judgment within established procedures and practices;
  • experience with survey design and use of administrative data; the coding and analysis of quantitative data are considered an asset;
  • past experience working with Indigenous populations and experience using Indigenous evaluation methods are considered an asset; and
  • capacity to work in both official languages is considered an asset.

We take pride in our employees and in their commitment to excellence. Our reputation for professionalism, rigorous ethical standards, integrity, quality, and objectivity is based in no small part on our high-calibre staff. We offer our employees competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package as well as a stimulating work environment and a collegial approach to doing challenging work.

Interested candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter providing a short description of their research interests and skills, explaining how they relate to SRDC’s mission statement and research priorities. Candidates may be required to write a knowledge and ability test as part of the selection process.

Please submit applications by October 1, 2017 to:

Elizabeth Rodgers, Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services
Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC)
55 Murray Street, Suite 400, Ottawa, ON  K1N 5M3
hr@srdc.org

www.srdc.org
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Shastri Scholar Travel Subsidy (India/Canada)

Shastri Scholar Travel Subsidy Grants (SSTSG) SSTSG assist faculty members and graduate students with travel subsidies to participate in conferences, workshops, seminars and academic meetings within and between India and Canada with a view to establishing institutional and scholarly linkages.

Value: The Shastri Institute will provide up to CAD $1,000 to support the scholar’s international air fare (economy class).  Associated costs related to visas, meals, per diem and accommodation are not eligible under this grant.

Deadline: September 18, 2017

More Information…

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Trainee Award: Hacking the Knowledge Gap in Health Research

Individuals who identify as LGBTQI2S (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Two-Spirited) face disparities in the prevalence of certain health concerns as well as barriers to accessing appropriate care. The evidence shows that improving access to health care that is appropriate, inclusive and patient-centred can help close this serious health equity gap. However, health systems and medical education are often slow to adapt. This knowledge-to-action gap means that people do not always benefit from health research in a timely or efficient way.

This initiative is part of the Hacking the Knowledge Gap Series.

The Trainee Award for Innovative Thinking to Support LGBTQI2S Health and Wellness will fund research trainees to attend a unique two-day Design Jam. The Design Jam will bring together trainees and experts from across disciplines to foster creative problem-solving around knowledge translation (KTE) challenges facing individuals who identify as LGBTQI2S.

Important Dates:
Webinar: September 13, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. ET
Application deadline: October 24, 2017
Anticipated Notice of Decision: December 18, 2017
Funding start date: January 16, 2018
Design Jam dates: February 23 and 24, 2018 in Vancouver

Funds Available:  The total amount available for this program in fiscal year 2017-18 is $425,000 for one year (enough to fund approximately 17 prizes of $25,000).

Research Areas: This request for applications will support applications that identify a knowledge-to-action gap related to LGBTQI2S health and one of the following research themes:
·       Access to inclusive and patient-centred care
·       Mental and emotional health and wellness
·       Self-advocacy and bodily autonomy

Check out the full funding opportunity….

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Western University Graduate Symposium on Music

The Society of Graduate Students in Music at Western University presents:

18TH ANNUAL
WESTERN UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SYMPOSIUM ON MUSIC
Friday, August 25th – Saturday, August 26th 2017

Keynote Address:

Singing on the Piano: Clara Wieck-Schumann and the Keyboard Romance in the Early 19th Century

Dr. Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers
University of Ottawa
Saturday, August 26th at 3:00 pm.


Graduate Student Workshop :

Musical Instruments and Embodied Performance

Dr. Jonathan De Souza
Western University
August 25, 9:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m

Click here for the full Program.

Western Research Ethics Management (WREM) Rollout Update

Additional information about the launch of the new online protocol submission platform – Western Research Ethics Manager (WREM) – on September 7, 2017:

Attestation
A previous memo indicated chairs, chiefs and department heads will now be responsible for providing a one-time initial attestation. To clarify, the one-time attestation will only be required on submissions that have been determined by the REB to require a full board review (i.e., delegated submissions will not require a chairs, chiefs and department heads attestation) and the REB review will NOT be delayed while waiting for the attestation but an REB approval letter will not be issued until the attestation has been documented in WREM.

ROMEO Shutdown
ROMEO will shut down at midnight on August 31, 2017 and you will begin using WREM as of September 7. To allow for a successful data migration between the two systems, you will not have access to ROMEO or WREM between these dates.

Migration

1st Migration – September 7, 2017

  • All studies approved in ROMEO up to Aug 31, 2017 will be migrated to WREM.
  • There will be no access to ROMEO or WREM during Sept 1-6 as data migration will be taking place during this time.
  • All new submissions and any post approval submissions (for those studies that were initially migrated to WREM) are to be created using the new platform.
  • Information that will be initially migrated will include: REB number, full study title, PI name, initial approval date, expiry date, those designated as Research Support Staff.
  • Important notes:
    o No information about post-approval submissions (e.g., amendment, CER, reportable events, etc.) will be migrated during the 1st migration. This information will be migrated during the 2nd migration.
    o No study documents (incl. the ROMEO Application Form (“Western Protocol”)) will be migrated into WREM.
    o All those designated as Research Support Staff in a ROMEO file will also have access to the migrated file in WREM.

2nd Migration – date TBD

  • If your initial submission or post-approval submission has been submitted – but not approved – in ROMEO by August 31, it will be migrated during the 2nd migration.
  • To help minimize delays, please save copies of ALL currently approved documents (e.g., ROMEO Application Form (“Western Protocol”), Letters of Information, etc.) from ROMEO to your secured network drive for easy access.

Training
Training for WREM began on July 11. Please visit the dedicated rollout website to register for an upcoming session, schedule individual training, or for additional information.

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Mitacs – Information Session

Information Session on Mitacs Funding

by

Erin Azzopardi
Business Development Specialist
Mitacs Inc.

Thursday, September 14
12:00 pm
SSC 5220

Mitacs provides flexible research funding for collaborations with industry and not-for-profit partners. Mitacs also supports international research networks through student mobility and provides research and training opportunities for your students and postdocs.

This information session is open for faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. It will include an overview of Mitacs programs, such as Accelerate and Elevate, which provide opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to apply their specialized expertise to research challenges relevant to industry or a community partner.

This session will also touch on new international opportunities. It will provide examples of funded social science projects, and where to start if you are interested in developing collaborative partnerships.

Presented by the Faculty of Social Science.

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Job Postings at Health Quality Ontario

Health Quality Ontario‘s Patient, Caregiver and Public Engagement team has recently posted two job positions.  The successful candidates for both positions would be contributing to two of Health Quality Ontario’s Knowledge Transfer projects on synthesizing what is known in a topic area, and then crafting knowledge projects to inform action.  More information is included below, with links to the two postings.  These part-time, contract, work-from-home positions would be ideal for students across the province.

1)      Research Assistant – Engaging Underserved Communities Project.

Deadline to apply: August 14, 2017.

Link to posting: http://www.hqontario.ca/Portals/0/documents/about/careers/research-assistant-1707.pdf

Description: The Research Assistant is responsible for contributing to the Patient Engagement Team’s underserved communities knowledge transfer project. Individuals and families from lower income households are the focus for this project, acknowledging that low income is a cross-cutting theme across many underserved communities. The successful candidate will be responsible for collecting, synthesizing and helping form dissemination strategies for the best available evidence on the engagement of individuals and families from lower income households for the purposes of health system improvement. Expected outputs of this project include, an analysis report on the current state of knowledge in this area, a toolkit containing resources and tools to help guide engagement, and a draft article for peer-review publication.

2)      Research Associate – Patient Engagement Curriculum Development Project.

Deadline to apply: August 14, 2017.

Link to posting: http://www.hqontario.ca/Portals/0/documents/about/careers/research-associate-07-2017.pdf

Description: The Research Associate is responsible for contributing to the development of an educational strategy on patient engagement for Health Professionals. The practice of patient engagement is becoming more widespread in Ontario and requests for capacity building in this area are on the rise. One such way to build knowledge and capacity for patient engagement is by building patient engagement into the curriculum of health professional training programs (e.g. medical, nursing, allied health and health administration programs). However, little is known about the current state of patient engagement curricula in existing health professional training programs in Ontario. The successful candidate for this role will be responsible for conducting an extensive environmental scan on the current state of health professional education in patient engagement. This role will also involve drafting a strategy to move forward, addressing the gaps in curriculum in this area, potential organizations to partner with, our potential role and a general curriculum outline.

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Canada’s Largest Study on Aging – Data Available to Researchers

Canada’s health researchers have access to a valuable national research platform to answer important questions related to health and aging.

Launched in 2010, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) involves 51,000 Canadians, aged 45 to 85 at recruitment, who will be followed for 20 years.

The platform includes data on health status, physical assessments, diseases, cognition, psychological well-being and mental health, social well-being, economic aspects of aging, and blood-based biological markers.

The initial baseline data set is now ready and available for use by researchers and trainees working in all areas of health and psychosocial well-being. Follow-up data collection events will be repeated every three years for 20 years.

Visit the CLSA website to find out more about the platform and how you can access the data for your research.

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