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Led by Dr. Jacqueline Gahagan, the Gender and Health Promotion Studies Unit (GAHPS) is an applied research unit within the School of Health and Human Performance.  GAHPS brings together researchers, policy makers, community members and students who have an interest in exploring gender as a key determinant of health, with the mission of improving health equity and health outcomes across the life span.  GAHPS research has a special focus on health equity among marginalized populations, with areas of interest including harm reduction and HIV/AIDS, STIs, HCV, blood-borne and community acquired infections, gender-based analyses of health policies and programs, and the health outcomes of LGBTQ and gender minoritized populations.

GAHPS was recently successful in receiving a number of grants which will allow them to further their research mission –

• Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF): Knowledge Sharing Support Award ($10,000) - “Developing Culturally Competent Primary Health Assessment Approaches for LGBTQ Populations in Nova Scotia.” - Jacqueline Gahagan (PI), Brenda Merritt (OT), Cybelle Rieber, Maria MacIntosh, Brian Condran, Matthew Numer (HHP) and Sarah Peddle.
  Aimed at sharing research knowledge on approaches to LGBTQ primary health assessments, this award will help to develop Nova Scotia specific, culturally competent primary health measurement approaches and assessment tools that can be used to determine health access, health equity and health service utilization among LGBTQ populations.

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research:  Patient Engagement Collaboration Grant ($30, 000) [In partnership with Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation] - “The Importance of Patient Engagement and Collaboration in Improving LGBTQ Health in Nova Scotia.”  - Jacqueline Gahagan (PI), Brenda Merritt (OT), Matthew Numer (HHP), Cybelle Rieber and John O’Keefe.
  This grant will focus on addressing current gaps in knowledge in order to improve the quality of health care for LGBTQ populations in Nova Scotia through sharing findings of GAHPS research with a wide range of stakeholders in order to determine strategic provincial directions.

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Catalyst Grant: HIV / AIDS Community Based Research ($32,860) - "Community Preparedness in the Context of HIV Point of Care Testing in non-urban settings” - Jacqueline Gahagan (PI), Deborah Warren, Shabnam Asghari, John Kim, Frank Atherton, Holly D’Angelo-Scott, Deborah Kelly, Lois Jackson (HHP), Zack Marshall, Gina Ogilvie, Brent Oliver, Nitika Pai, Michael Schwandt, Michelle Swab, and Marc Steben.
  The aim of this grant is to determine community preparedness for new HIV testing innovations - such as HIV Point of Care testing - in rural areas of Canada, starting with the Atlantic Provinces.

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Planning and Dissemination Grant: Institute Community Support ($10,000) -“Mobilizing Information, Preventing Infection” - Jacqueline Gahagan (PI), Michelle Proctor-Simms, Margaret Dykeman, Carla Densmore, Anik Dube, Greg Harris, Lois Jackson (HHP), Michael Liddell, Jo-Ann MacDonald, Cindy MacIssac, and Zack Marshall 
  This grant will mobilize and disseminate the key findings of the GAHPS “Our Youth, Our Response” study to key stakeholders, with the aim of informing the next generation of youth-oriented HIV/HCV prevention policies and programs.

GAHPS has organized knowledge translation events around each of these grants over the coming months.  For more information, and to learn how to get involved, contact Jacqueline Gahagan – jacqueline.gahagan@dal.ca.

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