The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard highlights Africentric social work’s evolution and influence in her 2024 Alumni Association Distinguished Speaker Series lecture

Dean Charmaine Williams, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, and Alumni Association President Andria Allen. Photo by Colleen Lightbody.

On May 31, the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work Alumni Association welcomed the Honorable Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard to the University of Toronto to present the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series lecture. 

The lecture took place in person and online, with in-person attendees filling the Music Room at Hart House to hear Dr. Bernard — a professor emeritus at Dalhousie University and Canadian Senator — speak.  

Citing lessons from the field, Dr. Bernard highlighted how Africentric social work in Canada has moved from the margins to the centre to create opportunities for systemic change and empowering pathways for Black families and children.  

A highly regarded social worker, educator, researcher, community activist and advocate of social change, Dr. Bernard was the first African Nova Scotian to be hired in a tenure track position at Dalhousie University, where she also served as Director of the School of Social Work for ten years.  She is a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW) and a founding member and current President of the Africadian Empowerment Academy (AEA).

Dr. Bernard also co-edited the book Africentric Social Work, an invaluable resource for social work students and practitioners alike. (Dr. Bernard encouraged those interested to purchase the book online from the publisher, Fernwood Publishing, or online or in person at A Different Booklist, in Toronto.) 

The lecture was followed by a Q&A. Afterwards, in-person attendees joined the Alumni Association and Dr. Bernard for a reception, to reflect on the talk and celebrate 10 years since the establishment of the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Speaker Series. 

The Distinguished Speakers Series, created by the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work Alumni Association in honour of the Faculty’s 100th anniversary in 2014, brings leading edge thinkers to the Faculty, to explore avant-garde issues. By fostering dialogue about crucial societal challenges, these lectures benefit students, alumni, researchers and the community.  

This year’s lecture took place during the University of Toronto’s Alumni Reunion, which ran from May 29 to June 2.   

Watch the lecture online

Those who missed Dr. Bernard’s lecture can view it online via FIFSW’s YouTube channel. 

More photos from the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series lecture

All photos by Colleen Lightbody.

• Read more about the FIFSW Alumni Association Distinguished Speaker Series
• Learn how to stay connected and engaged as an FIFSW alum 

New survey of pediatricians aims to uncover children and teen’s use of appearance- and performance-enhancing substances and links to mental and physical health

A leading social work researcher of body image and eating disorders among boys and men, Kyle T. Ganson, has been investigating the growing use of drugs and other substances designed to enhance performance and muscularity, such as anabolic-androgenic steroids, protein supplements, and creatine. His work is uncovering serious psychological, social and physical conditions associated with their use.  

Now, the assistant professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work is embarking on a unique collaboration with pediatricians to document health issues in children and adolescents who use appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances. The newly launched study will help both social workers and physicians better prevent, identify and treat the adverse effects associated with the pathological pursuit of a muscular physique.  

“Youth are increasingly turning to drugs, such as steroids, or legal performance-enhancing substances, like protein powders and creatine, in part due to pressures to achieve an ideal body type,” says Ganson. “Partnering with physicians to understand whether they are asking children and teens about the use of these substances and, if so, whether those that use them have also experienced adverse medical events, will help deepen our knowledge on how to address associated problems, from policy to practice.” 

The results of Ganson’s previous research have highlighted an urgent need for further study on appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances. In 2022, he led the first large-scale study on the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids among young adults in Canada. This research found that the use of this illegal drug among adolescents and young adults is common and associated with symptoms of dependence and serious side effects, such as insomnia, increased blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels. 

Ganson’s growing body of research has also found that muscle dysmorphia — characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with muscularity and a dissatisfaction with one’s body size — is increasingly prevalent among boys and young men, with social media use linked to increased symptoms. Findings from Ganson’s studies have been covered nationally and internationally by CNN, The Atlantic, Global TV, CTV News, CBC, the Toronto Star, and the Hindustan Times. 

For his new study Ganson has teamed up with Debra K. Katzman, a professor of pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children. The pair of principal investigators are partnering with the Canadian Pediatric Surveillance Program, which regularly surveys members of the Canadian Pediatric Society to document common health issues among children and adolescents. The survey will reach the Program’s network of over 3,000 pediatricians.  

“Being able to access the insight of this large group of physicians is incredible,” says Ganson. “Addressing muscle dysmorphia, eating disorders and the adverse effects associated with appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances will require interdisciplinary collaboration, with social workers playing a key role.” 

In addition to publishing the results of their study in an academic journal, Ganson and his collaborators will prepare a report to share with pediatricians and social workers. The knowledge they glean will also help raise awareness among youth and parents about the risks involved in using appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs and substances so they can make informed choices moving forward. 

Watch for results to be shared in the near future.

Related: 

• Kyle Ganson finds links between eating disorder symptoms and dieting practices promoted in muscle building and fitness communities
• Worried that a loved one has an eating disorder? Kyle Ganson provides some tips for parents, caregivers and friends
• Male eating disorders are often overlooked — Kyle Ganson aims to change that

Youth Wellness Lab recognized for its excellence in community-based research

The Youth Wellness Lab (YWL), a research collaborative led by Associate Professors Stephanie Begun and Bryn King, was recognized with an honourable mention for Excellence in Community-Campus Research Partnership at the CRBCanada Awards.  

Community Based Research Canada (CBRCanada) is a national organization that champions and facilitates excellence in community-based research, which brings together individuals, communities and institutions as collaborators in research that addresses challenging societal problems. 

Housed at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, YWL exemplifies this approach, by engaging youth and community partners as researchers in its work. YWL’s mission, written by founding youth members, is to “create a safe space for sustainable empowerment and expression through research and collaborative conversations for youth, by youth.”  

Recent projects by YWL have included work to strengthen access to abortion services for youth and understanding the structural oppressions that impact youth experiencing homelessness. 

“Working with the Youth Wellness Lab has shown me the power of youth-led research in driving change and responding to community needs,” says YWL Youth Researcher Hajar Seiyad. “The CRBC award spotlights the importance of ensuring research is a collaborative effort, with youth voices and lived experiences at the center. I’m proud to be part of this team, and being recognized for our work is an honour.”

The CBRCanada Award winners were celebrated at a virtual awards gala on May 21. A total of 40 groups from across Canada were nominated.  

Follow the Youth Wellness Lab on Instagram @youthwellnesslab 

Related:

• Engaging youth as researchers: The Youth Wellness Lab flips the script
• Stephanie Begun partners with Second City to explore how improv can cultivate confidence in marginalized youth
• Breaking down silos and building connections towards meaningful change for immigrant families in the child welfare system

Meet spring 2024 graduate and Student Leadership Award winner Vithusan Arunakirinathan

Growing up, Vithusan Arunakirinathan often interacted with social workers in the health-care system through his family caregiving role, so he saw firsthand what a crucial difference they could make. “I met some amazing social workers, but I realized there weren’t many that looked like me, and not all of them addressed the cultural and social differences that can affect an individual’s care,” he says. As a new graduate of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Arunakirinathan is determined to help bridge those gaps.

He has many reasons to celebrate this spring: convocation, a new job and a 2024 University of Toronto Student Leadership Award. The award recognizes Arunakirinathan’s many contributions to the faculty, including reviving social work’s Graduate Student Association, which lapsed in the pandemic, and promoting interprofessional education as an Interprofessional Education Representative.  

“I’m proud of the fact that we built back trust in student government and started important conversations with professors and administrators,” he says. “A lot of the dialogue was about advancing equity, so we were happy when the faculty hired a Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in 2023.”

Arunakirinathan’s drive to support marginalized populations grew out of his personal experience, but also out of a growing awareness of inequity, gained through education and employment in the community services sector.

His first ambition was a career in medicine. Then, during an undergraduate degree in health sciences, Arunakirinathan took a course on the social determinants of health that transformed his outlook and career goal. “I knew from direct observation that factors like education, income and race affected health outcomes, but I didn’t have words or research evidence for it,” he says.

The newfound knowledge deepened Arunakirinathan’s focus on equity and social justice. “I wanted to provide holistic, wrap-around care and address systemic barriers” he says. This led him to complete a graduate certificate in addictions and mental health, followed by jobs in housing support, harm reduction and community health, where many of his clients were racialized people, immigrants and refugees.

“Being a second-generation Tamil immigrant from Sri Lanka, it hit close to home when I saw that the Western approach in the social services system was discriminating against racialized individuals,” says Arunakirinathan, citing the example of a frequent lack of language interpreters and attitudinal barriers which limit access to quality and equitable care. “I advocated for things but felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. That’s when I knew it was time to pursue my master’s in social work.”

He’d considered doing the degree over his years working on the frontlines, but wasn’t ready to commit. “I’m a first-generation university student and didn’t have anyone to guide me in that decision,” says Arunakirinathan. “But I eventually realized that I needed to learn how to do research and policy briefs and all the things that can bring change.”

He chose U of T for his MSW because of its clinical focus, research strength and emphasis on interprofessional collaboration. Alongside his MSW degree, Arunakirinathan completed the interprofessional education curriculum at the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education, a partnership of U of T, the Academic Health Science Network and the University Health Network.

“Social workers can be leaders in always ensuring that teams consider issues through an equity and social justice lens and trying to break down barriers to clients’ wellbeing,” says Arunakirinathan, who facilitated educational sessions on interprofessional practice for MSW students and students from across the health-related disciplines at U of T.

He applied these practice principles and other expertise gained in the MSW program in his first practicum, where he supported patients and families at a long-term care facility. “The placement reinforced my sense that I was meant to be a social worker,” says Arunakirinathan. “My heart was there because it was tied to my lived experience, but also because I immediately knew there was power in the skills I was learning from the MSW program.”

In his new position as a social worker in complex general psychiatry at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, where he completed his second practicum, Arunakirinathan is an integral part of a team supporting individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness. “I’ve been in the human services and community services fields for a while, but now I can call myself a social worker,” he says. “I feel confident, and I believe I’m already contributing to the lives of my clients.”

Story by Megan Easton / Photo by Colleen Lightbody

We asked Vithusan: What advice do you have for incoming MSW students?

As new Masters of Social Work students, it’s important to embrace discomfort and uncertainty around exploring new areas within the broad field of social work. You might have a specific area of interest in mind, but it’s crucial to remain open to all possibilities and engage in critical dialogue. This willingness to step out of your comfort zone will broaden your perspective and enhance your skills, ultimately making you a more versatile and effective social worker. I was focused solely on social work in acute care, however, my experiences in complex psychiatry and long-term care, have been a welcome change and key area of interest.

Congratulations to all our Student Leadership Award winners!

The University of Toronto Student Leadership Award recognizes outstanding student leadership, volunteer service, and commitment to the university. FIFSW’s 2024 Student Leadership Award winners include Vithusan Arunakirinathan, Travonne Edwards and Amina Hussain.

> Read more FIFSW student stories

Primary health care teams can help solve Canada’s health care crisis – and social work will play a key role

Team Primary Care summit attendees, including Keith Adamson, pose with members of the Senate of Canada and a Call to Action signed by summit participants

How leaders from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work are creating a national vision for the role of social work in primary care

The human resource crisis in Canada’s health care system is growing, with people across the country struggling to find a family doctor who can address their needs — including support for mental health. Team-based primary care, which involves health care professionals from different disciplines working collaboratively over time on behalf of their patients, offers a sustainable solution to this problem. And involving social workers in the process is key.

Rachelle Ashcroft and Keith Adamson, both associate professors at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, believe that social work can play a leading role in building a strong system of interprofessional collaboration. With funding from the federal government and in partnership with the Canadian Association of Social Work, they’ve assembled a group of social work leaders to develop a national vision for social work in primary care. Together, they are not only charting a path for social work’s role in primary care, but also ensuring the valuable skills and expertise that accredited social workers offer are recognized as integral to the system.

“In primary care, one of the number one most prevalent challenges is mental health,” says Ashcroft, the group’s project lead, and one of Canada’s top primary care researchers in this field. Ashcroft’s research focuses on the examination of the organizational and policy contexts needed to support the delivery of health and mental health services in team-based primary care. With over 15 years of clinical social work practice experience in healthcare, she began her social work career working in primary care after completing her BSW at the University of Manitoba.

Adamson holds more than 20 years of progressive senior management experience in clinical, management and professional practice leadership roles. His research, meanwhile, examines healthcare system transformation and innovative approaches to social work practice and education. The feedback he has received from physicians reflects Ashcroft’s findings as well. “When you ask physicians what profession they need in terms of working with patients, they tell you a social worker,” he says.

Keith Adamson and Rachelle Ashcroft of the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Building a national vision

The project to strengthen the integration of social workers in primary care is part of a larger initiative working to build a Canada-wide strategy for team-based primary care, one that will help ensure that Canadians have improved access to quality primary care in their communities. With funding from the federal government, the initiative, called Team Primary Care, convened over 20 practitioner groups representing different health care disciplines to examine their roles in and preparedness for team-based practice.

“Team-based care is already happening, but not consistently across the country,” says Adamson. “There are some programs that are working well, but the ideas and models are not expanding because we haven’t been adequately talking to each other.”

While health care is a provincial responsibility, the crisis in primary care is nationwide. Addressing the crisis and ensuring equitable access to health care across the country necessitates sharing knowledge and best practices.

“Some provinces, like Ontario, have had community health centres and Family Health Teams since 2005 and earlier,” says Ashcroft, “but in other provinces team-based care is really brand new.”

Research has shown that team-based primary care can increase the capacity of health care providers, improve patient access and ensure people receive care appropriate to their needs from a recognized heath care practitioner. The challenge now is to promote the benefits of this new approach to practitioners and decision makers who don’t yet have experience with team-based care and to develop creative, evidence-based models that can be replicated nationwide. Education and training will also be key to developing a successful new system. Embedded in this work, says Ashcroft, is the need for “a more coherent plan to move social work in primary care forward.”

Investing in new models of care

In February 2024, Team Primary Care hosted a summit that brought together more than 300 health professionals across various disciplines to share lessons learned and to discuss next steps in transforming primary care. The conference culminated in a Call to Action, signed by summit participants, urging governments to ensure that investments in primary care include “the required policy, training, and infrastructure reforms needed to train health professionals to work in team-based care.”

On March 20, Adamson along with professionals representing nursing, pharmacy and physicians met with the Federal Health Minister, Mark Holland, and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonault to present the Call to Action and champion team-based primary care. Adamson also participated in conversations with Canadian Senators.

“It’s understood that social workers are part of this new evolution of primary care,” says Adamson. “We are being recognized as key, and that’s exciting.”

Developing education and training

With 11 health science programs across three campuses in the Greater Toronto Area, the University of Toronto is well positioned to lead both research, education and training in team-based primary care. “We’ve been working on our social work specific work, but we’ve also been very intensely collaborating with family physicians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech language therapists, dietitians and others,” says Ashcroft.

In addition, the infrastructure to support students who wish to develop experience in team-based care in general is well established. U of T’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Curriculum has also long provided students studying a health profession with opportunities to build experience working in interdisciplinary teams. Offered by the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE), the program grew out of a strategic partnership between U of T, the Toronto Academic Health Science Network, and the University Health Network. Ashcroft and Adamson are the faculty leads/representatives for IPE at U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.

Unfortunately, at present, few social worker graduates think about going to primary care. “That’s because we don’t really talk about primary care,” says Adamson. “Many of our practicum sites are hospital based. So even when we approach teamwork, we are focusing on different questions around health.” He and Ashcroft would like to see this change.

In Ontario, opportunities to work in team-based primary care — say, in tandem with a family physician or nurse practitioner or as part of a community health center — already exist. In these cases, social work graduates currently receive training on the job. But there are variations in the roles that social workers are offered and how well they are integrated into a team. Building capacity for social work in primary care will require recognizing the robust skills and expertise that social workers provide, strengthening education and training, and providing clarity on their essential role within a team. All of this must be incorporated into the national vision and strategy for team-based care.

“We have such an amazing opportunity,” says Adamson. “Social work is all about equitable access and is interdisciplinary by nature, with a deep understanding of how broader systems and experiences impact health. Our philosophy and expertise strongly align with the aims of primary care. We can be leading this work.”

Related:

• Keith Adamson appointed Deputy Director at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI)
• The pandemic forced health-care providers to move to virtual appointments. Rachelle Ashcroft’s research with both providers and patients offers critical insights for the future
• How primary health care teams are providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Therapy Dogs visit ITR students at FIFSW

On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, students and faculty in FIFSW’s Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency field of study welcomed some visitors to the classroom: Sunshine Therapy Dogs.

The friendly pups gave the students a welcome break from their third week-long intensive course and helped them manage the stress and high emotions that can arise after learning about and discussing some of the difficult subjects addressed in class. The dogs also demonstrated an alternative approach to therapy for the students to experienced first hand — and the importance of making time for that therapy and medicine in our lives.

The Master of Social Work, Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency (ITR) field of study emphasizes a strong connection between personal, cultural, professional, and academic development. Grounded in North American Indigenous values and inspired by Indigenous traditions from around the globe, its curriculum combines evidence-based practice with healing and ceremony drawn from Indigenous traditions. The in-person intensive courses cover topics such as historical and generational trauma, grief and loss, and sexual abuse and assault.

It was some of the dogs’ second session to the Faculty this year. In April they visited students in the two-year and advanced standing Master of Social Work programs.

Read more about students in FIFSW’s Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency field of study:

• Coming full circle: Sabrina Williams is inspired by the power of intergenerational understanding to bring change and healing
• Q & A with ITR graduate Elma Arthurson
• Charlotte Sampson-Elliott inspired by a goal to build trauma-informed schools in her community
• Terrance Lafromboise and Hyungu Kang reflect on the healing path they forged through FIFSW’s Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency field of study
• Q & A: Rebecca Schuss (MSW 2020) shares how her experience studying Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty led to law school
• Alumna Julie Blair proves the power of U of T’s Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency program

Now on YouTube: Carmen Logie highlights the connection between climate change and sexual health

On March 20, Professor Carmen Logie delivered the 2024 Innis Alumni Lecture, “More than Clouds and Condoms: Connecting Climate Change and Sexual Health” at Innis Town Hall. 

During her talk, Logie, who joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work in 2013, shared insight from her international research that has uncovered strong links between climate change and mental health. 

In addition to her role at FIFSW, Logie is Canada Research Chair in Global Health Equity and Social Justice with Marginalized Populations and an Adjunct Professor at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment & Health. 

Logie started her lecture by listing the many people whose lives have been impacted by a lack of safe water, access to food and sanitation — all of which are consequences of climate change.  

Citing other global studies, Logie shared that worldwide: 

• 2 billion people are affected by water insecurity,  
• 2 billion people experience hunger, 
• 1 billion adolescent girls and women suffer from undernutrition, 
• 276 million people are affected by acute hunger, and 
• 673 million people have no access to toilets. 

“Our team has been looking at the lived experiences of these events among young people in climate-affected communities in different contexts,” said Logie. Her research has examined the experiences of refugee youth living in urban informal settlements in Kampala and in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda, Africa’s largest refugee-hosting nation. She has also explored how extreme weather events impacts youth in diverse climate-affected regions in Kenya and how water insecurity shapes risks of depression among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer persons in Bangkok, Thailand and Mumbai, India. In addition, Logie has new research examining adolescent experiences of the forest fires in Canada’s Northwest Territories. 

As Logie shares in her lecture, the impacts of climate change, particularly for girls and women, have been vast. In Uganda, for example, water insecurity due to drought has meant that girls and women have had to walk long distances to fetch water, with some travelling at night to avoid long lineups, which has increased the risk of gender-based violence. Extreme heat, which has led to people sleeping outside, brought about similar risks. A lack of water has also affected access to safe sanitation and food security, increasing transactional sex to meet basic needs. Meanwhile, drought has disrupted education, especially for girls, and access to health care, including HIV treatment and prevention. 

These are just some of the examples Logie shared in her talk on research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the International Research Development Centre (IDRC). 

For those who missed it (or those who may want to watch it again!), Logie’s full lecture is now available online and can be viewed above. 

Are you a member of the media interested in speaking to Logie for a story? Contact FIFSW’s Senior Communications Strategist Dale Duncan at dale.duncan@utoronto.ca 

Recent studies led or co-authored by Dr. Carmen Logie referenced in the lecture 

Logie CH, Okumu M, Berry I, Loutet M, Hakiza R, Kibuuka Musoke D, Mwima S, Kiera UM, MacNamee C, Kyambadde P. Social contextual factors associated with lifetime HIV testing among the Tushirikiane urban refugee youth cohort in Kampala, Uganda: Cross-sectional findings. Int J STD AIDS. 2022 Mar;33(4):374-384. doi: 10.1177/09564624211069236. Epub 2022 Feb 5. PMID: 35125037; PMCID: PMC8958564.

Logie, C., Okumu, M., Tailor, L., Taing, L., Dorea, C., Mbuagbaw, L., Hakiza, R., Kibuuka-Musoke, D., Katisi, B., Nakitende, A., Kyambadde, P., MacKenzie, F., Admassu, Z. (2024). Water and food insecurity and linkages with physical and sexual intimate partner violence among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda: cross-sectional survey findings. Journal of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Development. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2024.298

Logie, C., Okumu, M., Admassu, Z., Perez-Brumer, A., Ahmed, R., Lahai Luna, M., MacKenzie, F., Kortenaar, J.L., Berry, I., Hakiza, R., Katisi, B., Musoke, D., Nakitende, A., Batte, S., Kyambadde, P., Taing, L., Giordana, G., Mbuagbaw, L. (2024). HIV vulnerabilities associated with water and food insecurity among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda: Implications for resource insecurity-informed HIV prevention. AIDS & Behavior, 28(2), 507-523.

Logie, C.H., Okumu, M., Latif, M., Musoke, D., Odong, S., Mwima, S., and Kyambadde, P. (2021). Exploring resource scarcity and contextual influences on wellbeing among young refugees in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda. Conflict & Health, 15(3).

Logie, C.H.; Lys, C.; Sokolovic, N.; Malama, K.; Mackay, K.I.; McNamee, C. ; Lad, A.; & Kanbari, A. (2023). Examining Pathways from Food Insecurity to Safer Sex Efficacy Among Northern and Indigenous Adolescents in the Northwest Territories, Canada. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. EARLY ACCESS July 2023. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-023-10195-w

Logie, C.H.; Newman, P.A.; Admassu, Z.; Mackenzie, F.; Chakrapani, V.; Tepjan, S.; Shunmugam, M.; & Akkakanjanasupar, P. (2024). Associations between water insecurity and mental health outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer persons in Bangkok, Thailand and Mumbai, India: Cross-sectional survey findings. Cambridge Prisms-Global Mental Health. DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2024.27 

View a full list of Professor Carmen Logie’s scholarly and creative works via Discover Research. 

Research on LGBTIQ inclusion in Asia is advancing human rights and addressing the root causes of HIV

FIFSW Professor Peter A. Newman, centre, with (from left) Chia-Wei Shiu, Director of Community Resources, Tongzhi Hotline; Chih-Liu Peng, Vice Secretary General, Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association; Deng-Min Chuang, Assistant Professor, National Taiwan Normal University (and FIFSW Alum); Suchon Tepjan, Research Manager, VOICES-Thailand Foundation

After more than two decades spent studying HIV prevention among sexual and gender minorities in Asia and North America, Peter A. Newman is well-acquainted with the factors that increase vulnerability to HIV infection: discrimination, stigma, violence, and marginalization in education and employment, to name just a few. Now he’s investigating those root causes directly, through a global partnership that’s advancing LGBTIQ inclusion and human rights in the region.

“While individual health behaviour is a critical area of HIV research, we’re focusing on the social and structural conditions that place people at higher risk,” says Newman, a professor at U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “In Canada, with progressive support for LGBTIQ rights, we may forget that consensual adult same-sex acts remain criminalized in 64 countries and punishable by death in 6 countries — monumental obstacles to accessing healthcare.”

Newman is the lead researcher on a multidisciplinary team made up of collaborators from the social sciences, medicine, fine arts, community-based organizations, and UN agencies. The Partnership, called Mobilizing for a Research Revolution to Ensure LGBTIQ Inclusion in Asia (MFARR-Asia), is gathering data on the degree to which LGBTIQ people enjoy full and free participation in the economic, social and political life of India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In general, Asia — home to 60% of the world’s population — lags in human rights protections for LGBTIQ people compared to Western nations.

“The only way we’re going to end the HIV epidemic is if sexual and gender minorities are no longer excluded and stigmatized in mainstream systems and laws,” says Newman. “We’re focusing on inclusion because the ability of LGBTIQ people to participate fully and equally in society is fundamental to health and human development, yet is understudied and lacks data.”

MFARR’s overarching aims are to create an evidence base on the state of inclusion of LGBTIQ populations in each society, and then use that data to identify research gaps, inform community-engaged interventions, and advocate for government programs and policies to protect and ensure human rights.

Despite launching just before the pandemic, MFARR has already had a significant impact in the region. In India, for example, Newman has been working with his research collaborator, Dr. Venkatesan Chakrapani, and community partners such as The Humsafar Trust for over 20 years. MFARR co-sponsored India’s first public-facing national LGBTIQ health symposium and co-authored the subsequent symposium report and action plan, which led to the landmark inclusion of gender affirming hormone therapy and surgery in the Prime Minister of India’s Health Insurance plan. “This expands health insurance coverage among the estimated 4.8 million trans people across India, including access to gender affirming care,” says Newman.

India’s Ministry of Health also endorsed the symposium report recommendation to develop and implement anti-discrimination policies for LGBTIQ people across government healthcare. “The road to implementation for both of these policies will be bumpy, and communities will still have to advocate, but the policies have real teeth now,” Newman says.

Meaningful engagement with community partners is embedded in every aspect of MFARR’s work. “There are always things we can learn from LGBTIQ communities that don’t show up in the research literature or government policies,” says Newman. “To get the full picture, we integrate the knowledge we gain in focus groups and community forums with our strong empirical foundation on inclusion indicators.”

He points to same-sex marriage in Taiwan as an example. As the first jurisdiction in Asia to legally recognize same-sex marriage, in 2019, Taiwan demonstrated ground-breaking progress in societal inclusion. Yet community input from the Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association revealed challenges faced by many individuals in Taiwan, where all marriages are officially registered in local Household Bureau records. Many who would like to get married don’t exercise their right because of anticipated stigma and fear of exclusion by their own families and local communities. “We can learn from the Taiwanese experience to better anticipate implementation challenges in places like Thailand, where the Parliament has indicated initial approval for a marriage equality bill.”

MFARR’s influence is also evident in its collaborations with community organizations across the region, both through sharing research evidence to support effective programs and providing training and capacity-building for staff and volunteers.

During the pandemic, MFARR reacted quickly, knowing the heightened vulnerability of LGBTIQ communities in the absence of human rights protections. MFARR collaborated with academic and community partners to develop and test #SafeHandsSafeHearts, a peer-delivered online eHealth intervention in Bangkok and Mumbai designed to increase COVID-19 protective behaviours and reduce psychosocial distress among LGBTIQ populations. “Our team trained 50 community members as peer counselors, who reached over 850 LGBTIQ people,” says Newman. “The results were very positive, such as reducing levels of depression in participants after just a few sessions.” Now several of MFARR’s community partners, including a major HIV clinic in Bangkok and Women’s Health in Women’s Hands in Toronto, have adopted this model to expand services to thousands of clients.

MFARR’s global partners include universities, community organizations and UN agencies, with multiple funders, led by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). “Our longtime community partners were overjoyed when we initially proposed a research program on LGBTIQ inclusion — not solely HIV focused — because they’ve always known that it was a crucial element in HIV risk and prevention, and broader LGBTIQ wellbeing,” says Newman.

The partnership is helping to build the next generation of researchers on LGBTIQ human rights issues in Asia. “Part of the vital progress we’re making in the region is through the development of our own team, students and trainees,” says Newman. Already, the partnership has provided training to over 80 students and community organization staff. “In Canada, we sometimes accept as a given our ability to openly pursue LGBTIQ scholarship and advocacy, but this is not the case in many academic institutions in Asia.”

When Newman approached the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which had initiated work with the World Bank to create an LGBTI Inclusion Index, they were extremely supportive of MFARR’s work — and even provided funding for MFARR’s initial development meeting in Bangkok — because they recognized a critical need for more research and data. To date, MFARR has completed five comprehensive reviews of the research on LGBTIQ inclusion across Asia. Based on this evidence, the MFARR team built on the UNDP-World Bank work to include a new domain in the Index. Family, which is centrally important in Asia, is now proposed as a new domain, in addition to education, economic wellbeing, health, personal security and violence, and political and civic participation.

In preparation for a regional symposium in June, MFARR is currently surveying experts and people with lived experience in Asia and worldwide to develop and prioritize indicators of LGBTIQ inclusion in each domain.

“Something we learned a long time ago in HIV research was that if we didn’t have data, we couldn’t prove there was a problem,” says Newman. “And if we couldn’t prove there was a problem, we couldn’t get the resources to address it. Now that we’re gathering more and more evidence to demonstrate the challenges around LGBTIQ inclusion, and models of success, we’re starting to see and track progress, and real-world transformation.”

By Megan Easton

Publications

For those interested in learning more, below is a list of selected recent publications by Professor Peter A. Newman and the MFARR-Asia team.

Wong, E. M. Y, Chan, R. C. H., Suen, Y. T., Tepjan, S., & Newman, P. A. Inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals in Hong Kong: A scoping review. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. [Accepted].

Huang YT, Hang YC. (2024). Relational well-being among lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults in Taiwan: Before and after the legalization of same-sex marriage. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 21:240-52.

Chakrapani, V., Newman, P. A., Shunmugam, M., Rawat, S., Mohan, B. R., Baruah, D., & Tepjan, S. (2023). A scoping review of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people’s health in India. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(4): e0001362.

Newman, P. A., Akkakanjanasupar, P., Tepjan, S., Boborakhimov, S., de Lind van Wijngaarden, J. W., & Chonwanarat, N. (2022). Peer education interventions for HIV prevention and sexual health with young people in Mekhong Region countries: A scoping review and conceptual framework. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 30(1), 2129374.

Reid, L., Newman, P. A., Lau, H., Tepjan, S., & Akkakanjanasupar, P. (2022). A scoping review of LGBT+ inclusion in Thailand: Policy proposals and recommendations. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 19, 1731-1746.

Chakrapani, V., Newman, P. A., Sebastian, A., Rawat, S., Mittal, S., Gupta, V., & Kaur, M. (2022). Mental health, economic well-being and health care access amid the COVID- 19 pandemic: A mixed methods study among urban men who have sex with men in India. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 30(1): 2144087.

Chakrapani, V., Newman, P. A., Sebastian, A., Rawat, S., Shunmugam, M., & Sellamuthu, P. (2022). The impact of COVID-19 on economic well-being and health outcomes among transgender women in India [Perspectives].Transgender Health, 7(5), 381–384.

Chakrapani, V., Scheim, A. I., Newman, P. A., Shunmugam, M., Rawat, S., Baruah, D., et al. (2022). Affirming and negotiating gender in family and social spaces: Stigma, mental health and resilience among transmasculine people in India. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 24(7), 951–967.

Newman, P. A., Prabhu, S. M., Akkakanjanasupar, P., & Tepjan, S. (2022). HIV and mental health among young people in low-resource contexts in Southeast Asia: A qualitative investigation. Global Public Health, 17(7), 1200-1214.

Newman, P. A., Reid, L., Tepjan, S., & Akkakanjanasupar, P. (2021). LGBT+ inclusion and human rights in Thailand: A scoping review of the literature. BMC Public Health, 21, 1816.

Strategic planning: Join an upcoming strategy hive

Thank you to everyone who has provided input into FIFSW’s new strategic plan. We are now moving to the next phase of the consultation process! In May, the Faculty will be hosting strategy hives, where we will co-create the priorities, intentions and shared commitments for our next strategic plan. 

Below is an overview and detailed information on each hive. FIFSW faculty, students, staff, alumni, program partners and collaborators are encouraged to register for as many as possible!

Strategy hive dates

All hives will be online.. Click the links below to register.

• May 1st, 9:00 to 11:30am
• May 1st,  2:00 to 4:30pm
• May 9th, 1:00 to 3:30pm
• May 16th, 1:00 to 3:30pm
• NEW: Macro Hive for Students: May 13, 12:00 to 1:30pm

Overview

Throughout the “pollination” phase of the strategic planning, we heard many perspectives about FIFSW’s strengths and impact — across global leadership in research, excellence in clinical practice, a supportive community and a shared ethos of continuing to work for a more just world. The conversations surfaced a profound commitment to continual evolution and shared learning, and appreciation for a space that “balances evidence-based approaches to practice with principles of anti-oppression.”

As we move into the next phase of planning, we shift from surfacing ideas, hopes and needs to co-designing intentions and priorities for FIFSW’s future.  In a series of five “strategy hives,” we will explore key strategic questions to shape the strategic framework.

Strategy hives are 2.5 hour sessions where mixed groups develop shared intentions, priorities and initial and ideas for actions around strategic questions.  These topics are NOT the ultimate strategy framework, but overlapping conversations that surface the core strategic themes and priorities.  Underpinning all of the Hives are the conceptual questions of:  Who are we and why does what we do matter?  What is the future and story of social work?  How do we shape our research, teaching, partnerships, collaborations, advocacy and relationships to achieve our highest purpose?

Between each Hive, we will synthesize the highlights from the previous sessions, which will allow the conversations to build on each other.

Participants are welcome to one or all of the Hives – the best sessions have a diversity of participants and perspectives. Please register for the hives you are interested in attending via the links below.

Strategy hive topics

All hives will be online, except May 17. Click the links below to register.

How do we shape the future of social work as a discipline?

Hive #1 (May 1^st 9:00 to 11:30am) – ONLINE

The Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work is recognized for fostering strong clinical practice and world renowned research, nested in a deep commitment to supporting individuals while continually evolving a more just, equitable and inclusive social world.  Against this foundation, the discipline of social work is in significant transformation.  In this Hive, we will explore how FIFSW can lead in shaping the evolution of social work, recognizing shifting context around practice environments, decolonization, the role of professions, increasing transdisciplinary work, economic sustainability of practice, opportunities for novel partnerships and how to evolve greater understanding of the value and impact of social work. 

What does the future of applying critical EDI lenses to research, teaching and delivery of social, human and health services look like?

Hive #2 (May 1^st 2:00 to 4:30pm) – ONLINE

Anti-oppression, decolonization and structural equity are at the core of all of the work of FIFSW.  As we shape the next strategic plan, setting intentions about the next evolution of these principles fundamentally influences all priorities.  In this Hive, we will explore the next iteration of EDIA, across research and teaching practices, holding and evolving our ethos in a polarized world, and creating a truly inclusive community where everyone can  “feel in their bones that they belong,” (as one focus group participant expressed).

What experience of “learning and becoming” do we want to create in classrooms, fieldwork and other learning spaces? 

Hive #3 (May 9^th 1:00 to 3:30pm) – ONLINE

FIFSW is continually evolving and innovating the learning experience for everyone connected to the Faculty, balancing curriculum needs, practicum experience, regulatory shifts, inclusion and accessibility, evolving practice environments and the space for learners to increasingly define and shape content.  As the profession of social work evolves and as the Faculty continues to challenge and transform power structures, what does the evolution of the learning experience look like? In this Hive, we will explore the future of truly inclusive curriculum and classrooms, expanding ways of knowing and demonstrating knowledge, generative space for reflexivity and “becoming”, the evolution of accessibility, sustainable fieldwork and other opportunities to “live” our ethos in innovative ways.

Where is FIFSW being called to lead in the research and practice of Social Work?

Hive #4:  (May 16^th 1:00 to 3:30pm) – ONLINE

The research, practice and advocacy led by FIFSW faculty, students, staff, alumni, and other collaborators are fundamental in evolving global understanding of critical topics that influence social worlds.  As we look forward to the next several years, the FIFSW will be called on the shape and influence issues that influence everyone’s lives, including Artificial Intelligence, climate justice and sustainability, sustainable and accessible public healthcare, policing, and commercial determinants of health.  In this Hive, we will explore the impact FIFSW wants to have in these and other critical areas, and what innovations, partnerships, collaborations and other approaches to action will make the biggest difference.

Hive #5 Update

As we move through this process, we have realized that the conversation around the desired impact for the Faculty is being well addressed through our other four hives and other discussions.  We are therefore cancelling that planned time, so if you have registered for the May 17th session, please join either Hive 3 or Hive 4 instead (if you are able).

NEW! Macro Hive for FIFSW Students

Macro Hive for Students (May 13 12:00 to 1:30pm) – ONLINE

This strategy hive was set up to ensure that MSW year one students who are currently completing their practicum are able to participate, however any FIFSW community member is welcome to join on this date. During this hive, we will be asking participants to create future-focused visions from a student perspective for the key strategic questions that we’ll explore in the other hives. This conversation will be short but go deeply into the core questions of the future for FIFSW, and participants will receive questions in advance to think about or consult their colleagues on.

Please note that students who are able are still encouraged to join as many of the other hives as they want in addition to this one.

Learn more about the consultation process for FIFSW’s new strategic plan

A new lab at FIFSW will help children and youth exposed to trauma thrive

Professor Ramona Alaggia will soon be opening the doors to the new Child and Youth Trauma Research Incubator (ThRIve) lab thanks to support from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure.

Part of a new network of eight Canadian universities, the ThRIve lab aims to make a difference for children and youth exposed to trauma. Bringing together researchers, practitioners, community partners and students, this research incubator will further the mission of the Canadian Consortium on Child and Youth Trauma to improve the lives of mistreated children and youth. Research from the lab will inform provincial policies and practices to “create consistency in the training provided to social workers, police officers, legal professionals and health care providers working directly with the children and families involved”.

“Nurturing, non-violent families and communities are the bedrock of healthy child development,” says Alaggia. “The ThRIve lab is a powerful way to use research for providing leading edge information and best practices to professionals and caregivers for responding to and preventing childhood trauma.”

Alaggia will lead the ThRIve lab from the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, together with Dr. Delphine Collin-Vézina, who is heading the national hub at McGill University. They are working in partnerships with Dr. Steve Geoffrion (Montreal), Dr. Melissa Kimber (McMaster), Dr. Sheri Madigan (Calgary), Dr. Lise Milne (Regina), Dr. Tristan Milot (UQTR), and Dr. Elisa Romano (Ottawa), making this the first pan-Canadian collaboration for child and youth trauma.

Alaggia is the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family. Her body of research focuses on gender and violence; child sexual abuse disclosures and mental health effects; intimate partner violence and structural barriers; and promoting ways to foster resilience processes in children, youth and adults exposed to violence.

Locally, Ramona has been instrumental in leading research and evaluation on the wellbeing of children, youth and their families. She supports prevention and intervention programs, and helps develop innovative models of service to enhance children’s mental health. Internationally she provides training on trauma and resilience informed approaches to mental health service providers in the UK and Ireland to ensure leading-edge research for families, communities and systems to support the optimal growth of children. Her co-edited book Cruel but not Unusual: Violence in Families in Canada (3^rdE) is widely read by students and practitioners across the country.

Related:

• Social workers experienced depression, PTSD, and anxiety at alarming rates during pandemic
• FIFSW professors rank among the world’s most impactful social work scholars
• Cruel But Not Unusual, co-edited by Ramona Alaggia, provides an updated look at violence in families in Canada