Mount Royal professor recognized for HIV research
Universities Without Walls, an elite training program, has accepted Brent Oliver into fellowship
Dayla Brown
News Editor
Brent Oliver, an instructor in the Department of Social Work and Disability Studies at Mount Royal University, was accepted into the year-long 2014/2015 Universities Without Walls (UWW) fellowship for his research in HIV. According to the UWW website, participants go through an application process to be accepted into the fellowship.
The fellowship is an elite training program funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Strategic Training in Health Research (STIHR) program. According to the website, “UWW is an intensive education program designed specifically to meet the needs of both university students who want to pursue a career in HIV research and community-based champions who are involved in HIV research to help them achieve their academic and professional goals.”
The fellowship has awarded Oliver $20,000 to support his Community-based research in HIV.
Brent Oliver, a Mount Royal professor received a grant to continue his HIV research.
Courtesy: Bryan Weismiller / mtroyal.ca
“This includes funding to do community-based research with a specific focus on the health and wellness needs of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Calgary,” Oliver says.
“Additionally, the fellowship will allow me to present the results of my research on HIV and labor force participation to community audiences in Alberta and Ontario. Finally, part of the fellowship involves working with community partners to develop increased capacity to conduct research in Alberta.”
Gaye Warthe, Co-Chair of the Department of Child Studies and Social Work says, “As a department and a faculty we are very proud of the research that Brent is doing and his contributions to community.”
Oliver says he was compelled to do HIV research based on his years as a social worker.
“I spent many years working in care, treatment and support for people living with HIV as well as being involved in HIV prevention work,” Oliver says.
“During this time, I came to understand the importance of good community based research in informing this work. I discovered a passion for HIV community-based research and have I endeavored to stay connected to community organizations throughout my work as an academic.”
Oliver says he hopes that, “the fellowship will help build capacity to conduct HIV community based research in Calgary and Alberta.”
