What's Online Community-Based Research Going to Look Like in the Future?

About the workshop: In social behavioural sciences, where community-based research (CBR) is best tolerated and implemented in disparate ways, there exists a role of predicting what will happen in the future. Kiser (1995) tells us that the two things “required for successful prediction [are] general theoretical models of the relevant causal processes and detailed empirical knowledge of initial conditions." Using a predictive-via-observation and reflection role of social sciences as a springboard, in this workshop, I invite participants to reflect on what has been done in, and to, community-based research in Canada using HIV research as a preferred example. I will describe the ways in which online research methods will impact the implementation of CBR.

Presenter bio: Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco rags to (professional) riches story started with migrating from Chile, from poverty and military dictatorship, to Canada at 22, getting diagnosed with HIV, becoming an AIDS activist in 1989, and pursuing a thrilling combo of non-profit community work and qualitative social-behavioural research. Currently, Francisco is an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, a member of The Canada-International HIV and Rehabilitation Research Collaborative (CIHRRC), and fiction/non-fiction author. Dr. Ibáñez-Carrasco’s research focuses on physical and cognitive rehabilitation in the context of HIV, queer men’s sexual health, eLearning for public health, HIV stigma, and autopathography (patient-oriented medical narratives).

About the MAP Evaluation Series: The MAP Evaluation Series aims to build on our core principles – street-level solutions, policy impact, training and community partnership – to build evaluation capacity. We convene community agencies and researchers around the country interested in learning about different evaluation and developing evaluation skills.

All sessions are facilitated by individuals with academic and applied evaluation expertise, and are available free-of-charge via Zoom.

About MAP: Through big-picture research and street-level solutions, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions tackles complex urban health issues. With an evolving focus on evidence-based solutions, the need for evaluation expertise is growing. Connected to both a teaching hospital and university, MAP has a longstanding history in training. We partner with individuals in the community, community agencies and all levels of government to study scalable solutions that will have real, long-term, positive health impacts. Visit maphealth.ca, twitter @MAP_Health.

If you'd like to learn about future MAP Evaluation Series workshops, please join our mailing list by writing to alix.freiler @ unityhealth.to.