Synthesizing Current Evidence on Tuberculosis Information Campaigns in Canada’s North

By Stacey Woods, 2nd year MDP student

My name is Stacey Woods; I was born in the traditional lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dene, and the birthplace of the Red River Métis, also colonially known as Winnipeg, Manitoba, or Treaty 1 territory, where I grew up with my parents and older brother. My background and ancestral ties are rooted in Ukraine and Britain, which actively inform my worldviews and perspectives as a woman, a daughter, a sister, a niece, and a friend to many in my circle and outstretched community. I wanted to begin by stating where I place myself within knowledge production. This goes for not only for this blog post but, for wherever I go in spaces where teaching and learning are being done. The work that is illustrated in this presentation is both directly and indirectly impacted by intersections of my identity and socially constructed sense of reality.

Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to contribute to knowledge translation efforts with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID), where I explored the evidence and knowledge on information campaigns on Tuberculosis (TB) in Canada’s North. In the expansive and often isolated landscapes of Canada's North, TB intervention, planning, and mitigation strategies present unique challenges that are distinct to certain regions due to infrastructure, resource management, and coordination among multiple sectors and partners. Advances in TB diagnostic technologies, coupled with proactive community-based initiatives, are reshaping how local community-based approaches to TB testing, screening, and treatment in Northern Arctic regions look like (i.e., regional planning, clinical operations, health human resources, etc.). Yet, the cornerstone of these advancements lies in effective TB information campaigns for understanding the effectiveness of knowledge mobilization for TB awareness.

These campaigns (i.e., social media, radio stations, news broadcasts, print media, online resources, organizational programs, community-based initiatives, etc.) are not just about spreading awareness—they are about empowering communities and building capacity. By educating individuals about TB, these campaigns encourage early detection and prompt treatment seeking. They play a crucial role in bridging knowledge gaps and ensuring health care resources are brought forward as an option and piece of knowledge to encourage and promote wellness practices (i.e., screening, diagnosis, symptom and disease management, etc.) for  those who need them most, regardless of the logistical, geographical, and infrastructural barriers.

It was a privilege to explore how information campaigns can effect change and improve public health outcomes, and at the same time, learn and appreciate the efforts that have and continue to be made to eliminate TB globally. Working alongside the NCCID team was inspiring, and I am deeply grateful for their commitment to advancing public health initiatives that stretch beyond the scope of TB management. I would like to personally thank my supervisor and mentor, Claudyne Chevrier (pictured on the right), as well as my other supporting supervisor, Margaret Haworth-Brockman (not pictured) for allowing me to contribute to TB knowledge translation and TB information campaign knowledge mobilization.

My Last Goodbye/blog

By Ricky Harper, 2nd year MDP student

For my final field placement in the Master’s In Development (MDP) program, I, Rick Harper, worked at the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID). As a research assistant, I worked under the guidance of Claudyne Chevrier.  Together, we worked on developing a knowledge synthesis for Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). ITK is the national voice of 70,000 Inuit people. The knowledge synthesis focuses on Core Competencies for Inuit Cultural Safety and it will be an additional tool for ITK addressing tuberculosis in Inuit communities.

Some of my tasks were to research and find resources pertaining to the topic. I then compiled the resources into a spreadsheet for review. In addition, my contributions will be included in the final report for ITK.

As my final quote, I will say, “I am glad to have been a part of this organization (NCCID) even if it was for just a moment as this was the highlight of my time at MDP. Meegwetch.”

 

The Importance of Partnerships

By Tara Myran, 2nd year MDP student

Anniin,

My name is Tara Faye Myran and I currently live on my ancestral homelands, Treaty 1 Territory located along the Red River. I am from Long Plain First Nation and Swan Lake First Nation both located in Southern Manitoba, and I am of Ojibway and Dakota descent from both my parents.

This year, I chose to complete my second field placement at the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID). This pan-Canadian knowledge translation organization is located at University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne campus within the Health Science Centre. I was provided the opportunity to work hybrid which worked great! At NCCID I worked under the direction of Dr. Claudyne Chevrier who mentored and guided me for each of the projects I was working on.

My role at this field placement was to work with my supervisor on two innovative projects that are geared towards partnership and knowledge translation.

The first project is called Joint Action for Equity – Stories of primary care and public health partnership and the second is the Tuberculosis Patient Journey for Northern First Nations Communities.

 The Joint Action for Equity project documents partnerships between public health and primary care, especially as they relate to health equity. My involvement in the Joint Action for Equity project focused on exploring a particular story of the Manitoba First Nations Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-out.  

The second project I was involved with was the Tuberculosis Patient Journey for Northern First Nations Communities and I found it to be an innovative and unique tool for public health and health care practitioners. The online tool is a depiction of the stages of tuberculosis infection, but more importantly, the many Indigenous and social factors that influence a person’s journey with TB. The project is a collaboration with many First Nations experts in Canada.  I worked on revising the scripts for introductory videos to highlight more positive aspects of data and capture the strengths of utilizing these types of webtools to address issues such as tuberculosis. I also revised some of the sections of the platform, including education, quality of life and health which I found to be beneficial for me as a future MDP Practitioner.

I am grateful for the opportunity of conducting my field placement at NCCID. I walked away with many skills such as time management, learning to analyze how knowledge translation is transmitted to public health and health care practitioners and literature reviews. Understanding the importance of how knowledge translation is used in different platforms such as video scripts and mapping is something that I look forward to utilizing in the future.

This field placement course was my last course to be completed upon graduation set for this October 2022.

“Having the opportunity to work at NCCID allowed me to learn, grow and apply what I have been taught during my last two years of the MDP program. I encourage my fellow colleagues to look at NCCID as a future field placement.”