Participate

IALH participant database
Are you interested in participating in aging and lifelong health related research studies?
Researchers are often looking for participants for their research studies. IALH has created an electronic database of individuals 19 years and over who are willing to be contacted by researchers about whether they would like to participate in aging and lifelong health related studies.
We would like to invite you to become part of this database. The database would contain your name, email address, age, sex and gender and it is maintained by IALH staff.
By becoming part of the database, you are only consenting to being contacted by researchers; whether you actually participate in a study is entirely your choice. Research projects and requests for participants vary. We cannot predict when researchers may need participants; you may or may not be contacted by a researcher. You can opt to have your information removed from the database at any time.
Your contact information will only be shared with IALH staff and you will only be contacted about studies that have been approved by a research ethics board at the University of Victoria. All personal information will be kept confidential.
To become part of the database:
- Fill out the online form
- Call us at 250-721-6369 or email IALH at IALH@uvic.ca to find out more about becoming a research study participant.
Below are studies being conducted by IALH Research Fellows and/or IALH Student Affiliates that are actively recruiting.
Understanding How Justice-Involved People in Canada Access and Receive Care When Diagnosed with a Life-Limiting Illness
Mar’yana Fisher is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Victoria. She is conducting a research study for her PhD dissertation titled “Understanding How Justice-Involved People in Canada Access and Receive Care When Diagnosed with a Life-Limiting Illness”. This study has been approved by the University of Victoria Research Ethics Board.
The purpose of this research is to draw on the perspectives of healthcare and community-based providers to examine how people who experience incarceration access and receive care when diagnosed with a serious illness.
The study is looking to recruit people with clinical and professional experience and knowledge related to access and provision of healthcare services for people with criminal histories and series illnesses.
If you take part in the study, you will be asked the following:
- To participate in one interview with me at a location of your choosing (virtual or in-person). The interview will last approximately 30 to 60 minutes.
- You will receive a 20$ e-coffee card for your time.
There are no known risks involved in participating in this study. Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You can leave the study at any time and for any reason without any consequences. You may not benefit directly from this study; however, your participation may inform access and quality of palliative care for justice-involved people.
If you have any questions about this study, please feel free to contact Mar’yana Fisher, PhD (c) by telephone at 604-833-3948 or e-mail at maryanafisher@uvic.ca
or Dr. Kelli Stajduhar, Professor, School of Nursing at the University of Victoria, at 250-721-7487 or by e-mail at kis@uvic.ca
Object Visual Attention Study
Dr. Tarek Amer and Dr. Jordana Wynn are Assistant Professors at the University of Victoria and IALH Research Fellows. They are conducting a study entitled Object Visual Attention Study to understand how attention guides our visual system to process everyday objects.
What does participation in this study involve?
Participants will be asked to look at various pictures of objects on a computer screen and make judgements about them while their eye movements are recorded using a remote eyetracking system.
Participation requires 1 to 1.5 hours of time. Participants will be compensated $25.00 plus transit costs.
Eligible participants must:
- Be 65 years of age or older
- Speak English fluently
- Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision (no bifocal lenses)
- Have no severe visual impairments (i.e., a prescription of +/- 5.00 or higher)
- Have no history of psychiatric or neurological disorder or head injury
For more information, or to participate, please contact uvic.mva.lab@gmail.com or 250-472-5014.
See the study flyer.
Technology Use for Health and Wellness
Elizabeth Borycki, Professor in UVic's School of Health Information Science and IALH Research Fellow is conducting a study that explores the use of technology for health and wellness.
Importance of this Research
Technologies for Health and Wellness are becoming increasingly used in providing healthcare. To better understand how technologies for health and wellness affect our information needs, affect how we think (i.e., cognition) and take care of our health and wellness, the research team will interview citizens, caregivers and individuals who use these technologies in the home, work, community, and clinic contexts.
What is involved?
- Completing two questionnaires (a demographic questionnaire and eHealth literacy questionnaire)
- Taking part in an interview (by video or phone call)
- This will take 30 to 60 minutes of your time
Eligible participants must:
- Be over the age of 18
- Use technologies for health and wellness
- Be able to read, write and speak English
Particpants will receive a $25 coffee card for their time.
See the study flyer.
If you would like to learn more about this study, you may contact:
Elizabeth Borycki, Professor, School of Health Information Science,
email: emb@uvic.ca
Sasha Zinovich, Research Project Manager,
email: AnalystIHT1@uvic.ca
Lois Holizki, Research Coordinator,
email: CoordinatorLDIH1@uvic.ca
250-472-5432
Pain Science Study
Dr. David Kennedy is an Assistant Professor in UVic's School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education and an IALH Research Fellow. He is a trained physiotherapist with over 25 years of clinical practice experience. His research interests include stroke, pain and improving public understanding of pain through education.
Dr. Kennedy and Graduate Student Sophia Mastrangelo are seeking individuals to participate in a pain science study investigating individuals’ perceived pain, and perceived damage experiences under different conditions. Specifically, how painful sensations can increase or decrease using topical creams. The goal of this study is to contribute to the field of pain study by furthering their understanding of what controls the pain experience and how it can be managed.
What is involved?
- Online: Particpants will be asked to complete online components via RedCap (a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases). This will include a consent form, a demographics survey and COPI-A questionnaire (A questionnaire on concept of pain).
- In-person: In this session the researcher will apply topical creams to see how they impact pain in the individual.
- Debrief: After data collection is concluded, particpants will be provided with information about the full breadth of the study, including particpation impact.
Particpants will be eleigible to enter 1 of 2 $50 Amazon Gift Cards.
Who is eligible to particpate?
Eligible particpants must be:
- Healthy adults aged 19-65
- Able and willing to attend an in-person session at the University of Victoria
Contact:
If you would like to participate in this study or have any questions, please contact:
Sophia Mastrangelo (Grad Student): Email: sophiamastrangelo@uvic.ca or
David Kennedy (Assistant professor, EPHE, UVic): Email: davidkennedy@uvic.ca
See the study flyer
Understanding the Needs of Caregivers Involved in At-Home Care Using SmartHome Systems for Patients with Dementia
Caregivers are often overlooked as care team members, and while individuals with dementia are living at home they bear significant responsibility. As a result, negative physical and mental health outcomes can occur, creating a barrier to efficient implementation and the use of smart technology in the home to support caregiving. Masters Student and IALH Student Affiliate Evangeline Wagner is seeking participants for a study entitled Understanding the Needs of Caregivers Involved in At-Home Care Using SmartHome Systems for Patients with Dementia.
To be eligible, participants must:
• a non-medical caregiver of an individual with dementia who is living at home
• over the age of 19 and
• able to read, write and speak in English
What is involved?
Participants will be asked to complete some questionnaires and participate in an interview. The tasks will take about 30 minutes to complete.
For more information or to participate, please contact Evangeline Wagner at evangelinemwagner@uvic.ca or her supervisor Elizabeth Borycki at emb@uvic.ca.
Participate in CanAssist Technology Testing
CanAssist at the University of Victoria is dedicated to helping people with disabilities improve their quality of life, with a focus on promoting independence and inclusion. CanAssist often requires people to test new technology prototypes and provide feedback on their effectiveness. This testing is done on a voluntary basis and there is no cost. In most cases, families testing
For technology testing opportunities, please visit the CanAssist website.
REACH BC
Are you interested in participating in health research in BC, but don’t know how to get involved? REACH BC connects volunteer participants with researchers in the province who are conducting clinical trials or other studies focused on health-related issues. Through the confidential and secure REACH BC platform, interested individuals are asked to provide information about themselves, their research interests, any health conditions they may have, and their contact information. Once registered, they will be sent information about potential research opportunities. Volunteers can then connect with research teams to ask any questions they may have about a research study and to let researchers know if they’re interested in participating. For more information on health research studies currently underway in BC, go to https://www.reachbc.ca/studies. For more information on becoming a volunteer for health research in BC through REACH BC, go to https://www.reachbc.ca/volunteers