USask researchers tackle health issues raised by COVID-19
As the pandemic rolls through another year, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers continue to seek out timely responses to the crisis based on scientific discovery.
Today, the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) announced more than $445,000 in funding for three USask projects tackling fallout from COVID-19.
“USask’s commitment to providing research the world needs is highlighted in this current time of crisis,” said USask Vice-President Research Baljit Singh. “With these projects, our scientists are tackling issues head-on as they emerge.”
The funded projects are:
- Dr. Cory Neudorf (PhD) of the College of Medicine and his team will investigate ways to design youth immunization programs to both catch up with backlogs due to the pandemic, and to be more resilient in the face of future school disruptions. Researchers will partner with public health system practitioners in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Quebec to ask them what happened to school-based immunizations during the COVID-19 outbreak, and model potential impacts of drop-in coverage rates. ($149,144)
- New funding for Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine (PhD) of the College of Medicine and his team will allow to continue research with families on mental health, coping behaviours and use of mental health services during the pandemic. He and his team will collect survey and interview data from child-parent pairs in early 2022 for the second year in a row, to provide insights to help shape public policy and more accessible services. ($149,926)
- Dr. Anne Leis (PhD) of the College of Medicine will investigate how Francophone families and children, living in minority language situation in the Prairies, have been affected by the pandemic. The results will inform the development of appropriate support services and health interventions, including those at schools, child-care facilities and family support centres. ($146,835)
Article re-posted on Dec 17.
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