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Dr. Catherine Worthington

Making Connections
School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria

As a graduate student in the early days of the HIV epidemic, Catherine Worthington was working in the field of mental health when she began to notice the similarities between her work in mental health and HIV. “Many of the issues were the same: HIV and mental illness were both concentrated in vulnerable populations, and there was a lot of stigma,” explains Dr. Worthington. “A lot of us were pulled into HIV work because of social inequities.” While coordinating research projects during graduate school, she made connections with mentors and members of the HIV community, and these relationships have kept her working in the HIV research field ever since.

Dr. Worthington’s modus operandi is networking—connecting people and projects in the HIV community to enhance the research experience and the end results. The networks are “open and active,” she explains, “We are trying to promote, mentor, and bring together people from community, research and policy to do this work together. We really want to provide the research evidence to support communities so they can offer effective services and so that people get help in the way they need to manage or prevent HIV.”

The numerous CIHR supported groups she is involved with – including the CIHR Social Research Centre in HIV Prevention, the CIHR Centre for REACH, CIHR Canadian Trials Network, and Universities Without Walls HIV research training program – embody her philosophy of community engagement. Her recent work in collaboration with the BC REACH team, and led by people living with HIV, is examining stigma in BC as part of a larger international initiative called the People Living with HIV Stigma Index Project. The project helps people living with HIV to develop, implement, and analyse the results from a survey about issues related to stigma, and use the results as a tool for change. The BC REACH team is also working on a housing study (Positive Living, Positive Homes) supported by a CIHR HIV/AIDS Community Based Research operating grant. “Housing is health and health is housing. If you don’t have a good space to live in, you can’t manage your health well,” says Dr. Worthington.

A joint project between the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS network (CAAN) and the African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO), funded through the CIHR Social Research Centre in HIV Prevention, works on developing a shared understanding of decolonizing methodologies. It’s the perfect example of what Dr. Worthington loves about community based research. “It has been a really exciting project because it’s been a way for a lot of people to come together around understanding what some of the issues are. For those of us who grew up with a Western mindset, decolonizing research approaches present a new way of thinking: more than just participatory research, they are about understanding the world in a totally different way,” says Dr. Worthington. “It’s a more holistic way, less individualistic, and more community led and driven.”

And on top of all of the projects she is involved with, Dr. Worthington acts as an enthusiastic mentor for future generations of HIV researchers and community partners through the Universities Without Walls training program. “My hope for the future is that we can have a vibrant community of HIV researchers and partners who have a sense that the HIV programs, services, and policies across the country are strong and the epidemic is in decline.”

The Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR), the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR), the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) and the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI) Research and Development Alliance Coordinating Office (ACO) would like to thank Dr. Worthington for her significant contributions to our understanding of HIV. Her work is part of a larger Canadian research effort that is making a difference in the lives of those affected by HIV in Canada and around the world.

Our Mission

  • Promote excellence in HIV research
  • Foster collaboration and cooperation among HIV research communities, including basic science, clinical science, epidemiology & public health and social science
  • Promote education and the development of new researchers
  • Provide a unified voice for Canadian HIV researchers and engage diverse stakeholders (community, industry, Government, NGO’s etc.) in ongoing dialogue and knowledge exchange to ensure that HIV research remains responsive to their needs
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CAHR 2023
April 27 to 30, 2023

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  • Résultats du concours de bourses de voyage pour professionnels de la santé – 2023
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About CAHR

With a membership of more than 1,000 researchers and others interested in HIV research, the Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) is the leading organization of HIV/AIDS researchers in Canada. CAHR is the organizing body for the Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR Conference).

CAHR encourages Canadian researchers to be leaders in knowledge translation and to effectively respond both to the Canadian and global HIV/AIDS epidemics. Since its founding in 1991, CAHR has promoted excellence in HIV research, including mentorship and career development of investigators entering the field.

CAHR fosters collaboration and co-operation among HIV research communities, including basic, clinical and social sciences, epidemiology and public health. CAHR also engages people living with HIV/AIDS and AIDS service organizations in ongoing dialogue and information exchange to ensure that HIV/AIDS research remains responsive to the epidemic and its stakeholders.

CAHR is a registered charity.

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For more information or to make a comment, please contact us:

Canadian Association for HIV Research

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1-888-374-CAHR (2247)
info@cahr-acrv.ca
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