Edmonton

Edmonton Investigaytors is a program that empowers LGBTQ2S+ people to conduct community-based research and establish community connections. Investigaytors learn by doing - over the course of the program, participants conduct their own original research project on a health topic impacting LGBTQ2S+ people and communities. Edmonton Investigaytors is open to anyone interested in queer health research and no previous experience is required; all necessary skills will be taught during the program. Edmonton Investigaytors is delivered in partnership between Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) and EMHC.

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In weekly meetings, Investigaytors get together to discuss a research topic, learn a skill, analyze data, prepare research reports, or share a meal together. Sessions are often taught by guest speakers from local universities, community organizations, or the CBRC. A brief overview of program modules includes: 

  • In the first module, we discuss the history of queer health research, the principles of community-based research, and research ethics. 
  • In Module 2, we explore research methods and study design. 
  • In Module 3, we develop our research questions, conduct a literature review, and discuss our research questions as a group, looking for connections and overlap. 
  • In Module 4, we learn to analyze data to answer our research questions. 
  • Finally, in Module 5, we develop ways to share our findings with the community through presentations, research conferences, and online. 

The 2019 cohort of Edmonton Investigaytors met weekly from April to October and analyzed quantitative data from the 2018 in-person Sex Now survey. Research projects explored a variety of topics, including connections between marginalization and community satisfaction, lateral violence within the queer community, and whether knowledge about HIV impacts sexual decision-making. To share our findings, several Edmonton Investigaytors attended the CBRC’s Summit on gay, bi, trans, Two-Spirit, and queer (GBT2Q) health and gave research talks amongst Investigaytors programs from all across Canada! You can view these projects here: https://ourhealthyeg.ca/investigaytors-projects.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Edmonton Investigaytors is going to be a little shorter in 2020! Starting the first week of June and running through November, we’ll be meeting weekly and will be learning about both quantitative and qualitative research. Despite needing to move to virtual meetings, we hope to provide a consistent space to build connections, learn from each other, and collaborate. 

If you’re interested in joining the Edmonton Investigaytors program or have questions you’d like answered, feel free to contact us at [email protected].