MacEwan is home to many talented and accomplished women faculty, staff and students. To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, we’re looking back at some of the recent achievements and successes of women on campus.
“The commitment of exceptional women across all roles on campus is a major part of what makes MacEwan great,” says Dr. Annette Trimbee, MacEwan president and vice-chancellor. “We are proud to amplify their voices and are grateful for their contributions to the institution, as well as to their respective fields and causes.”
From breakthrough research to artistic awards and beyond, these are some of the faculty, staff and students who inspired us over the last year.
Click through the photo gallery below to read more.
Pulling from her own experience as a social worker, Dr. Anna Azulai is studying social care strategies in long-term care facilities in partnership with fellow School of Social Work faculty member Dr. Hongmei Tong and MacEwan Librarian Alison Pitcher. The research team received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to further their research into these care strategies across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Theresa A. Chika-James’s new research aims to find out how Black women respond to mistreatment at work. Using online surveys and a series of personal interviews, the assistant professor in the School of Business and lead investigator Dr. Mercy Oyet from the University of New Brunswick Saint John aim to investigate how and why Black women in Canada speak up and/or out in cases where they have been mistreated by others in the workplace and how those experiences relate to their mental health.
MacEwan’s director of Indigenous directives is shouldering the hard work of reconciliation. Terri Cardinal is returning to University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’I nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills, where she herself graduated, to uncover some of the school’s history from when it was a Residential School and her father was in attendance. She encouraged her father to be a part of a healing ceremony in the summer, and she continues to work to uncover any potential graves on the school’s 240 acres.
Dr. Erin Cowling was awarded the Matthew Stroud Comedia Article Prize for her article “Representing the Unrepresentable: A One-Man Retelling of Cervantes’s Entremeses.” The article discusses how today’s issues around “fake news” are reflected in works by Miguel de Cervantes from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The first faculty member at MacEwan to take on a tenure-track cross-appointment, Shelby LaFramboise shares her time between academia and the kihêw waciston Indigenous Centre. She is using this unique position to create Indigenous courses and to encourage a welcoming environment and safe space for students, staff and faculty. LaFramboise is dedicated to changing syllabi to increase educational opportunities around Indigenous issues.
One of MacEwan’s 2022 Board of Governors Research Chairs, Dr. Emily Milne, an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts and Science, conducts community-engaged research that addresses priority areas in education practice, teacher-training and public policy.
Dr. Albena Pergelova, associate professor in the School of Business, is also a 2022 Board of Governors Research Chair. Her research is interdisciplinary, ranging from entrepreneurship and marketing to digital technologies.
Anna Hawkins, assistant professor in the Studio Arts program, was longlisted for the Sobey Art Award, which is jointly administered by the National Gallery of Canada and the Sobey Art Foundation. Hawkins’ place on the longlist granted her a $10,000 prize, which she is using to further her practice and start on new projects.
Dr. Leanne Hedberg was nominated for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair position for her successes in cross-sector community collaboration. She is an associate professor in the Department of Organizational Behaviour, Human Resources Management and Management, and director of the university’s Social Innovation Institute.
Nominated for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair position in 2022, Dr. Marielle Papin’s research focuses on urban wellness. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, Economics and Science.
Darian Mahmi, a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology, works with Dr. Kathryn Holland to provide research support for Orlando: A Podcast on Women’s Writing. Mahmi develops annotated biographies for the episodes, and says that the opportunity helped her to learn more about women’s voices and also to grow her skills in research.
Sydney Parkinson, a Bachelor of Arts student in Psychology Honours, presented at Student Research Day 2022 about her research into anxiety and worry. Through a longitudinal study, she found a correlation between negative beliefs about worry and development of a generalized anxiety disorder.
Child and Youth Care students Tanner Dauphinais, Jane Bank Imudia, Peach Tallon, Berverlyn Osei, Julie Leggett-Epp, Irene Muganza, Femi Olusanya and Luna Hojgaard collaborated on research into the relationship that people have with their hair, and how that affects their development as children. They found that hair can have cultural significance, but is also an expression of identity and change and can have a deep meaning to individuals.
Nicole DaCosta worked with the MacEwan Indigenous Students Club – especially club president Cheyenne Greyeyes – to create “A Walk-Through Indigenous Memory” in the MacEwan library. The exhibition was a collaborative effort to celebrate Indigenous Canadians and also acknowledge issues of displacement and historical erasure.
Bachelor of Fine Arts student Sarah Huffman developed a collaborative workshop called HANDSHAKE where American Sign Language training was provided in order to increase communication between artistic professionals. Through her work with Rapid Fire Theatre and the Edmonton arts community, she saw a need for a program like HANDSHAKE, and is working to continue it outside of her coursework.