This International Women’s Day at the Nicholls Lab we’re celebrating the accomplishments of the formidable women in our lab by sharing the strides they’ve made in the last year. This year’s tagline ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ builds on the day’s aim to draw attention to women’s achievements and the fight for gender equality. We are proud to share the achievements of the women in our team, and call all women to share their triumphs with us today!
Lauren Rutherford, a recent graduate from University of British Columbia is the recipient of the Derek Eaves Student Research Grant from the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services (IAMFHS) for the project Healthcare in Correctional Facilities: Perspectives of Women with Criminal Justice Involvement on Gender-Specific Care! Read more here!
Our previous lab coordinator, Dr. Karen Peterson has recently accepted a position with the British Columbia Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions!
Faith Eiboff, a Ph.D. student was invited to present with Dr. Tonia Nicholls Karen Peterson and Jessica Ahn at the Surrey Vulnerable Women and Girls – Community Forum. The event brings individuals, organizations, and community leaders together to share experiences and collaborate on developing solutions and strategies to address the needs of vulnerable women and girls in Surrey. They presented key findings from our report ‘In Their Own Words’ 2023, a research project that provides an assessment of service and housing needs of vulnerable women and female youth in Surrey. Read more here!
Jessica Ahn, a project coordinator at the lab was warded the Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Program Award (CGS-M) by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). She was then accepted to the Masters of Arts program in Counselling Psychology at UBC, which she began in September. She also won the BPOC scholarship (for students who identify as Black or as a Person of Colour) by the Faculty of Graduate Studies in the amount of $4,500, and presented at last year’s CPA Conference! Read about CGS-M, her acceptance, CPA presentation, and BPOC!
Dr. Amanda Butler, recently graduated from Simon Fraser University received an SFU FASS Kickstarter Seed Grant! She completed a Health Research BC Postdoctoral Fellowship with our team and in fall of 2023 started as an Assistant Professor at the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. She is on a tenure track now! In collaboration with Dr. Tonia Nicholls as Co-Investigator, the ~$10,000 grant will allow Drs. Nicholls and Butler to fund pilot research examining the Guthrie Therapeutic Community at the Nanaimo Correctional Center. The highly competitive, one-time grant is exclusive to members of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at SFU, intending to support research and increase their reach. Read more here!
Investing in women restricted to gender equity; it’s about pushing the agenda for research, and enhancing outcomes for everyone. By supporting women researchers, we can foster innovation, dismantle barriers, and cultivate a more inclusive and impactful research community. As we celebrate the accomplishments of women in our team from all walks of life, we implore you to invest in women’s future and advocate for change.