Recipients: Susan Bartels, Christopher Booth, Pascale Champagne, Marc Epprecht, Christina Godfrey, Anthony Goerzen, James Miller, Michael Rainbow, Dongsheng Tu, and Suning Wang.
Susan Bartels 鈥 To further her work on 鈥減eace babies,鈥 Dr. Susan Bartels has proposed a multidisciplinary research project to study children fathered by peacekeepers and born to local women in the host country. Combining professors from Queen鈥檚 and the University of Birmingham, this project seeks to determine the number of peace babies around UN bases in the DRC and Haiti, and to analyze the challenges faced by these children and their families. Oftentimes, women raising 鈥榩eace babies鈥 face judgement and stigma from their communities, and this study will help elucidate exactly how this affects them and the children they are raising. Dr. Bartels has years of experience working in humanitarian settings, and the project鈥檚 team will bring together viewpoints and expertise from many disciplines. The results of this study will help inform policies of United Nations and the training of future peacekeepers. The work will also provide an excellent learning opportunity for several graduate students whose projects will be facilitated by this study. The collaborations with the University of Birmingham will strengthen Queen鈥檚 knowledge about children born of war and pave the way for future international collaborations in this growing field.
Christopher Booth 鈥 Dr. Christopher Booth is creating strong ties with a leading cancer hospital in Kerala, India. His project, entitled 鈥淐ancer health services research collaboration at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India,鈥 will see the start of two major studies with Dr. Aleyamma Mathew of the RCC as the co-Principal Investigator. Low and middle-income countries have seen few studies analyzing the outcomes of treatment for cervical cancer and the impact of lower socioeconomic status on cancer survival rates. Dr. Booth鈥檚 award from the International Fund will allow him and Dr. Mathew to begin studies on both of these issues, which will improve the treatment and preventative measures put in place for patients. This will benefit the Indian healthcare system that is overburdened with cases of cancer and help researchers understand the predetermining factors that lead to these cases. These studies will assist in creating a long-term collaboration between Queen鈥檚 and the RCC.
Pascale Champagne 鈥 The treatment of wastewater is global concern, and the city of Quito, Ecuador is no exception. In her project 鈥淎n integrated algal system as a potential eco-engineered wastewater treatment process in Ecuador,鈥 Dr. Pascale Champagne is hoping to ascertain the feasibility of using an integrated algal system to treat wastewater in Quito. In collaboration with Dr. Ochoa-Herrera and her undergraduate student Maria Belen Benitez and graduate student Sofia Barrera at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Ecuador, Dr. Champagne will assess how much nitrogen and phosphorus can be removed from the water samples using an algae culture. This project could have huge ramifications for the city of Quito, which is currently lacking a wastewater treatment plant. If successful, Dr. Champagne鈥檚 system could be used not only in Quito, where wastewater is a major environmental concern, but in many other Latin American cities as well. The collaboration between Dr. Champagne and Dr. Ochoa-Herrera will also involve the exchange of undergraduate and graduate students, providing an excellent learning opportunity for students of both countries.
Marc Epprecht 鈥 With his award from the International Fund, Dr. Marc Epprecht will develop Queen鈥檚 as a leader in African studies through his proposal for the creation of a 鈥淢atariki Network for African Studies.鈥 By cooperating with colleagues at Dartmouth College, specifically Dr. Ayo Coly, Dr. Epprecht will create the necessary framework within the Matariki Network of Universities MNU to promote collaborations with each other and with their African partners. This grant will fund two upcoming colloquia focused on promoting sexual minority rights in Africa through economic development and capacity building. One colloquium will be held at Queen鈥檚 on Africa Day 2016 and will involve presentations from faculty in multiple disciplines. The other will occur at Dartmouth College in October 2017 and will concern itself with understanding existing African models for engagement in health and wellness. These colloquia will also assist in preparing for the 2018 Canadian Association of African Studies conference being hosted by Queen鈥檚. Dr. Epprecht anticipates several publications regarding conceptions about African sexual minority rights to come from these conferences, developing Queen鈥檚 reputation as a leader in the study of LGBTQI minorities across Africa.
Christina Godfrey 鈥 As the scientific director of the Queen鈥檚 Joanna Briggs Collaboration QJBC), Dr. Christina Godfrey is hoping to enhance evidence synthesis at seven healthcare centers in six African countries with her project 鈥淏uilding skills in evidence synthesis to advance healthcare.鈥 Her mission is to provide training and support for African healthcare centres implementing evidence synthesis. Using the International Fund, Dr. Godfrey will be able to conduct a needs assessment for seven centres and develop a platform that will enable interactions between QJBC and these seven centres. The fund will also support a six-week training program at Queen鈥檚 for one or two centre participants who will receive extended training about evidence synthesis and conduct their own evidence synthesis project. The findings from Dr. Godfrey鈥檚 study on the effectiveness of the methods used at the seven centres will also set the stage for future publications and conference presentations. This collaboration with the seven African centres will expand QJBC鈥檚 international collaborations to a third continent and assist the sharing of knowledge between the centres themselves. It will also continue the positive pattern of mentorship and support within all Joanna Briggs Institutes.
Anthony Goerzen 鈥 In an increasingly complex system of globalized supply chains, Dr. Anthony Goerzen is focused on understanding the environmental and social impacts of these large enterprises. His project, entitled 鈥淕lobal supply chain management practice 鈭 environmental and social sustainability,鈥 seeks to gather information on practices used by multinational corporations (MNC) such as auditing, sourcing, production, and risk. This information will be used to build a database on Canadian MNC policies which will be accessible to faculty and graduate students. Dr. Goerzen鈥檚 model will be replicated at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia, Bocconi University in Italy, University of St Gallen in Switzerland, and University of Nuremburg in Germany, leading to a global database on the policies and practices of MNCs. Dr. Goerzen鈥檚 project will provide effective risk mitigation strategies for MNCs that can benefit stakeholders and companies alike when creating policies on supply chain management. Creating these strategies is essential in preventing tragedies like those of the Rana Plaza fire by creating greater transparency surrounding supply chains within a company. The project will also enable Queen鈥檚 to create research partnerships with institutions that previously had only student exchange-based relationships.
James Miller 鈥 Dr. James Miller, through his 鈥淒ecentering critical theory,鈥 is seeking to reframe the interactions between Chinese and Western cultures. His research focus is the ways in which both cultures perceive the human body in relation to society and nature, which is a topic that will become more important as China rises as a major global power in many fields. Dr. Miller鈥檚 project involves several colleagues at five leading institutions across four countries. They have formulated four research questions to be answered individually, one each year for four years, that are aimed at decentering critical theory from its past Western focus. Their papers will be presented at the annual summer institute at Beijing National University. The collaboration will result in several journal publications each year and four edited volumes of their work. Dr. Miller鈥檚 project will also allow for greater ties to be built between Queen鈥檚 and Beijing National University, and will facilitate bicultural research for students in many disciplines at Queen鈥檚. His project will create new frameworks for interaction and information-sharing across Chinese and Western cultures, and has the potential to be replicated in various other cross-cultural relationships.
Michael Rainbow 鈥 Dr. Michael Rainbow is gaining greater insight into the function of the human foot in his project 鈥淎n international collaboration to understand the neuromechanics of the human foot.鈥 Together with researchers from the University of Queensland, INRIA in France, and Brown University, Dr. Rainbow is using several technologies to analyze arch biomechanics and the structures that modulate stiffness in the medial longitudinal arch of the foot. By charting the movements of the individual structures of the foot in the context of full body motion, the team will be able to better understand the neuromuscular and mechanical function of the foot and its contributions to the human musculoskeletal system. Dr. Rainbow鈥檚 research on the foot can have major impacts in the fields of prosthetics and chronic foot injuries. Prosthetics engineers may be able to use this new data to create more effective foot prosthetics that can mimic the function of the intricate structures inside the foot. Foot injury treatment can also benefit from this research by increasing our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms. Dr. Rainbow is also strengthening the relationships between the Human Mobility Research Centre at Queen鈥檚 and his collaborators in the United States, Australia, and France.
Dongsheng Tu 鈥 In his project 鈥淐ollaborative research on statistical models for the joint analysis of quality of life and survival data,鈥 Dr. Dongsheng Tu will develop new statistical methods to analyze quality of life (Qol) data collected directly from cancer patients. He has partnered with Professor Guoyou Qin of Fudan University鈥檚 School of Public Health and colleagues from other Chinese universities to combine his own knowledge of cancer treatment and survival analysis with expertise of his partners in longitudinal data analysis. Thanks to the International Fund, Dr. Qin and other researchers from China will be able to visit Queen鈥檚 during the summers of 2016 and 2017 to analyze the data gathered by the research team at Canadian Cancer Trials Group and explore new statistical models. The partnership between Dr. Tu and his Chinese colleagues on this project will enable future collaborations between researchers and students at Queen鈥檚 and Chinese Universities. This project will also generate new statistical methods for the analysis of quality of life data which will enable more efficient and accurate assessment of cancer prevention and treatment strategies in clinical trials and from the perspectives of cancer patients.
Suning Wang 鈥 In a unique collaboration with Japanese and German institutions, Dr. Suning Wang and Dr. Cathleen Crudden are expanding Queen鈥檚 international reputation in the field of catalysis and materials science. The project, entitled 鈥淐ollaborative research on catalysis and materials with researchers at Nagoya University and Kyoto University,鈥 brings together researchers and students from Kyoto University, Nagoya University, Freie Universitat Berlin, and University of Munster. Projects undertaken by this group include Dr. Wang鈥檚 work on creating boron-based material for organic light-emitting diodes and Dr. Crudden鈥檚 work on creating cost-effective and environmentally friendly metal-free catalysts. The research network also facilitates exchanges to each other鈥檚 laboratories for graduate students, allowing students to gain valuable international experience. There are two annual meetings in Canada, Germany, or Japan that facilitate presentations of each lab鈥檚 work and continue to foster a collaborative environment for the researchers. Queen's already hosted the first of these symposia on June 29, which featured 19 fascinating oral presentations from seven research teams. Dr. Wang鈥檚 grant from the International Fund will assist the teams in their travels and collaborations with network members. As the only Canadian school involved in this network of leading institutions, Dr. Wang and Dr. Crudden have placed Queen鈥檚 at the forefront of catalysis and materials science research.