Academic Information
Commencing September 2011: Ph.D.
University of British Columbia (Nursing)
Supervisor: Dr. Vicky Bungay

2011: Masters of Science
University of British Columbia (Nursing)
Supervisor: Dr. Vicky Bungay

2006: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
University of Toronto (Nursing)

2003: Bachelor of Science
McMaster University (Kinesiology)

Research Interests
My research interests focus primarily on the impact of the environment (interpersonal interactions, political system, legal system, physical environment) on illicit drug use practices and issues of inequity faced by women in accessing harm reduction/health promotion programming and generalized health services. My Masters thesis explored how women residing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) engage in safer crack use practices to mitigate some of the harms associated with the substance while highlighting the interpersonal and structural components that influence this process. For my doctoral dissertation, I plan to expand on my Masters work by conducting a critical ethnography of the social context of injection drug use and HIV risk among young, Aboriginal women residing in the DTES.

Publications

• Handlovsky, I., Bungay V., & Kolar, K. (in review). Relationships, condoms, money, and power: Exploring the complexities of condom use of indoor commercial sex workers to better understand HIV and STI risk. Sociology of Health and Illness.
• Handlovsky, I., Hansen, S., Lee, T., & Elliott, D. (2004). The Ebbinghaus Illusion affects online movement control. Neuroscience Letters.

Abstracts and Presentations

• Handlovsky, I. (February 2011). Relational Practice in Nursing: A Harm Reduction Context. Guest Lecture Presented for Nursing 304: Introduction to Relational Practice. Vancouver, BC.
• Handlovsky, I. (May, 2003). The Ebbinghaus Illusion affects Online Movement Preparation and Execution. The Southwestern Ontario Motor Behaviour Conference. Waterloo, ON.

Other Pursuits and Interests
I have worked as a Registered Nurse since 2006. Upon relocating to Vancouver from Toronto in 2007, I have worked primarily in an outreach capacity in mental health and addictions with much of my clientele residing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. I believe my research pursuits to be largely by my nursing work and I have a vested dedication to advocating equal access to healthcare services as a right for all Canadians. I am grateful to be living in Vancouver with my husband, where I can run year-round and enjoy snowboarding, tennis, painting and music.