CBRCanada Webinar and Discussion: Engaging Bereaved Parents in Substance Use Research & Drug Policy Reform

About this event Webinar

This webinar (and follow-up live discussion) will reflect on findings from the "Mother's stories of advocacy following their child's substance passing" project. The participatory research project was conducted in 2017 by a research team consisting of university academics and representatives of community groups Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH), mumsDU, and The Voice of the Family. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 43 mothers across Canada who had experienced the death of their child by substance use, and who subsequently engaged in advocacy around family support and drug policy reform

In this webinar, presenters will reflect on the role of research team members, the benefits and challenges of partnership and key insights on the meaningful inclusion of family members as key stakeholders in substance use research and drug policy reform.

Live Discussion

Following the presentation, CBRCanada will facilitate a live discussion to explore implications for practice. Breakout groups will be facilitated by webinar presenters. The event will conclude with a large group report-back dialogue. The live discussion will not be recorded. CBRCanada will share an infographic highlighting key discussion themes following the event.

Presenters

• Rebecca Haines-Saah, Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences, University of Calgay

• Petra Schulz, Co-Founder, Moms Stop the Harm

• Heather Morris, RN, PhD Health Services & Policy Research, School of Public Health, University of Alberta

This CBRCanada webinar and live discussion is part of our fall series: Celebrating Community-Based Research Excellence. In this series we will highlight examples of excellent Community-Based Research by spotlighting the previous winners of CBRCanada awards.

This event will take place in Zoom meeting format. A zoom link* will be sent out by email prior to the event via eventbrite. If you do not receive the link, access will also be available on the eventbrite platform. Use the email you registered with to login. For questions, please email amanda@communitybasedresearch.ca in advance of the event.

We hope to see you there!

The CBRCanada Team

Bios:

Rebecca Haines-Saah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. I am a public health sociologist, with a PhD (2008) in Behavioural Health Sciences and Addiction Studies from the University of Toronto. Her research interests are in public health and harm reduction approaches to substance use and drug policy reform. Her recent projects have focused on youth and young adult cannabis use and opioid use, the family contexts of substance use, and parent advocacy for action on Canada’s overdose death emergency.

Petra Schulz lost her 25-year-old son, Danny, to accidental fentanyl poisoning in 2014. She is one of the co-founders of Moms Stop the Harm, a network of Canadian families impacted by substance-use related harms and deaths. Through the lessons learned from her personal experience and by sharing Danny's story, Petra has become an advocate for drug policy reform to reduce the harm associated with substance use. She believes that substance use is a matter involving human rights and health and must not be criminalized. Petra represents families with lived experience in Health Canada and CCSA advisory committees. She has been a speaker for TedX, at rallies, conferences, community meetings, professional organizations, universities, and all government levels. She contributed to the anti-stigma campaign, "See-Beyond" and a research projects related to her advocacy work.

Heather Morris is a registered nurse who has completed her PhD in Health Services & Policy Research from the School of Public Health, University of Alberta. As a former public health nurse, her research interests center around public opinions of harm reduction and how individuals with lived and living experience – bereaved mothers in particular - engage in advocacy to shape drug policy reform in Canada. Heather is starting a postdoctoral fellowship with the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta and the Inner City Health and Wellness Program, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton in the fall of 2022. She has volunteered during her PhD studies with the Boyle Street Community Services Streetworks Van and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Alberta Public Health Association and Alberta Alliance Who Educate and Advocate Responsibly (AAWEAR).

*This event is intended for CBRCanada members only. If you are employed, studying, or affiliated with any CBRCanada member institution/organization, you are already considered a member. If you are unsure if your institution is covered, learn more here. Individuals whose institution is not on this list are welcome to register as an an individual member. We value community participation and have a free membership option for registered community mobilizers.