Research Team
Co-Investigators
Olu Awosoga, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the University of Lethbridge in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Olu is a statistician and he is a co-investigator on Study 1 of the Ai’aoksiikowaata Project.
Don Ahnahnsisi McIntyre, LL.M., Ph.D. (ABD), is an Assistant Professor at the University of Lethbridge, Dhillon School of Business. Don is an Ojibway artist and a co-investigator for Study 2 of the Ai’aoksiikowaata Project. You can view some of his work here.
Culture & Wellness Lab
The Culture & Wellness Lab consists of an amazing team of Research Assistants who are undergraduate and graduate students, and U of L alumni.
Anika Dirk, RSW, B.H.Sc., recently graduated from the Addictions Counseling program at the U of L. She is an RA on the Ai’aoksiikowaata Project and Mapping the Landscape scoping review. Anika is from Medicine Hat, Alberta and self-identifies as Métis.
Fatemeh Salehi Shahrabi, MSW, Ph.D. Candidate, earned her MSW from Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, Iran and she is working on her dissertation in Population Studies in Health at the U of L. Her area of interest is women's health, particularly reproductive and mental health. Her research is investigating the health implications of child marriage among displaced Afghan women and girls. Fatemeh is an RA on the Mapping the Landscape scoping review.
Amanda Ervin, BTR, CTRS, M.Sc., earned her diploma in Therapeutic Recreation – Gerontology (TRG) from Lethbridge College and her Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation from the U of L. She graduated from the U of L with a M.Sc. in Fall 2023 and her research focuses on how adaptive recreation opportunities impact health-quality of life, wellbeing, and social and personal relationships. Amanda is an RA on the Mapping the Landscape scoping review.
Gratitude
My research would not have been possible without the guidance of Niitsitap’i Elders and Knowledge Holders. I want to especially thank Dan Fox, who supervises the Blackfoot Language & Culture program for foster parents and young people in care, Tom Chief Calf, the former Indigenous Manager at Children’s Services in Lethbridge, and Elder Charlie Fox for teaching me about Ai’aoksiikowaata and providing his blessing to use this word for the project. I also need to thank Melissa Shouting, who has encouraged me to take on this difficult subject and has been providing guidance along this journey.
This research is being supported by grants from the University of Lethbridge, Making the Shift: Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab (MtS), and the Social Sciences & Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC). MtS and the people who keep it going have been especially amazing with their professional development and networking activities. I am also grateful for the support from community organizations like the Calgary Homeless Foundation, Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) in Calgary, and Family Ties in Lethbridge.
I also want to thank every person who agreed to participate in this research. I am now responsible for ensuring your knowledge and experiences are used for the benefit of others.
Thank you,
Janice Victor, Ph.D.