Jennifer Leason, doctoral candidate in interdisciplinary graduate studies, has won the Graduate Trainee Reflection Essay Competition for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH).
The award looks for papers that highlight the power of reflection and transformational experiences by trainees in global health. The winner receives $500, is invited to read the paper at the CUGH annual conference in March, as well as $550 for travel and conference expenses.
Leason’s award-winning paper is a reflection on the health inequalities among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the historical role of the residential school system.
The research she conducted for the paper was conducted as part of Jennifer’s MA thesis, which included Saulteuax language documentation with community Elders and archives research. It also includes a visual anthropological analysis of two photos, which illustrate the intergenerational colonization of the mind and impacts on health and well-being.