We’re excited to announce Esteban Valencia’s Health System Impact (HSI) Fellowship with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for the project Identifying patterns of healthcare needs among provincially incarcerated women to improve coordinated support services. Esteban is a 2nd year PhD student in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia completing their dissertation. The CIHR HSIP is under the supervision of Drs. Patty Janssen and Tonia Nicholls.
Incarcerated women constitute an under-supported sector of the Canadian carceral population with research showing disparities in mental health needs being met (the umbrella of mental health services also includes– substance use services, and reproductive and sexual health services). Evidence suggests that connection to health services upon release from custody promotes successful community reintegration post-incarceration, however, within BC, there exists limited research describing provincially incarcerated women’s complex profile of healthcare needs.
The CIHR HSI Fellowship is committed to supporting research oriented to driving system-transformation and improvement. Esteban’s project embodies the cause by actively seeking collaborations across BCMHSUS and BC Correctional Health Services. Esteban highlights the necessity of strong collaborations with Indigenous experts across boards. In partnership with BCMHSUS, the proposed project will use a data-driven approach to: (1) identify historical trends in the prevalence of pre-existing health conditions and (2) describe the clustering of co-morbidities among provincially incarcerated women. Collectively, project analyses are intended to support BCMHSUS in its ongoing effort to strengthen the scope of health and social support services available to those under provincial custody.
Yay Esteban!
Read more about the HSI Fellowship here.
Read Esteban’s announcement here.