Aboriginal Health Research News - July 2012

Other format

Inside this Issue:

Return to the IAPH Home page

Message from Dr. Malcolm King, IAPH Scientific Director

Late in June, I had the privilege and honour of attending the 12th Annual National Gathering of Graduate Students (NGGS) in Montreal, Quebec on traditional Kanien keha:ka Territory. The NGSS has become an essential meeting for young researchers interested in Aboriginal health. The event is possible because of the dedication and hard work of the Aboriginal Health Research Network (AHRNet) and the principal investigators leading the Network Environments for Aboriginal Health Research (NEAHR) centres. Dr. Laurence Kirmayer, the leader of the Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research (NAMHR), hosted the event at McGill University. Approximately 70 students from across Canada attended the meeting. I was extremely impressed with the overall quality of the student presentations. These stellar students attest to the vitality of our research community, and give me confidence in the future of Indigenous health research in this country. Similar to past years, I had the privilege of bestowing on three outstanding candidates the CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health Scientific Director Award. This year's winners – Angela Snowshoe (Western University), Ashley Ning (University of Toronto) and Caroline Recollet (Laurentian University) – are highlighted below.

IAPH Training Award Funding Opportunities

The Institute is pleased to be offering priority announcements to fund up to six Doctoral Research Awards and another six Postdoctoral Fellowships in three areas: Aboriginal Methodologies, Quantitative Research, and First Nations, Inuit and Metis Health. I encourage all students pursuing PhD studies or postdoc research training in the area of Aboriginal health to apply to these competitions. These awards are aligned with the Institute's strategic goal of increasing the rigour and scientific methodology underpinning Aboriginal ways of knowing and traditional knowledge in research promoting the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. In the following months, we will be talking at greater length about our plans to deliver on these priorities.

Winners of the CIHR-IAPH Scientific Director Awards at the NGGS

Understanding the Role of Culture for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Adolescent Mental Health: Development and Longitudinal Validation of a Cultural Connectedness Measure
Angela Snowshoe (Western University)

Aboriginal Youth and Social Determinants of Health
Ashley Ning (University of Toronto)

The Experiences of Algonquin, Ojibway and Métis Grandmothers who Practice Traditional Sacred Arts for Healing and Wellbeing
Caroline Recollet (Laurentian University)

Tips for applying for a Training Award

CIHR research training awards, such as Doctoral Research Awards and Fellowships, are highly competitive. Here are 10 simple yet effective tips to strengthen your application.

  1. Review all the relevant Funding Opportunity information thoroughly, including the "How to Apply" and the "Frequently Asked Questions". Contact CIHR staff if you require clarification or need help confirming your eligibility.
  2. Follow the Application Instruction Checklists and adhere to format guidelines (e.g., font, page limits).
  3. Organize your ideas and highlight important sections. Keep in mind that reviewers will have several applications to review.
  4. Prepare your application with care and use spell check; typos and grammatical errors will leave a poor impression.
  5. If applicable, order your transcripts several weeks before the deadline.
  6. Choose sponsors (i.e. references) that know you well enough to be able to assess your potential and to provide specific examples of behaviour with respect to each characteristic on the Sponsor Assessment Form.
  7. Consult the Guide for Reviewers to gain a good understanding of how your application will be reviewed.
  8. Work in collaboration with your supervisor/mentor.
  9. Get a supervisor, mentor, colleague and/or experienced CIHR reviewer from your institution to review your application and provide constructive feedback.
  10. Start several weeks/months before the deadline. Don't wait until the last minute to submit your application.

CIHR News

CIHR Fellowship program moving to one competition per year

In an effort to align the timing of CIHR's fellowship competition with its federal counterparts, NSERC and SSHRC, beginning in the Fall 2013, the CIHR Fellowship competition will only accept applications once per year (in October).

Despite this change, the number of fellowships awarded will be maintained at approximately 170 per year and the overall budget allocated to this program will remain unchanged at $21M over five years.

For questions, please contact the Fellowships team or visit our FAQ.

Operating Grant: Population Health Intervention Research (Fall 2012 Competition)

This is the first funding opportunity to be launched under the "Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples" CIHR Signature Initiative. The Institute of Aboriginal Peoples Health, will fund population health intervention research applications that are relevant to Suicide, Obesity, Tuberculosis, and Oral Health. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support the prompt initiation of population health intervention research on rapidly unfolding programs, policies and resource distribution approaches that have been initiated by others (e.g., policy makers) and have the potential to impact health and health equity at the population level.

Letters of Intent are due by September 14, 2012.

New CIHR Publications Available!

Guide to Evaluation in Health Research

The Guide to Evaluation in Health Research by Dr. Sarah Bowen, University of Alberta, was developed for researchers and reviewers who want to build their knowledge and skill in the area of evaluation of health and health research initiatives. The specific objectives of this CIHR online learning module are to: demonstrate the potential for evaluation to support evidence-informed action; support development of appropriate evaluation plans for research funding proposals, and facilitate assessment of evaluation plans by peer and merit reviewers.

The complete Guide, includes an evaluation checklist and other evaluation resources.

Guide to Knowledge Translation Planning at CIHR: Integrated and End-of-Grant Approaches

CIHR has developed a new Knowledge Translation Guide to assist with the writing and reviewing of grants. Integrated and end-of-grant approaches are described in detail with case studies that bring the concepts to life and worksheets that will help guide your thinking and planning. The Knowledge Translation Guide is available online or in hard copy by sending us an e-mail.

Write to us!

IAPH welcomes researchers, partners and other stakeholders to share news stories that relate to areas of our mandate. If you have interesting research results or developments, are organizing a conference or workshop, or wish to report on a past event, we would like to feature them in our newsletter or other communication materials.

Have a comment? Please share it with us! You can also write to subscribe or unsubscribe to our Newsletter. Simply send us an e-mail.

Contact IAPH Staff

Supplemental content (right column)