Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

This funding request is to support the attendance of Dr. Cara Spence (Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Saskatchewan) to attend the New Investigator Forum (NIF), co-hosted by CIHR Institutes of Infection and Immunity (III) and Population and Public Health (IPPH), the Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, and HIV/STBBI Research Initiative. This ICS travel award, offered by the Institute of Community Support, provides the opportunity for admission and associated travel costs to attend the NIF. This forum presents a critical opportunity for Dr. Spence to engage in national networking, knowledge sharing, and capacity building within a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. With a strong background in health systems, social science, health equity, epidemiology, public and global health, the NIF will provide Dr. Spence an opportunity to discuss the intersecting and compounding impact of the biological, social, and structural determinants of health outcomes. Additionally, the guidance and mentorship offered at the NIF will help ensure the research focus and approaches taken by the interdisciplinary teams working with Dr. Spence align with the mandate and relevance of the participating institutes. Dr. Spence will present her research focused on women living with HIV (WLWH) and infant dyads. This longitudinal mixed-methods study examines the social and health outcomes of WLWH and their infants, including epidemiological and clinical data, qualitative interviews, and contextual analysis. Dr. Spence's work integrates biomedical, social, and public health perspectives to address inequities in HIV/STBBI research and care regionally, nationally, and internationally. This research contributes to CIHR's commitment and vision to improve health equity, reduce the burden of infections, and enhance community resilience in response to the HIV/STBBI epidemic in the Canadian prairies and across the country.