Within a framework of interdisciplinary collaboration (anthropology, medical ethics, nursing care), our program encompasses three complementary lines of research that guide our work:
Axis 1
The Study of Contemporary Clinical Practices in Hospital Settings.
Themes
- The diversity of standards and values that cut across clinical practice (caregivers/care receivers);
- Medical advances pediatric practices in hospital settings (fragmentation of knowledge – increased specializations) and associated ethical issues.
Current Research Projects
- Comparative study (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver) of pediatric clinical practices in a pluralistic hospital setting (CIHR 05-11);
- Multicenter research (hospital/local community service center - CLSC) on access to perinatal health services by recent immigrant families of Muslim origin (CIHR 07-11).
Axis 2
Population Diversity and Health Issues
Themes
- Social, cultural and religious pluralism;
- Family structures, social paths, migration trajectories;
- Representations of health/illness, caregivers, care receivers/families (local and global perspectives);
- Perinatality and health: localities here and abroad;
- Sign, meaning and action systems.
Current Research Projects
- Comparative study of intestinal function disorders in children from various ethnic groups and socio-cultural factors of protection and vulnerability as they relate to these disorders (FRSQ 08-11);
- Transmission of perinatality knowledge to new mothers of Muslim origin (IRSC 07-11);
- Anthropological knowledge and its circulation among clinicians who work with immigrant children (CIHR 08-11);
- Representations and practices in terms of transfusions and blood donations (internal funding).
Axis 3
Training, Application of Knowledge and Reflexivity in Clinicians
Themes
- Cultural, religious and social pluralism;
- Norms, values and therapeutic relationships;
- Clinical ethics.
Activities (and Research Projects) in Progress and To Be Developed
The program includes continued education and training activities in “health and society,” i.e., workshops, roundtables, debates, discussions about research findings, thematic seminars and ad hoc “intercultural” consultations for the caregivers. These activities promote the articulation of the anthropological, ethical, clinical and research expertise of our clinical practice group. Didactic tools are developed for pediatric residents and medical students to reflect the diversity of the population through representative clinical vignettes of problem situations in clinical settings and through the reflective effect of research conducted within the teams that have been set up and the area of study.
Knowledge Transfer Plan
Beyond the usual activities involved in knowledge transfer (publications and scientific communications), we are engaged in an important program of structuring activities in the practice setting (Third Line of Research) and student training. Our students benefit from the team’s multidisciplinary framework (anthropology-medicine co-direction) and are very involved in resident training programs as well as generally augmenting the team’s profile (seven publications in common). Active participation in funded research, as trainees, interns or fellows, represents another important aspect of their training. As for the structuring activities, the teams set up for these various studies encompass social and health disciplines and present numerous occasions to apply knowledge within participating and partner settings. The research process and continued training program promote an appropriation and negotiation of fundamental and applied knowledge. We support the co-publication of articles and collective works geared toward the public at large. We are associated with the Réseau mère-enfant de la Francophonie, a French-language mother-child network, and have developed collaborative ties with local and international institutions.
Other FRQS Member
Franco Carnevale
(Université McGill)
Other Member
France Dupuis
(Université de Montréal)
CHU Sainte-Justine Collaborators
Christophe Faure
Michel Duval
Andrée Rasquin
Gilles Chabot
Jacques Lacroix
France Gauvin
François Audibert
Marc Girard
Sanja Stojanovic