Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

My name is Emma Cowman (she/they) and I grew up in Treaty 4 & 7 territories, in Regina, Saskatchewan and Calgary, Alberta. I have a BA honours in Psychology, and a BA in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Regina, and I am a volunteer with the Regina Abortion Support Network, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, and am a board member on Action Canada’s National Youth Advisory Board. Currently, I live in Regina, with my partner, cat, and two dogs.

I moved to Winnipeg to attend the University of Manitoba’s foundational MSW program. I have since completed my coursework for the foundational and advanced years and returned home to Saskatchewan, where I have been conducting my research virtually. I am deeply interested in Reproductive Justice research, specifically relating to the topics of abortion, reproductive coercion, and 2SLGBTQIA+ reproduction.

What is your research about and why did you choose to focus on reproductive justice for 2SLGBTQIA+ people?

My MSW thesis uses the Reproductive Justice conceptual framework to explore the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ people who have accessed or sought access to abortion care in Manitoba. My project has come out of Dr. Lindsay Larios’ project Abortion in Manitoba: An intersectional analysis of care, in which I have been working as a research assistant on this project for nearly two years. Throughout the data collection phase of the Abortion in Manitoba project, I had the honour to hear abortion stories from many Manitobans, including a few queer and trans Manitobans. Their stories stood out to me as a queer person as they spoke about the challenges they uniquely faced as non-heterosexual-cisgender people in abortion spaces. Abortion research tends to be focused on cisgender-heterosexual experiences, as there remains to be an underlying assumption that only cisgender-heterosexual women can become pregnant. Through my MSW thesis, I hope to not only challenge these normative assumptions, but also advocate for more inclusive and affirming abortion care spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ in Manitoba.

Do you have any advice for MSW students who are just starting their program?

My advice for MSW students who are just starting their program is to build relationships with their classmates, advisor, and instructors. I met some amazing friends and have had some amazing mentors throughout my time in the MSW program who have supported and cheered me on. From helping me understand class concepts to being a soundboard for my thesis ideas – these people have made my time in the program so meaningful, and I could not have come this far without them!

What is your vision for the future and what do you hope your research accomplishes?

My vision for the future is to stay in the Canadian prairies and keep showing up as a reproductive justice advocate and researcher for my communities. This fall, I’ll be submitting PhD applications so I can keep learning, growing, and exploring new ways to encourage change. I hope that this project, and the ones to come, can spark conversations, shift policies, and improve healthcare in ways that truly reflect the principles of reproductive justice. More than anything, I want my work to help create prairie communities where everyone can make decisions about their bodies, families, and futures free from stigma, coercion, and systemic barriers.

Emma’s project is still recruiting participants for interviews. If you identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, have sought or accessed an abortion in Manitoba in the last five years (2020-2025), are 18 years or older, and are interested in participating, you can contact Emma via email at emma.cowman@umanitoba.ca.

Participation entails a 1-1.5-hour interview via Zoom, and all participants will receive a $40 honorarium as a thank you for participation.

AmyAnne standing beside her winning poster

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

My name is AmyAnne and I am a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. I am also a social worker in emergency mental health services here in Winnipeg. I am back at school in a doctoral program because I truly believe that social workers are uniquely positioned to recognize important issues impacting people’s lives through the work that they do.

What is your research about and why did you choose to focus on domestic violence survivors?

My doctoral research focuses on survivors of sexual violence and their experiences. My work at this conference was on the unique experiences of sexual minorities, but my main focus is on the experience of survivors who choose to engage with the justice system after a sexual assault. This research emerged out of personal work experience with survivors, justice officials, and community agencies. I have seen the conditions that survivors are facing and know that change is needed at the individual and structural level. I am passionate about the work that I am doing with survivors in my front-line practice and am committed to conducting research that is informed by the needs of the communities impacted by sexual violence.

Do you have any advice for new researchers or doctoral students who are just starting their program?

In terms of advice for new PhD students just starting their program, I think it’s so important to hold on to the reasons that brought them to the program. When everything gets tangly and stressful, the passion that pushed folks to apply will help carry them through. 

What is your vision for the future and what do you hope your research accomplishes?

I would love to see my work result in practical policy changes that centre the experiences of survivors, who are often overlooked in criminal justice settings. The rights of the accused are important; so are the rights of survivors.

Dr. Christine Mayor, assistant professor, received an award for Caring or Complicit Bodies?: Addressing Carceral Logics in the Helping Professions.

Mayor’s project investigates how carceral logics or punishment-based values and principles blame marginalized people rather than bad systems. Across North America, people who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, poor, disabled, 2SLGBTQ+, migrants, or unhoused face high rates of criminalization, are often treated as disposable or punishable. Instead of understanding an individual’s personal situation, the first response is often to control or punish them. These principles are often embedded within “helping spaces” such as schools, child welfare agencies, non-profits, counselling services and treatment centres.

Mayor’s research, in partnership with Dr. Britton Williams (Co-I, California Institute for Integral Studies) aims to support helping professions in moving away from carceral logics, so they can better serve those who are most marginalized and harmed in current systems.

Dr. Blessing Ojembe, assistant professor, received an award for Exploring Preferences and Strategies to increase the Utilization of Adult Day Programs and Senior Community Centres by Black Older Adults in Manitoba.

As the number of older adults grows globally, so do concerns around loneliness and social isolation and ways to mitigate their negative impacts on the aging population, including ethnically minoritized groups. Thus, Ojembe’s research will explore ways to improve the utilization and participation of Black older adults in Adult Day Programs (ADPs) and Senior Community Centres (SCCs) across Manitoba.

Services like ADPs and SCCs are increasingly important for supporting aging in place and helping older adults stay connected to their communities. Unfortunately, these programs are often not culturally appropriate and therefore make Black older adults feel culturally unsafe, which hinders their use of these services, and further exacerbates their experience of loneliness and social isolation.

Ojembe’s project will assess availability, accessibility, and gaps in services for older Black adults; explore their needs and preferences; and develop practical resources and policy recommendations to enhance cultural representation and participation of Black older adults in ADPs and SCCs.

Dr. Ashley Stewart-Tufescu, assistant professor, received an award for Building Futures: Sociocultural Effects of an Empowerment Initiative for Young Displaced Rohingya Women.

Stewart-Tufescu, in collaboration with Dr. Bree Akesson (Wilfrid Laurier University) and The Hope Foundation for Women and Girls of Bangladesh, is leading a study on the Health Assistant Training (HAT) Program in Kutupalong, Cox’s Bazar, recognized as the world’s largest, most densely populated, and under-resourced refugee camp. An estimated 52–67% of Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong are women and girls. 

This research focuses on young Rohingya women living in the camp, a population facing severe gender-based vulnerabilities, including early and forced marriage, gender-based violence, and restricted access to education and livelihood opportunities. Using a socioecological lens, the study will assess the impacts of the HAT Program by examining the experiences of program trainees, alongside the perspectives of their families, community leaders, and humanitarian practitioners. It will explore how participation in the program influences young women’s empowerment, shifts in gender norms, decision-making within families and communities, and broader sociocultural dynamics within the camp context. 

The findings will generate critical insights into how gender-transformative initiatives can promote women’s leadership, challenge harmful social norms, and expand access to vital services and opportunities for displaced and marginalized women and girls in humanitarian settings. 

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

My name is Tara Christianson; I was born and raised in Treaty 1 territory and have lived in Winnipeg for the past 18 years. I am Red River Métis, citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation and a member of the Bison Local. I also have Scottish, Irish, and English settler ancestry. I’m a mom, a partner, sister, daughter and auntie. I’m also a registered social worker that works in the mainstream health care system.

What is your research about and why did you choose this particular topic for your thesis?

My MSW thesis explored the impact of COVID-19 on services for Indigenous people living with HIV who use substances. As someone working on the front line of health care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I witnessed the rapid changes to service and the detrimental impact it had on many individuals already marginalized by a colonial system designed to oppress, such as Indigenous people and people who use substances. Research, particularly highly medicalized HIV research, tends to be rooted in westernized concepts that do not acknowledge the vast Indigenous knowledge systems that exist. The community-based research design of my thesis provided me the opportunity to engage directly with community to learn their experiences and perspectives in relation to accessing and providing services during that time. I believe that community knowledge is the key to addressing many of the harms experienced within systems by rejecting deficit-based models of care and centering the wisdom, practices, and relationships within Indigenous communities. Utilizing Indigenous Storywork helped me to remain grounded within that understanding throughout the entirety of my thesis.

What program are you graduating from and can you tell me a little about your experience in the program?

I graduated from the Faculty of Social Work Master’s program. I started the program in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when all classes were still online, coming to in person classes during the last semester of my program. I was fortunate enough to have connection with the Village Lab and developed relationship with other students, faculty, and community throughout that time.

Dr. Rusty Souleymanov was my faculty advisor as well as mentor through the Village Lab where he is the director. I am grateful to have been matched with Dr. Souleymanov and am looking forward to continuing my work with him during my PhD. I was fortunate to be able to ground myself in community and Indigenous research methodologies with his guidance and support.

Do you have any advice for students interested in the MSW program?

Consider the thesis route and choose a research topic that you are truly passionate about. I entered the social work profession with the intent of disrupting the systems that perpetuate harm – many of which this profession has had a foundational and ongoing role in. For me, I feel that this academic route is helping me do that. I am grateful to have the pleasure to engage in community-based research and am deeply honoured for the stories that have been shared with me through this work. I have a deep commitment to community and ensuring that those stories are brought forward in ways that work towards lasting change.

Any other information you would like to share? Vision for the future? Other research interests?

This work for me is ongoing. I’ll be starting my PhD in social work in September 2025 and look forward to expanding on some of the findings from my MSW thesis, notably surrounding folx who use substances and are currently unhoused. I’ll be working from a community-based research design and incorporating the Métis Kitchen Table approach. I think that it is absolutely necessary as well to continually be working to decolonize academia and utilizing Indigenous research methods that move beyond western models and concepts.

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Faculty of Social Work for the nomination. I am humbled and honoured to be one of this year’s recipients. I am very happy to see the recognition for these insightful and meaningful stories gifted by community.