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CHASI team shares research at Pacific Sociological Association

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The Community Health and Social Innovation Hub (CHASI) had the privilege of attending the 95th Pacific Sociological Association (PSA) Conference in San Diego, California, from March 21–24, 2024. CHASI’s team of faculty, students, and staff was well represented, with 12 members of the team in attendance, and most giving presentations.

Photo of the 12 members of the CHASI team on stage posing for a photo. Dr. Martha Dow holds an award certificate. Four people are wearing CHASI-branded sweatshirts, and all have conference name badges on.
The CHASI Team at PSA 2024. From left to right: Imran Tatla, Chelsea Klassen, Andrea Moorhouse, Kristen Bencze, Carlanna Thompson, Chloe Raible, Dr. Martha Dow, Mara Penner, Jeff Mijo-Burch, Ekaterina Marenkov, Lynsie Beaulieu, and Miranda Erickson

The conference was an excellent opportunity for the CHASI team to learn more about other ongoing projects in the social sciences, to meet and network with brilliant academics, and to hear feedback on the many CHASI projects presented. For many student members of the CHASI team, it also served as a first academic conference experience. PSA’s reputation for student-friendliness proved true, with undergraduate students welcomed and supported by fellow students and established sociologists alike.

The team also celebrated a major win at the conference: CHASI Director Dr. Martha Dow was honoured as the recipient of the Distinguished Contribution to Sociological Praxis Award for her extensive work in community research.

Thanks to the efforts of CHASI’s Knowledge Mobilization Team, particularly Communications and Events Assistants Kristen Bencze and Andrea Moorhouse, most of CHASI’s presentations were also recorded. These presentations, along with interviews with other presenters, are included below, as part of CHASI’s ongoing effort to ensure our work is accessible and available to the widest possible audience.

In addition to those mentioned above, CHASI’s contingent to PSA included Lead Researcher, Chelsea Klassen; Communications and Design Specialist, Jeff Mijo-Burch; Researcher, Imran Tatla; Research Assistant, Carlanna Thompson; Graphic Designer, Mara Penner; and Student Research Assistants Lynsie Beaulieu, Miranda Erickson, Ekaterina Marenkov, and Chloe Raible.

The Abbotsford News kindly took the time to profile CHASI’s experiences in San Diego, which you can read in their article, UFV’s CHASI Hub travels to San Diego to present research at conference.

Videos

All of CHASI’s videos from PSA can also be viewed in a convenient YouTube playlist.

CHASI Presentations

Carlanna Thompson on Addressing Colonial Barriers to Accessing Information

Miranda Erickson on Anti-SOGI Claims and Wellbeing of the LGBTQ2+ Community at UFV

Interviews with other presenters

Destina Bermejo: The Youth is the Community, and the Community is the Youth: Community and Belonging with Adult Mentors & Young People in Rural California

Griff Tester: Transgender and Gender-Diverse Older Adults’ Identity Work Across the Life Course