Dr. Skye Stephens
Saint Mary’s University researcher Dr. Skye Stephens is receiving a New Health Investigator Grant from Research Nova Scotia. Dr. Stephens is one of 21 recipients across Nova Scotia receiving funding for new health research.
The New Health Investigator Grant supports new health researchers engaged in work that aligns with Nova Scotia’s health research priorities. The grant aims to provide two years of support of up to $100,000 for researchers who are within the first five years of their academic appointment in Nova Scotia or who are new to the field of health research. For the 2020-21 academic year, funding for this grant comes from the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.
“There has never been a greater need to support new health researchers in Nova Scotia to help inform practice, policy and decision making,” says Stefan Leslie, CEO of Research Nova Scotia. “Today, we’re pleased to announce funding for these researchers and are confident their work will positively impact the health of Nova Scotians.”
Funding provided will support the establishment of independent research programs, support and expand the research productivity necessary for obtaining long-term funding from national and external agencies and expand the potential for early-career investigators to make significant contributions in their field.
Project title: The Feasibility of a Program for the Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse.
Project description: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a universal public health problem impacting 18% of girls and 8% of boys worldwide. Children are overrepresented as victims of sexual abuse, as 56% of police-reported sexual assaults in Nova Scotia involved victims under 18. Rates of sexual abuse in Nova Scotia are above the national Canadian average. CSA contributes to a significant disease burden, as it connects to a wide range of adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Effective prevention programs could stop CSA from occurring in the first place and prevent adverse health outcomes. In Nova Scotia, a significant gap in prevention programming is delivering comprehensive mental health services to individuals who may be at risk of CSA perpetration. Previous research has suggested that there are individuals who have not offended but struggle to stay offence free and experience mental health challenges. Through her research, Dr. Skye Stephens and the team aim to enhance capacity to provide CSA prevention programming in Nova Scotia by exploring development barriers. Knowledge gained during this study will lay the groundwork for developing and evaluating a prevention program that could reduce the occurrence of CSA and associated adverse health outcomes. Overall, the project could increase the health and safety of Nova Scotians by proactively addressing risk factors for CSA perpetration.
Team members: Etta Brodersen, Loren Klein, Angela Connors, Christina Shaffer, Amy Ornstein, Ray MacNeil, Ian McPhail, Jamie Livingston & Ainslie Heasman
Research projects span a broad range of topics, including diabetes, cancer and dementia care, pre-term infant gut health, and food security during the COVID-19 pandemic. For a complete list of recipients and projects, visit https://researchns.ca/new-health-investigator-grant-recipients/.