Training Goals & Objectives

Goals

The goal of IMPART is to enhance the capacity of health and clinician researchers in applying a sexed and gendered approach to the study of addictions and its intersections with mental health, trauma, and violence. IMPART will increase knowledge and appreciation of the complexities and breadth of these issues in women and men, girls and boys that can be applied nationally and internationally.

Objectives

IMPART will increase the capacity of the health research community in addictions, gender, women and girls by:

  1. increasing the number of addictions researchers in Canada that investigate links to mental health, trauma and violence within a critical sex and gender framework by training graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinician and community-based researchers in a transdisciplinary setting;
  2. improving capacity among addictions researchers to apply knowledge of the interactions with mental health, trauma and violence when conducting research;
  3. expanding our training capacity of researchers from a range of disciplines by building on our established expertise in sex- and gender-based addictions research with training on the interactions among mental health, trauma, violence and addictions;
  4. creating a bridge between research, policy and practice by facilitating ongoing dialogue among the mentors, collaborators, trainees and end-users;
  5. developing and disseminating knowledge nationally and internationally;
  6. increasing capacity among addictions researchers to conduct ethically-sound and gender-sensitive research in the areas of mental health, trauma and violence;
  7. fostering the involvement of new and experienced mentors in relevant aspects of addictions training, especially on intersections with mental health, trauma and violence; and
  8. improving policies, prevention and practice for women and men, girls and boys with addictions.

Pedagogy & Delivery [top]

To enable both a perspective change and a bridge between research, policy and practice, the IMPART curriculum applies the following principles:

  • Interactive learning
  • Mutual respect
  • Practice-oriented research training
  • Action learning
  • Reflective dialogue
  • Transformative learning methods

A Vision of Blended Learning

IMPART incorporates a blended learning model that draws upon face-to-face instruction, facilitated dialogue, videoconferencing, online learning and field experiences to provide an interactive and integrated learning experience for Trainees, Mentors and Collaborators. Through use of communication technologies, IMPART is available to trainees at a variety of locations.

Trainees located all over Canada can participate in IMPART training activities due to our strategies:

  • Videoconferencing: All IMPART seminars are held in videoconferencing facilities
  • Online Learning: The IMPART core course on Women, Gender and Addictions is a self-directed online course
  • Online Collaboration: The IMPART online course is also used to facilitate group collaborations
  • Annual Retreat: All IMPART trainees attend the annual IMPART retreat in one of our hub locations

Fusion Model

Fusion
Fusion: A model for integrated health research.

Fusion (PDF, 1.01MB) is a model for integrated health research that provides the conceptual framework for an integrated approach to the study of gender, women and addictions research. The scaffolding of cross-sector partnership, multidisciplinary, mixed methodologies, reflexivity and dissemination of knowledge provides a useful heuristic for facilitated dialogue between health and clinical scientists, researchers, service providers and policy experts.

Mentorship

A cornerstone of IMPART is the mentoring relationship provided by the Mentors who represent a range of disciplines including Neuroscience, Nursing, Sociology, Psychology and Epidemiology.

A primary Mentor is assigned to each successful applicant for the duration of the program. In addition, all IMPART trainees have access to the entire group of Mentors during research seminars and off-site learning opportunities. The Mentors offer guidance and support in the following areas:

  • individualized IMPART learning plan development
  • conceptualizing research projects
  • encouraging questions and discussions about research
  • assistance with funding proposal

Learning Plan[top]

Each IMPART trainee develops, in conjunction with their Mentor, a learning plan to meet their own training needs based on individual goals and circumstances. The learning plan is used to both help guide the trainee's success and assess their progress. The learning plans are based on:

  • research activities planned for the year
  • the trainee's professional development goals
  • IMPART program learning objectives

The IMPART program learning objectives state that, by the end of the program, trainees will be able to:

  • integrate a sex and gender analysis to addictions research
  • apply knowledge of the intersections of addictions with mental health, trauma and violence
  • demonstrate the ability to fully participate in the research process
  • apply knowledge exchange strategies appropriately
  • demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to diverse audiences
  • demonstrate the responsible use of ethical principles and behaviour
  • understand how research findings are translated into policy and practice
  • demonstrate effective interpersonal and teamwork skills

Download the IMPART Learning Plan template from our Forms & Policies page.

Seminars[top]

IMPART seminars are:

  • interactive sessions designed to allow trainees to extend beyond the core concepts learned in the online course
  • co-led by trainees and mentors
  • focused on group discussion, lectures, presentations and other interactive activities that bring trainees and mentors together in a collaborative and active learning process

Seminars are held within videoconference facilities in Victoria, Kelowna, Toronto and Vancouver (and in some years, other locations).

  • in Victoria: Social Sciences & Math Bldg, UVic
  • in Vancouver: University Services Bldg, UBC
  • in Kelowna: Arts Bldg, UBC
  • in Toronto: Robarts Library, UofT
  • via WebEx audio for trainees for whom videoconferencing is not available

Contact the for information regarding videoconferencing in your location.

Research Project[top]

All trainees will develop and undertake, in consultation with their IMPART mentor(s) and research supervisors, a research project in the area of sex/gender and addictions, preferably with a focus on the intersections with mental health, violence and/or trauma. For graduate student trainees, the research may constitute your thesis or dissertation. For clinical trainees, your research project will likely be relevant to your work. Standards for evaluating graduate student research will depend upon the host department's criteria. Clinical research projects will be assessed using similar criteria.

Annual Retreat[top]

In the fall, the IMPART program hosts an annual retreat, known as "Research Day". This year (2014)the annual retreat will be held in Vancouver, BC on October 30 and 31.

This event is intended to:

  • provide an opportunity for trainees and mentors to learn more about each other's research and discuss ways to work together over the upcoming year
  • provide a venue for orientation of new trainees
  • provide a forum at which seminar topics will be developed for the coming year
  • provide an opportunity for trainees to share with each other data collected and experiences from the summer
  • feature talks by researchers, policy makers, politicians and practitioners in the addictions field, providing inspiration and a backdrop for transdisciplinary collaborations in the IMPART group.

As the retreat is intended to be a community building event, all trainees are expected to attend the retreat in person. The program has now allocated general travel funds to the purpose of program-related travel, including coming to research day. Contact the if you have questions about travel reimbursements, and please see our travel policy.

Collaborative Projects[top]

In the spirit of transdisciplinary collaboration, student-driven collaborative projects provide trainees the opportunity to share their expertise, learn from their peers and develop their skills.  Past collaborative projects include the development of a new emerging team (NET) grant application.

Projects are decided upon by trainees and potential projects could include:

  • grant applications
  • peer-review panel for each other's grant applications/papers
  • joint-authored review paper
  • letter to the editor or short review of a recently-published paper

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