Winners of the 2023 Knowledge Translation Student Award

The National Collaborating Centres for Public Health (NCCPH) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 NCCPH Knowledge Translation (KT) Student Award. This award recognizes the efforts of graduate students at Canadian universities studying public health and using knowledge translation in their research.

Congratulations to Jorden Hendry, Karen Wong and Leah Taylor for winning the 2023 NCCPH KT Student Award.

Their applications were reviewed and scored based on the following criteria:

Jorden Hendry
PhD student in Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

Project: "Instructions have been provided: Understanding and implementing Foundational Commitments to Indigenous Peoples in the BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer"

Jorden Hendry (she/her) is a Tsimshian/settler and a member of the Lax Kw’alaams band with nine years of experience contributing to reconciliation and anti-racism in the health and educational system. As a PhD student at the University of British Columbia, Jorden studies Indigenous Public Health and the systems that drive health disparities. She intends to better understand the prevalence and factors associated with experiences of racism to inform policy and service provision. Jorden works at the Office of the Provincial Health Officer as a research assistant for the Unlearning and Undoing White Supremacy Project. Taking her learnings from her various lived and academic experiences, Jorden founded the SPPH Unlearning Club. She uses strong leadership to embed anti-racism and Indigenous ways of knowing into multiple levels of governance at UBC, doing so through serving on committees at the School of Population and Public Health and being a graduate student representative to the UBC Vancouver Senate.

Karen Wong
PhD Student in Social Work, University of British Columbia

Project: "Working Together to Bring Policy Changes on Digital Ageism and Divide: Older Adults’ Access to Technology is a Human Right"   

Karen Lok Yi Wong is currently a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Social Work. Her research interests include ageing and cultural, racial, immigration, and language diversity, the experience of people living with dementia, and aging and technology. She conducted research on her research interests and published and presented widely academically and professionally. She is a recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Award and Age-Well Michael F. Harcourt Policy Fellowship.

Karen is also a registered social worker in British Columbia, Canada. She has been practicing in diverse settings related to older adults, such as community senior services centres, long-term care, geriatric acute care, and rehabilitation program. She is now practising as a social worker with Providence Healthcare. She received different clinical practice awards, which acknowledged her excellence in practices supporting older adults and their families and facilitating interdisciplinary team collaboration.

Karen is a core member of the Seniors Community of Practice and Anti-racist and Actions Committee of the British Columbia Association of Social Workers. She is also a long-term volunteer of Alzheimer’s Society BC as a family support group facilitator and public educator. She was awarded the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year in British Columbia 2021, which recognized her advocacy work with people with dementia from diverse cultural and language communities.

Karen is experienced in knowledge translation, combining her knowledge, skills, and experience as a researcher and social work practitioner. She conducted knowledge translation projects on policy advocacy, enhancing clinical practices, and promoting cultural and language diversity.

Leah Taylor
PhD candidate in Health Promotion and Master of Science student in Occupational Therapy, Western University

Project: "Everyone Can Play: A Knowledge Translation Resource to Promote Physical Activity Participation of Children with Disabilities in London, Ontario"

Leah (she/her) is a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholar in the combined PhD/Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program at Western University. Leah’s current research focuses on practical applications of the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines as a tool in occupational therapy for young children with developmental disabilities and evaluating community playgrounds for inclusion. Her experience in the field of inclusive physical activity includes acting as a coach for her local Challenger Baseball team, supporting exceptional athletes learning to row, and working as a recreation coordinator for the Department of National Defense. Leah is also a Student Representative on the Board of Directors for the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine.

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Previous Award Winners: 

2022

  • Melissa MacKay, PhD Candidate, University of Guelph - Maintaining trust through effective crisis communication during emerging infectious disease
  • Alexa Ferdinands, PhD, University of Alberta - Collaborating with youth to address weight stigma in healthcare, education, and the home
  • Shannon Bird, MPH, Brock University - Art as a Tool for Promoting Public and Environmental Health: A Lesson Plan for Ecojustice Educators

2021

  • Sujane Kandasamy, PhD, McMaster University - Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: An Academic Journey toward Theory-informed, Empirically-rooted, and Co-developed Knowledge Translation Interventions for Priority Populations
  • Leigh McClarty, PhD, University of Manitoba - A critical exploration into Manitoba's HIV care cascade: Novel Applications of equity focused data visualization to support knowledge translation
  • Erica Phipps, PhD, Queen's University - Investing in relational knowledge practices and 'reversing the gaze' for equity-focused intersectoral action on housing and health equity: The RentSafe EquIP research in Owen Sound, Ontario

2020

  • Courtney Primeau, PhD, University of Guelph - Knowledge Translation Preferences in Communicating about Antimicrobial Resistance
  • Henry Lai, MSc, University of British Columbia - Co-creation of knowledge translation resources to integrate health and wellness messaging in an Indigenous community in British Columbia 
  • Maureen Gustafson, MPH, University of Toronto - Mayi Kuwayu: The National Study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing

2019

  • Paige Colley, PhD, Western University - Growing Healthy Food Behaviours: Evaluating an Innovative Food Literacy Resource
  • Julia Santana Parrilla, MSc, University of British Columbia - Addressing anxiety & depression during pregnancy: a plan for iKT
  • Sydney Rudko, PhD, University of Alberta - Citizen scientists monitoring saprozoonotic pathogens using quantitative polymerase chain reaction in recreational water