Student researchers argue academia and funding bodies need to give more attention to population health research.
Health research typically takes two approaches: curative or preventative. Curative research often relies on “hard” sciences, employing lab-based and quantitative methods to find cures or treatments. Preventative health research, on the other hand, often uses “soft” sciences through a humanities or social sciences lens, exploring patterns and themes to propose policies and interventions.
Population health often employs elements of preventative health research while considering how different components of one’s identity can influence their health outcomes.
While both approaches are essential, the humanities and social sciences are often undervalued in academia, particularly healthcare. This undervaluation is evident in funding disparities. In Canada, only about 7.5 percent of the healthcare budget goes to preventative care, compared to 63.7 percent allocated to curative initiatives.
To explore the importance of population health, The Journal interviewed two student researchers actively engaged in the field: Cameron Hare, Kin ’25, and Fatima Mekioui, ArtSci ’25.
Cameron Hare: Health promotion interventions for diabetes in First Nations communities
Hare’s research focuses on incorporating Indigenous perspectives into health interventions. A Métis student with Red River Settlement ancestry, Hare’s personal connection to diabetes—an illness that has deeply affected his family and community—drives his work.
In his second year at Queen’s, Hare ed the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Program (KSDPP) under the guidance of Dr. Lucie Lévesque, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies. The KSDPP resonated with Hare because of its emphasis on diabetes prevention, an issue he’s ionate about.
Under KSDPP, Hare’s currently working on the Community-2-Community (C2C) initiative which seeks to mobilize community leaders, such as chiefs and council from First Nations communities, to recommend and implement interventions against diabetes by addressing their communities’ needs and incorporating wholistic perspectives on wellness.
According to Hare, one of these perspectives is “knowing, being, and doing,” which is a worldview that can be used to navigate the world and interact with the environment around them.
Although the C2C project currently focuses on a First Nations community in Manitoba, its goal is to expand nationally through collaboration with the National Indigenous Diabetes Association (NIDA), which works with various Indigenous groups, including Inuit and Métis communities.
Hare emphasizes that trust in Indigenous community leaders is essential for the success of health interventions. “Indigenous communities have the strength within them,” he said.
“Knowing, being, and doing are rooted in our culture and our interconnected, relational understanding of the world, where we see all living things and forms of energy as in relationships with us. As a result, we understand that these forms of energy us, and we have the responsibility to connect with and them,” Hare said in reference to Indigenous communities.
In contrast, Hare explained how Western medicine often stems from a biomedical focus.
“Western approach to health is very biomedical, it’s very focused on physical health and outcomes, and it doesn’t really address wholistic health that’s so unique to Indigenous cultures from Turtle Island and ways of knowing, being, and doing,” he said. “Indigenous communities are so resilient and have so many strengths that are overshadowed by the negative portrayals that we see in Western media.”
Hare argues true health involves balance across physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual domains. He pointed out that Western health promotion initiatives for Indigenous communities often fail to address spiritual and emotional health needs, offering food hampers or diabetes clinics but neglecting culturally significant practices like sweat lodges.
By highlighting Indigenous resilience through his research, Hare aims to shift academic narratives, demonstrating that Indigenous communities can independently develop effective health solutions without relying on colonial systems.
Fatima Mekioui: Researching separated children in Canada
Originally from Alberta, Mekioui grew up knowing friends separated from their families due to economic migration. As part of her fourth-year thesis in the Life Sciences program, Mekioui is exploring this topic through EPID 499: Epidemiology.
“Epidemiology [the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people] is a cornerstone of public health, and it’s important to know the root causes of these problems so we can address the root issues,” Mekioui said in an interview with The Journal.
Population-level research, Mekioui argues, identifies systemic patterns and informs preventative policies and upstream interventions that lead to long-term improvements in health outcomes.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Colleen Davison, an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and associate dean (equity and social ability) for Queen’s Health Sciences, Mekioui has expanded her research skills and deepened her understanding of population health.
Her goal is to contribute to future studies that address the health needs of Canadian children affected by familial separation due to economic migration. “This research can inform policies and interventions to mitigate adverse health outcomes for these children,” Mekioui said.
For students interested in researching population health, Mekioui encourages them to connect with graduate students. “They can give you a good sense of what it’s like to be a student involved in the population health sphere.”
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].