My research agenda aims to improve health equity by understanding the needs and amplifying the voices of underserved populations in the health care system and at policymaking tables using rigorous theory-informed implementation science methods. My research is participatory and is supported by both community engagement and integrated knowledge translation with health system partners. I currently lead two programs of work related to 1) equitable implementation of new prenatal screening technologies and 2) blood donor inclusion.
Research Projects
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Engaging community members to ensure culturally specific language is used in research: should I use gay, queer, MSM, or this other new acronym?
04/09/2024
We begin with an overview of the history of the term men who have sex with men (MSM) and the debate regarding its use. We then provide background on the Expanding Plasma Donation in Canada Study and describe the collaborative process that we engaged in as a research team to identify suitable terminology for use in our work. We conclude that there is no all-encompassing term or acronym that will work for all stages of research. Instead, based on our experiences we propose a set of principles to consider when determining labels or terms to identify participant populations.