University researchers awarded CIHR grant

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Mental Health Commission have awarded a grant of $1.5 million to a team of researchers, including a contingent from York University. According to a July 22 YFile article, they will be researching “how young adults who suffer from mental health problems, and those who support them, make decisions about their mental health. The project also promises to develop methods to help the mental health care sector better address the needs of Canadian youth by transferring knowledge to them in optimal, timely formats.”

The York researchers involved in the project include Henny Westra, Lynne Angus, John Eastwood, Madalyn Marcus and David Phipps.

KM intern making a difference with West End Heat Registry

Tanya Gulliver, an intern with the Knowledge Mobilization Unit at York University, appeared in the July 18 edition of the Toronto Star, discussing her role as co-ordinator of the West End Heat Registry. The Heat Registry is a project funded by the City of Toronto, designed to ensure the safety of at-risk residents on days when the City issues heat advisories.

The KM at York Internship Program offers summer internships to York graduate students working in partnerships with community organizations, including government, NGOs, labour, private sector and community-based agencies. The community organization must provide the graduate student with the opportunity to apply her/his research and expertise to the benefit of the organization.

You can read the Toronto Star article here, or follow this link to find a video about the Heart Registry’s services (scroll down to “Heat Busters”).

meet a mobilizer – michael johnny, york university

Hi. I am Michael Johnny, a knowledge broker at York University. It is what I do and what I enjoy. But it is not who I am. But then who ever grows up aspiring to be a knowledge broker (yet)? My mother told me I wanted to be the person that cleaned street lights. My healthy respect (OK, fear) of heights meant that dream is now a distant memory.

I prefer to introduce myself as a father. My daughter’s name is Meghan. For almost seven years now, Meghan and I have enjoyed an annual trip to Algonquin Park with good friends from Turkey (below from left to right, Didem, Meghan and I). The trip north allows us some quality time together, as well as a chance for me to recharge the batteries! I still argue an Algonquin is one of life’s pleasures that can’t be beat.

When I am not mobilizing knowledge or canoeing in the north, I enjoy spending time with my finacée. We met at our high school reunion (for real)!

Golf, cooking, red wine, walking my dog Charlie, and a recent introduction to the bass guitar are hobbies that keep me happy and healthy!

Knowledge in Motion 2008

Knowledge in Motion, 2008 is a three-day international conference being hosted by Memorial University and organized on its behalf by the Leslie Harris Center of Public Policy and Development to explore the role Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play in mobilizing knowledge in a regional development context, and how that role is best carried out. From October 16th to the 18th three hundred researchers, policy makers and community developers from around the world will exchange best practices and examine the opportunities to transfer knowledge and improve communications among those interested in continuing efforts to mobilize knowledge, generally and for specific purposes.

An open call to present or facilitate conference content has resulted in over one hundred submissions ranging in content from knowledge mobilization (KMb) processes in community health care to government/private sector collaborations in emerging economic sectors. A draft conference program is attached as is a list of individual submissions grouped under relevant KMb themes. Work is continuing to develop a full program including plenary sessions on media, community and international practices in knowledge mobilization. Iterations of the full conference agenda will be shared promoted at www.knowledgeinmotion2008.ca as developed. Registration for the conference and its concurrent sessions will go live via the website the week of July 14th.

You are encouraged to consider attending this innovative conference that will not simple be about knowledge mobilization but will in fact be a form of knowledge mobilization. Four community field trips are being planned as part of the conference program. Leaders for major research funding sources are confirmed. Keynote speakers Bob MacDonald of CBCs Quirks and Quarks, and Dr. Sandra Nutley, University of Edinburgh and author of Using Evidence: How Research Can Inform Public Services have also been confirmed. Other plenary sessions will explore knowledge mobilization from the community perspective, from the public policy-makers perspective and from the media’s perspective.

For more information continue to check the website or contact
pcmurphy@mun.ca

York University Collaborates With The World Green Building Council To Mobilize Knowledge

Earlier this year, York University formed a partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), via the WorldGBC Universities Pilot Program. In the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between York and the WorldGBC, WorldGBC identifies ResearchImpact as a key factor in choosing to partner with York, stating, “York University is also a national leader in knowledge mobilization leading ResearchImpact, Canada’s emerging national knowledge mobilization network.”

The WorldGBC is a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the global built environment towards sustainability. The current member Green Building Councils (GBCs) of the WorldGBC represent over 50 percent of global construction activity, and touch more than 10,000 companies and organizations worldwide. GBCs are consensus-based, not-for-profit organizations that are highly effective at engaging leaders across sectors to transform the built environment.

WorldGBC members are leading the movement that is globalizing environmentally and socially responsible building practices. The WorldGBC provides leadership and a global forum to accelerate market transformation from traditional, inefficient building practices to new generation high-performance buildings.

Under the terms of the MOU between York and the WorldGBC, York students and faculty will conduct research on behalf of the WorldGBC, and will develop strategies to effectively disseminate this research. In addition, York will assist the WorldGBC in the development of a Knowledge Mobilization strategy and a WorldGBC online research portal.

For more information about the World Green Building Council, visit www.worldgbc.org.