Research and innovation centre dedicated to advancing health justice through partnerships with communities.
The Critical Health and Social Action Lab (CHSA Lab) is committed to prioritizing research focusing on the intersection of mental health, premature unnatural death (including suicide and drug poisoning), infrastructural health (including housing, water and food security), environmental health (the impacts of climate change and industrial development), and political dimensions (like racism and colonialism). The lab also aims to support communities in their political struggles for self-determination, and to urgently address health justice as it intersects with public services and are working to link all research outputs to policy and/or socio-legal advocacy, holding government to account, and promoting health transformation.
The CHSA Lab engages a variety of methods to support community research and innovation, tailoring our approach to the diverse priorities of each community. The lab is prepared to conduct various types of research, including community mapping, surveys, case studies, qualitative interviews, focus groups, multi-media and arts-based methods, archival research, and mental health impact assessments. These methods are often integrated with Indigenous approaches, such as land-based methods, sharing circles, intergenerational storytelling, and visiting. Additionally, the CHSA Lab often helps communities to embed research within community programming and assists in evaluating the impact of these programs. The lab also helps communities design initiatives for mental health and suicide prevention, language and cultural renewal, and child, youth, and family programming, while supporting education in these areas.
- Arts and cultural industries
- Education
- Healthcare and social services
- Policy and governance
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Studio Space | Audio-visual recording-enabled space for research | Research and gathering space for live in-vivo suicide intervention studies, and the production of studio-quality knowledge translation multi-media (i.e., documentaries, podcasts), with furnishings, audiovisual production and processing equipment. |
| Community and Cultural Connections Space | Coworking space | Collaborative space for events, social and community gatherings, ceremony, and small classes. A collaborative research space to work with community partners, elders, and youth, with workstations, computing equipment, and multipurpose furnishings for group and individual work. |
| Digital Media and Research Analysis Space | Research space | An innovation space for advanced research technologies (i.e., data mapping, social media analytics), qualitative health research using digital media, and knowledge mobilization production. |
| Mobile Studio Lab | Mobile Studio Lab | A mobile podcast, videography, drone video, and photography suite deployed in community-based research. |