Mobile Health Unit to Support Vitalโ Research with Three โคLaunch Projects
A new mobile healthโ unit will soon be deployed to enhance research โฃand provideโ direct support to communities across the region, thanks to threeโค key projects poised to utilize its โขcapabilities. These initiatives focus on improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, leveraging the unit’s ability to bring research โandโข care directly to thoseโ who needโค it moast.
1.โข Addressing Health Disparities in First โคNations Youth
Professor Malek Batal is leading the FEHNCY โ(Food,Environment,health and Nutrition of First Nations Children and Youth) project,investigating the connection betweenโ food security,access to customary diets,and the health outcomes โof First Nationsโข youth on reserves. recognizing theโฃ disproportionately high rates of โfood insecurity, obesity, and diabetes within these communities, the mobile unit will facilitate on-site data collection โand foster stronger relationships with community members. “This unit is crucial for bringing โขour research to the people andโข building collaborative partnerships,” explains Professor Batal.
2. Advancing understanding of a Rare Metabolic Disease
Full Professor andโ vice-Deanโข ofโฃ Health Sciences, Chantal Bรฉmeur, is โfocusing her โขresearch on lactic acidosis of Saguenay-lac-Saint-Jean, a rare inherited metabolic condition. Herโ project aims โto gain a deeperโ understandingโข of the lifestyleโค factors and biological characteristics ofโ children and families affected by the disease, ultimately leading to more effectiveโ interventions. The mobile unit will playโข a vital role in providing direct support to families, reducing travel burdens, and strengtheningโข the personal connection inherent in research. “It will ease the challenges families face and reinforce the human element of our work,” says Professor โขBรฉmeur.
3. Enhancing Quality of โขLife for Young โขCancer Patients
associate Professor and Director of the Department of nutrition,Valรฉrie Marcil,is spearheadingโ the VIE (Valorisation,involvement,education) project. This initiative โseeks to improve the cardiometabolic health and โฃoverall quality of lifeโ for children and adolescents undergoing and recovering from cancer โtreatment. The project will deliver personalized interventions encompassing nutrition,physical activity,and psychosocial support. Professor Marcil โemphasizes the benefitโฃ ofโฃ the mobile unit: “By bringing interventions directly into families’ homes, we โcanโ reduce their burden and fundamentally improve theirโค careโฃ experience.”
