The Mothering Co/Lab

The Mothering Co/Lab is applying the BC Human Rights Commissioners’ framework: Disaggregated Demographic Data Collection in British Columbia: The Grandmother Perspective to the contexts of perinatal substance use monitoring, surveillance, and reporting. Under the guidance of Lead Grandmothers, Ms. Gwen Phillips (who coined the concept of the “Grandmother’s Perspective’ in the Framework) and Hereditary Chief Sophie Pierre of Ktunaxa Nation, the research team will explore how to apply the Grandmother’s Perspective to collecting data on substance use during pregnancy for the explicit goal of promoting justice for mothers, their families, and communities. The Co/Lab is the first population health observatory of its kind to bring together community-led processes alongside formalized monitoring and surveillance for action- and equity-oriented data. Through the first systematic application of the Grandmother Perspective, the Mothering Co/Lab partnership extends the Co/Lab’s equity-oriented framework for substance use monitoring to the context of perinatal substance use, with distinct attention to anti-colonial and anti-racist approaches to data disaggregation.

For more details, visit the Mothering Co/Lab on the Co/Lab website.

Researchers

  • The Mothering Co/Lab Team is evolving as we work to extend and include more Nation and community partners. Our team so far includes:
  • Ms. Gwen Phillips (Lead Grandmother, BC First Nations Data Governance Champion, First Nations Health Council member, IRNE Ktunaxa Nation)
  • Hereditary Chief Sophie Pierre (Lead Grandmother, Council of ʔaq'am of Ktunaxa Nation, Chief commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission 2009-2015)
  • Dr. Sana Shahram (Nominated Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor, UBCO, Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar, Collaborating Scientist CISUR, Embedded Scholar, Interior Health)
  • Dr. Karen Urbanoski (Co-Principal Investigator, Co-Lead of Co/Lab, Scientist at CISUR, CRC in Substance Use, Addictions, and Health Services Research, Associate Professor, UVIC)
  • Dr. Bernie Pauly (Co-Investigator, Professor & Community Engaged Scholar, UVIC; Co-lead Co/Lab, Scientist with CISUR; Scholar in Residence with Island Health Authority)
  • Dr. Christopher Horsethief (Co-Investigator, Ktunaxa Scholar; Complex Systems Change Expert, Methodologist)
  • Ms. Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh (Co-Investigator, Director of Black Health Education Collaborative, Assistant Professor Dalla Lana School of Public Health at U of T, Ph.D. student, Vanier scholar )
  • Mr. Rob Finch (Collaborator, Executive Director, Perinatal Services BC)
  • Dr. Sue Pollock (Collaborator, Chief Medical Health Officer, Interior Health Perinatal Substance Use Network lead)
  • Dr. Dee Taylor (Collaborator, Director of Research, Interior Health)
  • Dr. Sarah de Leeuw (Collaborator, Professor, Northern Medical Program, UNBC, Canada Research Chair in Humanities and Health Inequities)
  • Ms. Lisa Knox (Research Coordinator, Perinatal Nurse & Ph.D. student, UBC Okanagan)