Increasing the Participation of Racialized Individuals inCanada’s Health Care Research

Principal ApplicantNoor-ul-huda shah
Supervisor/MentorDr. Andrea Tricco
Academic InstitutionUniversity of Toronto
Project TitleIncreasing the participation of racialized individuals in Canada’s health care research
Funding DurationNot funded
Award Value
Proposed Method/ScienceMixed-Methods
Project SummaryCurrently, there exists a significant gap in health research where data from racialized participants are scarce. Systemic absence of these groups has resulted in Canadian health data lacking critical knowledge on its extensive racialized populations. To rectify this, it is important to build relationships with community and health organizations that primarily service racialized populations. We aim to develop national research guidelines informed by racialized individuals and community partners that address multi-level barriers to health research participation. Due to the underrepresentation of these groups, it is imperative we utilize a mixed methods approach for racialized community members to inform the development of these guidelines. Using an exploratory sequential design, we will allow qualitative interviews to inform the quantitative development of research guidelines in a culturally sensitive manner. A transformative worldview will inform our conceptual framework to better guide our study design in empowering racialized peoples. This philosophical worldview recognizes the power differences that result due to historical acts of discrimination, oppression, and misrepresentation, and seeks to incorporate marginalized voices in research to restore social justice.
About the ApplicantHuda Shah is currently a second-year PhD student in health services research at University of Toronto’s IHPME under Dr. Andrea Tricco. After completing her MSc in population health from the University of Waterloo (UW), she worked as a research assistant at UW’s School of Pharmacy. Through this opportunity, she gained experience in pharmacoepidemiology and qualitative analyses. For her PhD thesis, she is undertaking a mixed methods project to better incorporate social justice in research design. Huda is passionate about health equity, improving health services delivery, and knowledge translation.