For people who have experienced trauma, early support is critical for regulating distress and restoring a sense of safety. But Harmsen, a PhD candidate in York’s Clinical‑Developmental Psychology program and the Trauma & Attachment Lab, notes that individualized, in‑person therapy isn’t always accessible. Cost, distance, time constraints, mobility challenges and a shortage of trained clinicians can all stand in the way.

During – and after – the COVID‑19 pandemic, many mental health services shifted online to reach more people, she explains. Alongside individual sessions, clinicians also began offering more virtual group formats. Trauma therapy in that format allows multiple survivors to receive care at once. The virtual format can foster a sense of shared understanding and may reduce stigma by helping participants see their responses as common, rather than isolating.

Despite its potential, Harmsen says group therapy remains an underused resource, in part because of lingering public hesitation. That gap helped inspire a research project she's been part of, now published in the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, which tested whether online, skills‑based trauma groups could offer meaningful early‑stage support – and how to make them as effective as possible.

The project was developed by a team at York's Trauma & Attachment Lab, directed by psychology professor Robert T. Muller. Harmsen worked collaboratively with Muller and York postdoctoral fellow ł§Čč°ùČčÌęžé±đ±è±đČÔ»ćČč,Ìę±Êłó¶ÙÌ곊ČčČÔ»ćŸ±»ćČčłÙ±đÌęGeorge Langdon, and clinical psychologist Anna Baranowsky. The team designed an eight‑week, skills‑based trauma program delivered in partnership with the community organization Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities. The initiative was offered entirely online and focused on grounding, self‑regulation, basic coping strategies and psychoeducation – tools to help individuals manage distress safely, without detailed trauma disclosure.

“Our guiding goal was to understand how to create an online program that was informative, practical and helpful, particularly during a difficult time,” Harmsen says.

The study followed 178 adults who took part in a series of small, closed online groups between 2020 and 2024. To assess impact, the research team compared changes in participants’ symptoms before the group began with those measured after the final session.

The results were encouraging. PTSD symptoms declined much more after participants completed the program than during the waiting period beforehand, suggesting the program's success. About one‑third of people showed clinically meaningful improvements, with symptoms easing across areas such as intrusive memories, avoidance, and negative mood and thinking. More than a quarter of those who initially scored in the range associated with probable PTSD fell below that screening threshold by the end of the program.

Soon after completing that project, the research team conducted a follow‑up study to better understand why some participants benefited more than others. Although online trauma groups are increasingly used, Harmsen says far less research has examined the factors that help explain how and why they work.

“There are so many different types of therapy,” she says. “Identifying when online group therapy is most successful, and how to use it effectively, is important.”

The follow‑up study examined the experiences of 80 adults drawn from the same community‑based program. Those who participated completed symptom questionnaires before and after the experience, along with post‑program feedback on dynamics and satisfaction.

What stood out most was that satisfaction – not group climate – predicted improvement. Participants who felt the techniques were clearly explained, easy to understand and practical in everyday life showed the largest reductions in trauma‑related symptoms.

In the paper, the researchers note this does not mean the collective setting was unimportant; rather, the findings suggest that for early‑stage, skills‑based trauma groups, the primary value comes from expanding access and delivering practical tools safely and efficiently. Individual improvements, however, depend on how clearly those tools are taught and how easily they can be applied in daily life.

Harmsen stresses that more research is still needed, including randomized trials and longer‑term follow‑up. In the meantime, she hopes the work highlights how early stabilization in online group settings can be a valuable part of broader trauma‑care pathways, and encourages clinicians to think carefully about how similar programs are designed and facilitated.

“Understanding how to make online group therapy as effective as possible will help make services more accessible to those in need,” she says. “I hope this research encourages people to consider using online group therapy in their practices and provides some guidance on how to make the most of these groups.”

The post York study highlights potential of online trauma care groups appeared first on YFile.

“New grads are not staying in nursing,” says Robbio, who teaches in the School of Nursing at żìČ„ÊÓÆ”. “It’s a lot of sacrifices they’re making, a lot of money they are spending, to not stay in nursing.”

High turnover and ongoing staffing pressures affect not only individual nurses but also the broader health care system, Robbio says. Her work focuses on addressing burnout and retention challenges that emerge early in nurses’ careers.

Many new graduates face a difficult shift as they enter professional practice where support can be limited and workplace pressures high. These challenges were further intensified during the COVID‑19 pandemic, which disrupted clinical placements and contributed to work fatigue among practising nurses.

That transition period prompted Robbio to focus on mentorship and social connection as ways to help students build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging as they move into the workforce. However, through her doctoral work in 2018 – titled "E-Mentoring as a Socialization Strategy for New Graduate Nurse Role Transitions and Workplace Adjustment" – Robbio confirmed that traditional in‑person mentoring models can be difficult to sustain due to competing priorities, scheduling conflicts and heavy workloads.

In 2023, supported by a York Academic Innovation Fund grant, Robbio expanded her research by launching a pilot e‑mentoring initiative to explore a more flexible approach. The project examined whether virtual mentoring could offer an accessible, cost‑effective way to overcome common barriers to mentorship. It did so through an interdisciplinary research team consisting of co-principal investigator Mavoy Bertram, an associate professor from the School of Nursing; former Teaching Commons educational developer Lisa Endersby; statistician Hugh McCague from the Institute for Social Research; Helen Brennagh from Learning Technology Services; Stephanie Quail, director of the Open Scholarship Department at żìČ„ÊÓÆ” Libraries; and research assistant Doina Nugent.

The initiative explored how an e‑mentoring model within York's School of Nursing could provide psychosocial guidance, networking opportunities and career support for fourth‑year undergraduate collaborative BScN students.

Following positive responses from both mentors and mentees, Robbio received support through a żìČ„ÊÓÆ” Faculty Association Teaching Fellowship and żìČ„ÊÓÆ” Minor Research Grant to integrate the system directly into the curriculum of an undergraduate nursing leadership course she teaches.

The three‑month program – built on the 2023 research work and started in January 2025 – paired third‑year undergraduates (e‑mentees) with graduate nursing students who are also experienced registered nurses (e‑mentors). The mentors came from within the York community.

“We already have nurses at York who are working on their graduate degrees,” says Robbio. “We have a pool of people who want to give back to the profession while continuing their education.”

Mentors created detailed profiles that included clinical experience, years in practice and personal interests to help foster strong matches. Students were then able to indicate preferred mentors, with efforts made to accommodate those choices where possible.

Once matched, mentors and mentees connected by email, text or Zoom every two weeks. They discussed topics such as goal setting, conflict management, career pathways and work-life balance, supported by a series of online learning modules. Robbio emphasizes the tone of the relationship was central to the initiative’s success.

“It was not so much about preaching to your mentee, but really listening,” she says. “It felt more like a peer‑support relationship.”

At the end of the program, e‑mentees completed a reflective learning assignment to assess their development and experiences. Mentors and mentees were also invited to complete a post‑program satisfaction survey.

The findings were positive. A large majority (86 per cent) of e‑mentors said they would participate again, citing the experience as rewarding and meaningful. Many e‑mentees reported they valued the additional guidance and planned to stay in contact with their mentors. While designed to support undergraduate nursing students, mentors also gained from the experience.

“E‑mentoring was really a reciprocal relationship,” Robbio says, noting that mentors had opportunities to reflect on their own practice, strengthen leadership skills and reconnect with their professional purpose.

Ultimately, the initiative aims to support long‑term retention in the profession. By helping students build resilience, navigate challenges and develop coping strategies early in their careers, Robbio hopes it will make a lasting impact.

“Our goal is that whatever skills they’ve learned – whether it’s resilience, conflict resolution or managing work-life balance – this program will help them stay in nursing,” she says.

Robbio and her team plan to continue work on the initiative. In the fall, she hopes to expand the program to support internationally educated nurses, who may face additional pressures as they transition to working in Canada. She is also exploring ways to involve alumni as e-mentors and believes the model could eventually be adapted for use in other programs and disciplines.

With files from Ruth Robbio

The post Virtual mentoring helps nursing students transition to practice appeared first on YFile.

For people with limb loss, phantom pain and discomfort in the remaining part of the body – sensations that seem to originate from a missing or altered limb – have long captured clinical and research attention.

New work by Andrea Aternali, a doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Health, Heather Lumsden-Ruegg, master’s researcher, and Department of Psychology Professor Joel Katz, is advancing understanding of this phenomenon.

"Despite decades of research on phantom limb phenomena, telescoping has been largely overlooked," says Aternali.

Phantom limb telescoping occurs when someone perceives their absent limb as slowly shortening or pulling inward toward the residual limb, the part that remains after amputation. While many people report the sensation, researchers still know relatively little about how it relates to pain or interacts with emotional factors such as anxiety, depression, resilience or coping. Addressing those gaps, Aternali explains, can help clarify whether telescoping reflects distress, adaptation or a mixture of both and lead to support for the marginalization experienced by individuals.

"We hoped that by understanding a sensation like telescoping, new ways might be found to help this community," she says.

Aternali and her team conducted a study – now published in – involving 51 adults with upper or lower limb loss. Using a custom web-based tool, participants indicated whether they experienced telescoping, among other factors. They also completed standardized questionnaires assessing pain, emotional well‑being and coping styles.

Nearly half of participants reported the phenomenon, suggesting it may be more common than previously thought. Younger adults and those with upper‑body amputations – particularly right-sided, below‑elbow – were more likely to describe it.

The data also revealed that those who felt a more telescope phantom (a shorter phantom limb) reported lower levels of phantom pain and less interference with daily activities. At the same time, they described higher levels of anxiety and depression than those who did not experience the sensation.

For Aternali, the findings indicate that telescoping may, in some cases, reflect the brain’s natural adjustment to limb loss rather than something driven only by distress or pain. The results point to a more nuanced picture in which the sensation may arise from a complex interaction between emotional factors and neural adaptation. That insight could inform more individualized approaches to care for people adjusting to life after amputation.

The researchers note that more work is needed to fully understand how telescoping develops. Studies following individuals over time, using brain imaging and testing targeted interventions – such as virtual‑reality treatments or psychological therapies – could offer deeper insight. Larger and more diverse samples, along with qualitative interviews, may also help illuminate how people make sense of the sensation in their daily lives.

Aternali, Lumsden‑Ruegg and Katz hope their findings will highlight the importance of supporting both the physical and psychological aspects of recovery. They suggest clinicians should routinely screen for anxiety and depression in patients who report telescoping and consider offering tailored psychological support when needed. Doing so, they believe, could help ensure that care reflects the full spectrum of experiences that shape life after limb loss.

"We hope this research informs future treatments for phantom limb pain," Aternali says. "By highlighting the link between telescoping, anxiety and depression, we aim to encourage holistic care supporting both physical and emotional well-being."

The post żìČ„ÊÓÆ” reveals new insights into limb loss appeared first on YFile.

Led by Parmeet Singh Channe, a student, Enactus York is empowering students to tackle social and environmental challenges through award-winning entrepreneurship and ventures.

When Channe, a third-year computer science student, was growing up, he was exposed early to stark inequalities. He recalls seeing children his age working in extreme conditions instead of attending school. Those experiences instilled in him a drive to make a difference that evolved into a desire to pursue socially minded entrepreneurship and build projects to create the change he wanted to see in the world.

That motivation led him to żìČ„ÊÓÆ” and, in April 2024, to a LinkedIn post by Enactus Canada, a registered charity. Channe learned the organization empowers post-secondary students to use innovation and entrepreneurship to advance social impact. Through a network of teams at more than 78 campuses across Canada – and a global network spanning 35 countries – participants develop projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and compete by pitching their ventures and demonstrating outcomes on a national and international stage.

“Discovering Enactus felt like finding a platform that perfectly aligned with what I had already been trying to build: using entrepreneurship as a tool for real-world impact,” says Channe.

After learning that a previous Enactus York chapter had dissolved during the COVID-19 pandemic, Channe became determined to resurrect it. Within a few months, he relaunched the chapter, which was officially ratified in September 2024. The group started small, with only two members. In those early days, Channe took on several roles: pursuing partnerships and funding, overseeing project development and working to recruit new members to grow the team into a thriving entrepreneurial community.

Today, Enactus York has grown to more than 90 members, supporting innovative initiatives – each driven by a purpose that reflects what first inspired Channe. “Our goal is to create ventures that benefit lives at scale while improving people’s standard of living,” he says.

In its first year, the group demonstrated its mission through award-winning projects, such as: AR Home Builder, an augmented reality app that helps rural communities to construct sustainable, resilient housing; Modular Homeless Shelters, which redesigns existing shelters with factory-built units to provide housing solutions; and Energent, an intelligent energy management platform that helps property managers reduce consumption and costs while promoting sustainability.

Three more ventures are underway this year. LiftAID connects students with non-profits, helping communities access volunteer support while providing opportunities to develop applicable skills. Easysim helps professors teach economics through realistic simulations, making education more engaging and accessible. Dragoncure is exploring ways to support triple-negative breast cancer treatment – especially in low-income countries – by developing solutions that are affordable, low-risk and aimed at reducing relapse.

Earlier this year, Enactus York took these projects to competition with team members Prabhkrit Singh (co-president of Enactus York), Mohammad Areeb (vice-president) and Samashi Munaweera (project manager of Dragoncure).

In its first appearance at the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition, the chapter earned three podium finishes: Easysim placed second in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, Dragoncure placed second in the Innovation & Impact Challenge and LiftAID placed third in the Desjardins Community Empowerment Challenge.

In addition to its Enactus achievements, Dragoncure also earned first place at the Hult Prize Qualifiers at żìČ„ÊÓÆ” – part of a global competition that challenges student teams to pitch business ideas addressing major global problems. The qualifiers feed into national and international rounds, offering the team a chance to move on to the competition’s final stages and compete for seed funding.

While venture creation and competitions are the chapter's focus, it also serves as a hub. It organizes workshops, networking events and collaborative initiatives that provide opportunities to gain skills in market research, pitching and storytelling, project development and building partnerships. “These experiences not only support venture creation but also prepare students for careers in entrepreneurship and innovation,” says Channe.

Looking ahead, Channe says Enactus York will participate in the Hult Prize Nationals in Montreal in April, followed by the Enactus Canada National Exposition in May, where teams compete for a chance to advance to Enactus Global.

Channe envisions the chapter growing into one of Canada’s leading student venture ecosystems. It boasts more than 10 active projects creating measurable change for thousands of individuals internationally, with Enactus York alumni leading startups and driving innovation across industries.

“We aim to contribute meaningfully to the SDGs while building a generation of students who see themselves not just as learners, but as problem-solvers and changemakers,” he says.

By inspiring others to take action, Enactus York aims to create a ripple effect one person at a time. “Just one tree can provide shade to hundreds of people in its lifetime,” Channe says.

The post Student entrepreneurs build ventures to create real-world change appeared first on YFile.

“For many people, the experience of TB is debilitating physically, emotionally, socially and financially,” says Nancy Bedingfield, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, who works with Associate Professor Amrita Daftary at the School of Global Health. The way these effects are typically studied is through a unifying framework. “Quality of life (QoL) is a single concept capable of capturing these wide-ranging impacts,” she explains.

To measure QoL, researchers often use an internationally recognized questionnaire called the World Health Organization Quality of Life – BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). But while working on a larger study called MISSED OUTCOMES, which explores the causes and effects of high TB rates in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, Bedingfield realized that standardized measures might miss something vital.

“Standardized questionnaires yield very valuable information, but cannot capture the cultural and individual complexity that really matter when it comes to an outcome as personal as quality of life,” she says. “We can’t truly understand the impacts of TB unless we look at the experience holistically. We need a nuanced understanding in order to do that.”

To address this, Bedingfield pursued a stand-alone study within MISSED OUTCOMES which has now been published in . The study was co-designed with Andrew Medina-Marino’s team at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, University of Cape Town, and engaged a recent graduate of York’s School of Global Health, Mahilet Girma.

The team conducted open-ended interviews with individuals at different stages of treatment, giving participants space to share their own experiences of how TB affects their daily lives.

Participants described how TB didn't just damage their lungs, but disrupted routines, limited their independence and reshaped how they saw themselves and their roles within families and communities. Many described a decline leading up to a diagnosis, as unmanaged symptoms made work and everyday tasks increasingly difficult. Treatment was not an automatic remedy. In fact, early treatment was often the most challenging stage, marked by medication side effects, fatigue and mounting financial strain. Even after treatment ended, many participants continued to experience those challenges.

Participants judged their well-being on what mattered most to them: the ability to work, support family or pursue personal goals. Physical recovery wasn’t enough; without income or social assistance, many still felt the quality of their daily lives was poor. Through those personal perspectives, the study will add nuance to how well-being is understood in TB patients and highlight gaps in social and economic services, pointing to the systemic changes needed to improve outcomes.

“People experiencing TB, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa, require financial assistance and personalized counselling to achieve a fulfilling quality of life and recover from the setbacks imposed by TB,” says Bedingfield.

The study recommends more support during early treatment, when well-being is often at its lowest, as well as after treatment ends when people are considered "cured." This could include income assistance, counselling, education and programs to help people return to work.

Recovery from TB is about eliminating infection as much as it is about restoring stability, independence and dignity – something medicine alone cannot achieve.

“We hope our study comes to the attention of international and national decision-makers who can increase prioritization and funding for social protection programs – such as cash transfers, nutrition programs and personalized counselling – for people affected by TB,” Bedingfield adds. “The needs of people affected by TB are great, but the resources available for person-centred supports are lacking.”

The post żìČ„ÊÓÆ” shows tuberculosis treatment goes beyond medicine appeared first on YFile.

Published in the , the study responds to the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing, an international framework aimed at improving the lives of older adults through age-friendly environments, better care systems and efforts to combat ageism. While these priorities are important, Balyasnikova and her co-authors – all co-conveners of the Educational Gerontology Special Interest Group at the British Society of Gerontology – felt it reflected a recurring gap.

“Across global health and aging policy frameworks, learning is largely absent or treated as peripheral,” she says. “We wanted to examine this omission more systematically and, importantly, to offer examples that demonstrate how participation in learning environments contributes to healthy aging and well-being.”

To do so, the researchers turned to three real-world learning initiatives in Canada and the U.K. – projects they helped design, lead or facilitate. This first-hand involvement allowed them to analyze participant experiences in depth, rather than observe programs from a distance.

In Canada, older immigrants participated in the Seniors Storytelling Club, a 10‑session, arts-based language-learning program where learners created oral, written and multimodal stories while building community with peers. In the U.K., the team examined two initiatives: a one-day intergenerational co-creation workshop that used movement, drawing and collaborative activities to explore sustainability; and the Ageing Well Public Talks, an ongoing public education series launched in 2019 that has reached more than 90,000 participants worldwide.

Because the researchers were embedded directly in these initiatives, they collected varied forms of data. For the storytelling club, this included in‑class narrative work and follow‑up interviews conducted over several months. The one‑day workshop was video recorded, supplemented by participants’ immediate reflections and post‑event surveys. The public talks incorporated continuous feedback loops – short surveys after each session, annual questionnaires and voluntary testimonials – creating a multi‑year record of participants’ learning experiences.

Taken together, these cases offered insight across different time scales: from a single immersive day to a multi-week program to an ongoing, multi-year public learning platform.

Across all three, Balyasnikova explains, they found that “older learners pursue education for diverse purposes, often closely tied to well-being and social engagement.” The study did not measure clinical outcomes such as physical health or functional ability; instead, it focused on perceived improvements in social connectedness, cognitive engagement, empowerment and sense of belonging.

Participants consistently reported increased confidence, stronger social ties and a renewed sense of purpose. Learning later in life, the study shows, supports cognitive, emotional and social growth – helping older adults challenge age-related stereotypes, remain mentally active and participate more fully in their communities.

The findings challenge the dominant policy perspective shaped in part by the World Health Organization, which defines healthy aging primarily in terms of maintaining functional ability. Balyasnikova says this narrow focus contributes to reductive narratives about older adults.

“Dominant narratives continue to cast older adults either as privileged individuals seeking only leisure or as vulnerable people in cognitive decline,” she says. “These framings obscure the richness of learning later in life.”

The study argues that overlooking learning as a core component of healthy aging is a missed opportunity in global policy. When learning does take place, it is often framed narrowly in terms of workforce participation rather than as a tool for well‑being and inclusion.

Balyasnikova emphasizes the broader implications of the work. “Major policy frameworks on healthy aging rarely engage seriously with education. Addressing this gap is essential for rethinking what learning can look like across the life course,” she says.

By calling for learning to be explicitly integrated into global frameworks, Balyasnikova and the study advocates for a more holistic, inclusive approach to policy.

“I hope the article contributes to shifting both policy and practice,” she adds. “It makes the case for recognizing learning as integral to healthy aging frameworks and offers language to support advocacy for programming. But overall, we hope to add our voices to the growing global dialogue challenging reductive narratives about older adults.”

The post York research challenges how healthy aging is defined appeared first on YFile.

Research led by żìČ„ÊÓÆ” draws attention to inequities in Canada’s public health care system affecting immigrant and racialized families raising children on the autism spectrum.

Conducted by a team at York’s in partnership with the community organization SMILE Canada-Support Services, the research centres on the voices of family caregivers who are often overlooked in autism research or policy discussions despite facing disproportionate barriers to care.

The study, published in , investigates the lived experiences of caregivers from marginalized communities to understand the social determinants affecting access to care and autism-related services.

Findings show that fragmented systems, stigma and structural barriers create long-term strain for individuals and families in caregiving roles, highlighting the need for public health policy reform across Canada.

“Caregiving does not happen in isolation,” says Farah Ahmad, professor in the School of Health Policy and Management. “This research shows how families are navigating multiple systems at once – health care, education, immigration and social services – and how gaps in those systems directly affect family well‑being.”

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition affecting approximately one in 50 children and youth, aged one to 17 years. While support needs vary, parents and family members often take on complex and ongoing responsibilities soon after diagnosis, including care coordination, advocacy and emotional, and financial assistance, Ahmad notes.

The researchers argue that when caregivers’ needs go unmet, the effects extend beyond individual families. Chronic stress, burnout and declining mental health among caregivers can influence service use, employment and long‑term health outcomes, making caregiving a pressing public health concern rather than a private challenge.

“When family caregivers are stretched to the limit, the impact shows up across systems,” says Ahmad. “Health and education policies need to recognize caregivers as central partners in care.”

The study collected data using PhotoVoice, a participatory research method that allowed participants to document their experiences through photographs and personal narratives.

Immigrant and racialized family caregivers took part in four in‑person sessions that included guided photo‑taking, group reflection and collaborative analysis. York researchers worked alongside caregivers to identify key themes and refine the findings, positioning participants as knowledge holders rather than research subjects.

“This approach aligns with our commitment to community‑engaged research,” Ahmad says. “It allowed caregivers to show, in concrete ways, what gaps look like in daily life.”

The PhotoVoice study was led by graduate student Jesse Sam, which contributed to his major research paper for his master’s in health policy and equity. The team also included Tareq Khalaf (doctoral student in health) and ŽĄČÔÂáČčČÔČčÌ곧ČčłÙłóŸ±±đČő (master's student in critical disability studies). 

The group identified seven interconnected themes that reflect the complexity of caregiving: family and child needs; physical and emotional burden on caregivers; school support gaps; stigma and discrimination; overall journey with barriers; transitions and uncertainty; and “two sides of a coin:” isolation and strength, loneliness and hope.

School systems were flagged as a major pressure point, requiring caregivers to spend significant time advocating for support. For families facing other obstacles, such as language and systemic, these challenges were compounded.

“What stood out was how persistent and layered these barriers were,” says Ahmad. “Families were not dealing with a single obstacle, but a series of interconnected challenges that accumulated over time.”

Participants also described racism and discrimination within health and social service systems, along with financial strain tied to therapy costs, lost work time and administrative burden.

The study calls for policy changes that would improve equity in autism support: coordinated, culturally responsive health and education systems that reduce administrative burden, address stigma and assist families across key transitions.

Those who participated in the PhotoVoice study reported feeling validated and empowered, and expressed interest in sharing the findings with broader audiences.

Ahmad notes that by positioning caregivers’ experiences as evidence, the research challenges policymakers and practitioners to rethink how autism care is delivered and who is included in decision‑making processes.

The post żìČ„ÊÓÆ” reveals autism care barriers for marginalized families appeared first on YFile.

The five‑year project will examine how nurse practitioners and registered nurses can deliver low‑barrier, community‑driven services for groups that experience gaps in access to health care.

The project is led by Mia Biondi at York’s School of Nursing, , with co-principal applicants Karen Campbell (żìČ„ÊÓÆ”), Molly Bannerman (Women and HIV/AIDS Initiative), Grace Chiutsi (AIDS Committee of Toronto) and Guillaume Fontaine (McGill University). The team also includes co-investigators from York and partner institutions, including School of Nursing Faculty Roya Haghiri-Vijeh, Catriona Buick, Ramesh Venkatesa Perumal; and School of Nursing graduate students Tamara Barnett and Michelle Hermans. The team received guidance from external partners, including service provider and community advisory boards, with members such as Elene Lam, from the School of Social Work.

The research builds on Phase I funding of $100,000 awarded in 2024 through CIHR’s Community-Based Research program and responds to a documented rise in HIV infections among women in Canada. The award funds projects grounded in lived experience and community partnership.

Biondi says cis and trans women, in particular, experience systemic and social inequities that limit access to HIV information, counselling, prevention and treatment. These inequities are intensified for women who are racialized, use drugs, have migrated, are criminalized, participate in sex work or identify as 2SLGBTQIA+.

The inform the direction of the project, the team held focus groups in spring and summer of 2025 with women affected by HIV and those who may benefit from prevention medication; service organizations and their leadership; nurse practitioners and registered nurses; and policy‑makers. Guided by its advisory boards, the team gathered input on facilitators and barriers to care, as well as supports for women‑centred models and what training and collaboration are needed.

Participants also helped identify priorities that will inform the project’s next steps.

“Drawing from these findings, we have outlined a five‑year plan that includes further consultation, co‑design of care models, pilot implementation and evaluation in communities where it is most needed,” explains Biondi. “The goal is to strengthen access to HIV prevention and treatment by supporting women-led, women-centred, nurse-facilitated, low-threshold models that can be delivered in community settings."

The proposal will work to develop a scalable, sustainable provincial implementation plan, where women in the community are leading the initiatives, she notes.

The project, says Biondi, is rooted in strong community-led integrated knowledge translation as well as justice, equity, diversity, decolonizing and inclusion plans. It also outlines training and capacity-building for women in the community, nurse practitioners and registered nurses, HIV sector service providers and graduate students.  

The post York research works to expand equity-focused HIV care for women appeared first on YFile.

SDG Month feature

Firefighters face elevated long-term health risks from toxic chemical exposure and chronic stress – risks that can be difficult to track during and after active calls.

At żìČ„ÊÓÆ”, Ebrahim Ghafar-Zadeh – researcher at the and associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science – is working to change this. Together with Markham Fire and Emergency Services and collaborators at the University of Calgary, he is leading the development of an innovative wearable monitoring technology designed to protect frontline responders.

The project aims to enhance firefighter health by generating real-time data to support safer protocols for first responders.

“The rate of cancer in firefighters is so high that even the federal and provincial governments have called for research related to it. This is what motivated us,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.

The wearable system will measure two key indicators through sweat: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a chemical linked to toxic exposure during fires, and cortisol, a biomarker commonly used to measure the body’s stress response.

PAHs are produced during combustion and cling to gear, skin and surrounding surfaces. They are associated with cancer and also pose an increased risk with lung and skin issues. Cortisol, meanwhile, can rise when the body is under sustained physiological strain, potentially leading to impaired decision-making, slower reaction time and fatigue while on the job.

“By monitoring these components, the firefighter can better manage their health,” says Ghafar-Zadeh. “For example, if the wearable monitor shows that PAH or stress levels are too high they will have to reduce the activity they’re partaking in so they can work safely.

“The device has multiple key components: one uses skin-worn patches that collect sweat to measure cortisol and PAHs that have been absorbed into the skin; another attaches to the outside of a firefighter’s clothing to help measure PAHs in the surrounding air.

It will be the first device built for real-time monitoring of these chemicals. Information will be recorded during activity and sent wirelessly to the fire chief, so risks are identified early.

“This information will be private, since it is related to human health. The data will be processed through an AI framework and available for fire chiefs to monitor while firefighters are in the field,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.

The project is supported by the Government of Alberta’s Supporting Psychological Health in First Responders (SPHIFR) grant and co-led alongside Professor Amir Sanati-Nezhad of University of Calgary.

Additional collaborators include Markham Fire and Emergency Services Fire Chief Chris Nearing and Deputy Chiefs Ryan Best and Robert Garland, as well as Ali Asgary and Adriano O. Solis, żìČ„ÊÓÆ” researchers and professors in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

Markham Fire and Emergency Services will help to test the device and provide feedback on how it can be adapted to existing firefighting procedures.

York contributors are focused on the physical sensor design and its interface, while University of Calgary collaborators bring expertise on microfluidics – tiny fluidic structures that handle the liquid sweat samples and guide them to the sensing site.

The sensors have already been developed, and the current stage of the project is focused on completing trials by testing the technology with Markham firefighters.

“This stage will include analyzing results and improving the system to make it more user-friendly,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.

The team has demonstrated parts of the system to the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response as well as Markham firefighters.

“We have received very positive feedback from the people who witnessed the demonstrations, specifically the firefighting department,” says Ghafar-Zadeh. “They are very positive about the technology.”

Ghafar-Zadeh says he hopes the work can eventually expand beyond the city and, longer-term, reach a national level.

“Our next step is to secure additional funding to expand testing and begin bringing this technology into real-world use, ideally within the next one to three years,” says Ghafar-Zadeh.

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

The post żìČ„ÊÓÆ” researcher designs wearable device to protect firefighter health appeared first on YFile.

A led by health studies undergraduate student Nastaran Ghanbari and Professor Dennis Raphael explores how historical political art can deepen learning about health equity and social justice, and highlights why addressing these systems matter.

To do this, Ghanbari and Raphael presented drawings by German artist George Grosz to żìČ„ÊÓÆ” health studies students and alumni and recorded their responses. The art, created during the Weimar Republic in the 1920s, strongly criticizes poverty, inequality and capitalism by depicting exploitation and hardship.

Participants were asked to consider whether the scenes and messages felt relevant to contemporary Canadian society. Many found that they did, says Ghanbari.

“Participants described the images as engaging but also unsettling,” says Ghanbari, first author for the study published in Medical Humanities. “More importantly, they said the drawing reflected realities they recognize in their own lives and communities including rising inequality, insecure work, barriers to accessing basic needs and the sharp contrast of hardships experienced across social classes.”

Several themes emerged repeatedly from students’ interpretations of the art: class relations, health effects of poor living and working conditions, the limitations of charity and the difficulty of achieving meaningful social change.

“For students, seeing these issues portrayed visually helped reinforce ideas they encounter in coursework, but in a more immediate and emotional way,” says Raphael. “The drawings made abstract concepts such as ‘social determinants of health’ feel concrete and personal.”

Raphael says although Grosz’s art was created in response to economic and political conditions of Weimar-era Germany, the drawings raised questions that students felt were still unresolved.

Grosz’s art shows how inequality, power and class structure daily life and how those structures can influence health outcomes over time, say Raphael. Low wages and housing insecurity, for instance, limit people’s ability to stay healthy.

The research project helped students consider how policies, labour conditions and wealth distribution are factors influencing health outcomes.

Students also reported potential for arts-based approaches as a tool for mobilizing students, health care workers and the public to advocate for action that addresses inequities.

This, he says, is an example of how arts and humanities play a crucial role in health education. Through images, stories, history and discussion, students see how well-being is not just about personal behaviour, but is a result of larger systemic forces.

“The findings from this research reinforce the idea that understanding health inequities requires more than data and policy analysis alone,” says Raphael. “For York students preparing to work in policy and community settings, the ability to recognize these patterns is essential.”

The study follows up on from Raphael and health policy MA alumna Eberechukwu Akadinma, which also examined the relevance of Grosz’s work for promoting social justice and health equity in contemporary society.

Together, the two studies contribute to a growing body of research showing how humanities‑based approaches can strengthen health education.

The post How 1920s German art strengthens health education appeared first on YFile.