Dal’s newest Vanier and Banting recipients share a healthy curiosity

The Government of Canada announced the results of the 2021-2022  Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships competitions in late November, with Dalhousie represented by new Vanier Scholars Helen Wong and Vincent Mousseau and Banting Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Ines Tavares.

Valued at $50,000 per year for three years, Vanier scholarships represent Canada’s most prestigious awards for PhD students, while Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are valued at $70,000 per year for two years.

Dalhousie’s two newest Vanier Scholars, PhD in Health students Helen Wong and Vincent Mousseau, were selected based on the potential impact of their research, academic excellence and leadership abilities.

“I am very proud to see both Helen and Vincent recognized for their important work,” said Marty Leonard, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. “While their research areas are very different, they share a common goal of seeking to improve the lives of marginalized groups.”

Both students reflected on their journeys through academia upon being named Vanier Scholars. “Receiving the Vanier Scholarship this year has validated my perseverance and commitment towards reaching my goal, making my PhD journey extra memorable,” said Wong, who noted that as a first-generation student she has always aspired to pursue a doctoral degree. “This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my mentors, family and friends.”

“I would not be here to do this work without the loving guidance of the Black queer and trans scholars and graduate students who have paved the way for me,” said Mousseau, who gave special recognition to the work of Dr. OmiSoore Dryden, the current James Robinson Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies. “I owe much of my fiery spirit in academia to her.”

New Banting Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Inês Tavares completed her PhD in summer 2022 at the University of Porto and is joining Dr. Natalie Rosen’s Couples & Sexual Health Laboratory in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. “I am pleased to have Dr. Tavares join us at Dal and contribute to the important research coming out of Dr. Rosen’s lab,” said Dr. Leonard. “Her goal to improve the well-being of others through this work is truly inspiring.”

We reached out to Dal’s newest Vanier Scholars and Banting Postdoctoral Researcher to learn more about their work and the impact they hope it makes.

Helen Wong (she/her)

Program: PhD in Health

Supervisor: Dr. Catherine Mah

My research: A healthy diet plays a crucial role in the maintenance of health and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Yet several factors can influence the quality and quantity of foods that we purchase and consume. In brick-and-mortar grocery stores, we recognize that retailers’ practices related to pricing, product placement, and promotion can steer consumers’ food purchases. There are also reported socio-economic inequalities in the availability and access to healthy foods. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more consumers have started shopping online for groceries. However, not everyone has the means to participate in online grocery shopping, which may have worsened existing health disparities. Grocery websites are also not identical to brick-and-mortar stores. We know far less about these digital food environments and their possible impacts on food access or purchasing behaviors. Emerging research suggests that shopping online for groceries may promote or deter healthy eating. For my doctoral thesis, I will examine how online grocery shopping contributes to food and beverage purchases, exploring their potential implications on our diets.

My impact: COVID-19 propelled online grocery shopping to become mainstream. Although online grocery orders are increasingly common, there remain some challenges with them in practice, such as ensuring equitable service access across underserved populations or communities. The perception of higher costs and limited delivery options may prevent marginalized groups from adopting online groceries, thereby restricting a viable source for acquiring healthy foods. Hence, more knowledge about how people engage with online grocery shopping will provide policymakers and health promoters with opportunities to capitalize on technologies to support nutritious diets and identify potential threats that hinder healthy eating within the population.

For instance, knowing how individuals make their online food choices can help inform future policies on food pricing, food labeling requirements, or advertisement bans on retail websites. Online grocery platforms also offer health researchers the ability to evaluate novel interventions amongst specific populations, especially those traditionally hard to reach in-store. As we gain a better understanding of how people shop online and in-store for their groceries, I hope to bring us one step closer to developing strategies that foster equitable access to affordable and nutritious foods for all, regardless of where people purchase their food. 

Vincent Mousseau (they/them)

Program: PhD in Health

Supervisor: Dr. Matthew Numer

My research: In the aftermath of the global movement for Black lives that was sparked by the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, governments and institutions have been struggling to address the subtle and pernicious ways that anti-Black racism is present in their settings. What’s more, Black communities are diverse, and Black people also exist at the intersection of many other marginalized identities. My research aims to understand the specific points at which anti-Black racism interacts with homophobia, and how experiences at that intersection can limit access to health and social services for Black gay, bi, trans, and queer men and masculine-of-center non-binary people (gbtq+MSM) in the land we colonially refer to as Canada. Grounded in my own lived experiences as a Black, queer and trans person and inspired by a deep feeling of love and solidarity for my communities, my aim is not only to give a voice to others who share these identities, but also to pilot and evaluate innovative programming based on their feedback in health and social service settings across the country.

My impact: At its core, my project is rooted in my background as a registered social worker. As such, it is praxis-oriented and informed by the codes of ethics that guide my profession. To do this, my project cannot be simply limited to the conceptualization of a framework for improving access to care. I will also be partnering with actors in the health and community sectors across the country to implement and evaluate that framework in a way that would have concrete impacts on Black gbtq+MSM communities. My hope is that my research findings can then be adapted and/or implemented by governments and community organizations across the country, with the goal of eliminating the insidious manifestations of anti-Black homophobia in their institutions.

Inês Tavares (she/her)

Banting Postdoctoral Researcher

My research: Supporting Couples’ Sexual Well-being in the Transition to Parenthood: Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of a Novel Prevention Program

Sexual well-being—which includes things like feeling sexually satisfied, having desire, and not feeling negative emotions regarding your sexuality—is essential to the quality and longevity of romantic relationships. Unfortunately, most couples who become parents experience sexual concerns during pregnancy and postpartum that they feel unprepared to deal with and that can impact their relationship and their individual well-being during an already vulnerable period. Having access to easily accessible, reliable information on common sexual changes associated with pregnancy and postpartum is fundamental for these couples to successfully navigate postpartum sexual changes. Our goal is to develop the first evidence-based program for new parent couples’ sexual well-being and conduct a preliminary test of whether it works. This program is rooted in scientific evidence drawn from our prior research and will include providing couples with reliable information about common sexual changes, as well as skills that couples can develop together to manage these changes.

My impact: Our research will offer the first evidence-based program for the promotion of new parent couples’ sexual well-being. This program has the potential to strengthen couples’ sexual relationships during this critical stage in couples’ lives. As a next step, we plan to conduct a large-scale Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) testing the program. In the long term, we hope to extend the implementation of this program to the health care system and help to reduce this critical lack of information, as more than 80 per cent of new parents report they do not receive any information about sexual changes across pregnancy and postpartum.