Set to launch in September 2026, the EPS Executive Development Program is an educational initiative developed to advance learning in crime management, leadership development and service excellence – three strategic pillars outlined by EPS Chief Warren Driechel.

Delivered in collaboration with Schulich ExecEd, the initiative is designed for senior leaders across EPS, including both sworn and civilian members, to strengthen internal leadership capacity and support teams while emphasizing employee development and well-being. It also reinforces accountability by equipping participants with tools to make informed decisions, uphold organizational standards and lead with integrity.

“Investing in our people is one of the most important things we can do as an organization,” says Driechel. “By prioritizing employee well-being and development, we are creating strong learning pathways that help our people grow, lead with confidence and reach their full potential, personally and professionally.”

Risk management, strategic foresight, communication, innovation and political acuity are key themes in the curriculum. Additionally, the program features specialized learning pathways designed for different management levels, delivered through a series of custom-designed modules. Each module focuses on leadership growth, strategic thinking and practical applications, helping learners meet current challenges and prepare for the future of policing and public service.

The launch of the Executive Development Program is the first phase of the Edmonton Police Service's overall leadership development strategy. The EPS and Schulich ExecEd teams are also working on the development of leadership programing for the remaining levels of leadership across the organization.

“We are proud to partner with the Edmonton Police Service on this important initiative,” says Rami Mayer, executive director of Schulich ExecEd. “This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to developing leaders who can navigate the evolving demands of modern policing, strengthen public trust and deliver meaningful outcomes for the City of Edmonton. By equipping participants with practical skills in strategic thinking and leadership, the program supports a culture of innovation, resilience and service excellence across the organization.”

Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate from Schulich ExecEd that recognizes commitment to leadership development and successful completion of the program.

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As a member of 91��ɫ’s Glendon College, where she works closely with current and future FSL educators, Péguret has seen a clear trend emerge in recent years: growing strain and burnout among educators who face increasingly complex classroom demands.

“Much of that strain comes from the time it takes to find and adapt classroom resources,” says Péguret, who is jointly appointed to 91��ɫ's Faculty of Education. "Teachers often navigate a mix of textbooks, digital platforms and supplementary materials that may be outdated, costly or not aligned with Ontario’s curriculum."

These challenges are compounded by a fragmented online landscape, where materials vary in quality and rules around how they can be used and shared are not always clear. This can result in an overreliance on American-based marketplaces, says Péguret, which rank materials by popularity instead of quality or local relevance, leading educators to resources that can be inappropriate or ineffective.

To address this, Péguret collaborated with co-lead and research associate Mirela Cherciov to create , an open, Canadian platform for teachers to share, discover and adapt classroom materials. Educators can upload their own materials, find resources created by colleagues and adapt them for their classrooms, with clear guidance on how content can be used and reshared.

The goal, says Cherciov, is to ensure “teachers no longer need to reinvent the wheel before each class.”

The building of K‑12 Studio began after introduction to the open education movement by 91��ɫ’s Associate Dean (Digital Engagement and Strategy), Sarah Coysh, and Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Associate Professor Dominique Scheffel‑Dunand.

To better understand what could work in an Ontario K‑12 context, the team of linguists, educators and librarians examined similar initiatives and connected with Learnful Labs, a technology company with experience developing open education tools.

An early prototype, funded by Ontario Ministry of Education and Canadian Heritage, was developed to clarify specific needs of K-12 FSL teachers. Through consultations and testing, the team gathered insights to guide how the system should function and feedback to help define guiding principles.

The result is a platform built for instructor preparation, with clear licensing, straightforward language and quick access to Ontario‑aligned resources. Features such as an AI‑assisted submission process, and tools to support collaboration, make sharing and adapting materials faster and more accessible.

The effort was not without its challenges. Because K‑12 Studio relies on teachers contributing and sharing their materials, it required a shift in how those resources are typically managed. Resources stored within internal school board systems limit access, and creates accessiblity challenges for others.

As well, some educators hesitate to share lesson plans more widely, unsure how to do so in ways that allow reuse while still crediting their work. This uncertainty – particularly around Creative Commons licensing – can limit participation and slow collaboration on the platform.

To address these barriers, the team focused on building educators’ confidence and capacity to share resources more openly. They offered training on open education tools and Creative Commons licensing, and partnered with school boards – including Halton and Thunder Bay Catholic – to support broader contribution and sharing, helping build early momentum for a more collaborative approach.

Since launching in March 2026, K‑12 Studio has gained traction. The repository reports more than 1,000 teacher‑created lessons covering upwards of 80 topics. The team reports hundreds of resource downloadeds as educators begin to build on and adapt these shared materials.

The platform continues to evolve based on how it is used. “We made it a priority to develop an AI‑supported submission form that takes teachers less than a minute to complete. This element is crucial if we want teachers to start contributing and building the sharing system,” says Péguret.

Partnerships have also played a key role in the platform’s development. The team collaborated with the international non‑profit competition Manie Musicale – which brings together thousands of French teachers to explore French‑language songs – to create a dedicated hub on K‑12 Studio, making it easier for the Manie Musicale community to distribute and access content.

School boards are also increasingly partnering with the team and inviting them to present the platform to teachers. “Seeing school boards become more open to new ways of sharing and publishing resources is one of our recent successes,” says Cherciov. “It’s a significant step toward changing how resources are created, used and shared.”

Future work on K‑12 Studio could include new AI applications and building partnerships with school boards and professional associations. Over time, the team hopes to extend the initiative beyond Ontario, and into other subject areas, while working toward a sustainable funding model.

“Above all, we would like to pioneer open education for the K‑12 community in Canada,” says Péguret. “This includes adding our voice to federal and provincial policy discussions around the role of open education in K‑12 contexts.”

Ultimately, the goal is to address pressures documented in FSL classrooms. “We hope to have a positive impact on the K‑12 teaching community, so that teachers feel more valued by their colleagues and supported in their day‑to‑day course preparation,” says Péguret.

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The 91��ɫ-affiliated recipients are among 61 new appointments announced this year. The Order of Canada recognizes individuals whose service and contributions have had a lasting impact on communities across Canada and beyond.

Officers

Niv Fichman, alumnus and honorary degree recipient
A film producer and founder of Rhombus Media, Fichman has helped shape Canadian cinema over nearly five decades. His body of work includes internationally recognized films such as The Red Violin, Enemy and BlackBerry, reflecting a career marked by innovation and mentorship in the screen industries.

Duke Redbird, alumnus
An Elder of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Redbird has spent more than 60 years advancing Indigenous arts and ways of knowing through poetry, visual art and performance. His work has influenced artists, educators and communities across the country, foregrounding the relationship between people and the land.

Mayann E. Francis, honorary degree recipient
Francis is a former lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia and a long-standing advocate for human rights. In 2006, she became the first African Nova Scotian and the second woman to serve in the role, and has since continued her public service and writing, including publishing a memoir.

Members

Tim Whiten, professor emeritus
Artist and member of the (AMPD), Whiten has built an influential career spanning five decades. Working across sculpture, drawing, performance and installation, his practice explores spirituality and transformation while his teaching has shaped generations of students.

Nancy Nicol, professor emerita and senior scholar
Nicol (AMPD), is a documentary filmmaker, researcher and writer whose work documents the history of 2SLGBTQIA+ activism in Canada and internationally. Through her participatory research project, Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights, she fostered international collaboration and advanced equity and human rights.

Duane D.O. Gibson, alumnus
Gibson is a hip-hop artist, author and educator who engages students through music and literacy-focused programming. Through his initiative Stay Driven, he has reached thousands of young people with messages centred on perseverance, leadership and positive decision-making.

Harvey Skinner, professor emeritus
Skinner, founding dean of the Faculty of Health, has made significant contributions to the study of behaviour change and addictions. He is known for developing the Drug Abuse Screening Test, a widely used tool that has informed clinical practice, policy and broader approaches to health innovation.

For more information about the Order of Canada or to view the full list of this year’s appointees, visit the .

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Sarah Flicker, professor and 91��ɫ Research Chair in Community-Based Participatory Research in the , is the principal investigator on the project, titled "Theatre Making Impact (TMI): Scaling-Up a Youth-Led HIV Prevention Play Across Ontario." Shira Taylor, adjunct professor at 91��ɫ and director of TMI, is co-applicant and the program's founder. The OHTN funding will support the next phase of the program's expansion across Ontario, extending its reach into urban centres and northern Indigenous communities where HIV rates remain disproportionately high.

TMI – formerly known as SExT, or Sex Education by Theatre – is a trauma-informed, culturally responsive not-for-profit that uses peer education and theatre, alongside music, dance, rap and poetry, to engage youth in open conversations about sexual health, HIV prevention, mental health and healthy relationships.

Taylor founded the program in 2014 in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods as part of her doctoral thesis, and later expanded it through a postdoctoral fellowship at 91��ɫ in collaboration with Flicker. To date, it has reached more than 12,000 young people across Canada, with a focus on communities most affected by HIV – including newcomer, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

"I really wanted to build an evidence-based program that put the youth voice centre stage on these topics," says Taylor.

What sets TMI apart is how it delivers that education. Instead of pamphlets or classroom lectures, the program uses peer-led performance, humour and storytelling to model difficult conversations and build skills in a lower-stakes environment – one that engages young people both intellectually and emotionally.

“Lack of awareness usually isn’t the reason people don’t use condoms," says Taylor. "There's a peer pressure element, there's an emotional element. Theatre is uniquely positioned to take into account our full humanity."

The program also benefits from an intergenerational model that, over the last decade, has deepened. Many of the original cast members who joined as high schoolers – initially, Taylor jokes, for the free pizza – have stayed on and trained as trauma-informed peer mentors. They now co-facilitate the program alongside a new generation of youth from the same community, sharing similar cultural backgrounds and immigration experiences.

The evidence from a recent Toronto District School Board (TDSB) tour, co-led by Taylor and Flicker and supported by a LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health Catalyst Grant at 91��ɫ, underscores the approach's impact. Across eight performances at five TDSB high schools, 61 per cent of student audience members reported improved sexual health knowledge, 49 per cent felt more confident managing their own sexual health and 46 per cent reported greater awareness of where to access HIV and STI testing.

Mental health outcomes were also significant: 49 per cent reported improved mental health knowledge, 44 per cent indicated feeling more comfortable seeking help and 41 per cent reported using new coping strategies.

While the student audience feedback provides crucial insights, the program’s impact extends beyond statistics. During a tour to an Indigenous community in Saskatchewan, a youth performer's rap about navigating her identity and her family's cultural expectations moved a young audience member to share a poem she had written but never shown anyone.

"She had it stuffed in the back of her locker," Taylor recalls. "She'd been too scared to share it publicly. And we all gathered around as this young Indigenous girl read us this poem. I still remember the words."

With OHTN support, the project will reach youth beyond Toronto by bringing performances to urban centres and northern and Indigenous communities across Ontario over the coming year.

Taylor and Flicker are thrilled that the award allows the program to continue to reach young people across the province.

"It's really validating how much impact arts-based approaches can have in this sector," says Taylor, "and how important it is to empower community-based, culturally responsive, trauma-informed programs around these topics, which has been historically lacking in sex education."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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“Achieving Candidate status is a crucial step forward for our School of Medicine,” says David Peters, dean of the  and School of Medicine. “I am deeply grateful to our accreditation leadership team, advisors, faculty and staff, as well as partners and community members from across Ontario for the tremendous effort, dedication and collaboration that made this success possible. I’m confident in the foundation we’ve built together and excited to move into this next phase as we continue to work hand-in-hand with our health system partners to educate doctors differently and build the health system Ontario needs for the future." 

CACMS serves as the official body responsible for evaluating and accrediting Canadian medical education programs that lead to an MD degree. It ensures these programs meet established national standards to maintain the quality of medical training. This designation was awarded after CACMS reviewed and determined that the program had made sufficient progress on accreditation standards. Candidate status is a required pre-accreditation stage for any new Canadian medical school; it qualifies 91��ɫ’s program to proceed to a preliminary accreditation site visit – the next step toward full accreditation. 

“Ontario is facing a primary care crisis. This accreditation milestone brings us one step closer to launching a medical school built from the ground up to help address it – training physicians who are educated to serve our changing, diverse population and are rooted in the communities where they practice, from North Toronto to Muskoka,” says Lisa Philipps, 91��ɫ’s interim president and vice-chancellor. “This achievement reinforces our commitment to ensuring a healthier, more sustainable future for Ontarians, while advancing academic excellence in service of the public good.” 

Unlike traditional, four-year models centred on short-term clinical rotations, 91��ɫ’s accelerated three-year MD program brings learners into communities as early as their first year of study and anchors their education in longer, deeper community-based clinical experiences. In collaboration with key affiliates – including Mackenzie Health, Oak Valley Health, Southlake Health, and developing partnerships with Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare – learners will follow patients over time and learn with teams across primary care, hospitals and community settings. 

This structure is powered by the Integrated Community-Based Learning Network (ICLN), which establishes the first fully integrated learning health system at scale in Canada by uniting primary, generalist and interprofessional care partners to deliver continuous clinical education for students.  

The school aims to welcome its inaugural cohort in August 2028 at 91��ɫ’s Keele Campus, with a vision for a future home in the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct next to the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. 

“With our Candidate status secured, we are eager to turn our attention to the next phase of the evaluation process, with an anticipation of receiving preliminary accreditation status in spring 2027,” Peters says. 

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The Governor General's Academic Medals are the highest honour given to outstanding Canadian post-secondary scholars. This year’s awardees represent the University’s dedication to supporting students in achieving academic success.

Chimira Nicole Andres

While at 91��ɫ, Andres pursued her PhD in earth and space science and engineering at the . Her research explored the ice-rich landscapes across Earth and Mars, and work that led to the first detection of a terraced glacier on Mars.

Andres has contributed to major international space initiatives, serving the European Space Agency as lead on missions using a colour and stereo surface imaging system (CaSSIS), a high-resolution camera used to capture detailed images of Mars’ surface. She has also contributed as a scientist on Canadian Space Agency lunar rover projects.

Beyond her research, she has been active in mentorship and outreach, supporting youth education and space science initiatives across the world.

Andres chose 91��ɫ for its leadership in earth and space science as well as its campus community, which she credits with supporting her through her studies.

“Receiving the Governor General’s Gold Medal is truly a great privilege and honour,” says Andres. “This is very meaningful and a full-circle moment for me.”

Andres says the Inuktitut word ᐊᔪᐃᓐᓇᑕ (Ajuinnata) – which translates to “persevere” – that is inscribed on the medal resonates deeply with her academic journey.

“It feels very humbling for my ongoing research to be recognized, and it has motivated me to continue doing the work that I am most passionate about,” she says.

Andres is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Victoria, working with Indigenous community partners in Nunavut. Looking ahead, she hopes to contribute to future Canadian Earth Observation missions while remaining active in mentorship, outreach and science communication.

Nicholas Cheng

After completing his undergraduate degree in kinesiology at 91��ɫ, Cheng is now among this year’s Faculty of Health graduate students earning a MSc in the program. His graduate research focused on exercise science and nutrition. Building on a long-standing interest in sport and training, he worked with Associate Professor Andrea Josse examining how different post-exercise nutrition strategies can influence substances in the blood that indicate how bones are building up or breaking down.

His path into research began during his undergraduate studies, when he collaborated with Professor Tara Haas, sparking an interest in exploring questions related to optimizing health and exercise performance.

Cheng chose to remain at 91��ɫ for his graduate studies because of the University’s supportive environment and community. He credits the close-knit kinesiology program, along with mentorship from faculty and peers, for fostering both his academic growth and personal development. He is especially grateful to Josse and his lab mates for their guidance and collaboration throughout his studies.

“Being selected for the Governor General’s Gold Medal is truly an honour,” says Cheng, noting the recognition holds special meaning given the challenges and self-doubt he faced during his academic journey.

“This award feels like an affirmation to continue pursuing higher education and research,” he says.

Cheng will continue his studies at 91��ɫ this fall as a PhD student, expanding on his master’s research. He aims to pursue a career in academia, where he hopes to become a professor and lead a research program focused on exercise, nutrition and musculoskeletal health.

Joel Landan Prowting

Graduating with a PhD from the Faculty of Health, Prowting’s research examined the effects of dairy consumption on human physiology, particularly in response to exercise and diet. His academic journey culminated in his doctoral work exploring how dairy intake influences bone metabolism, inflammation and overall health.

Prowting says he chose 91��ɫ to work with Josse, who also collaborated with fellow Governor General's Gold Medal recipient Cheng. Josse’s research aligned with Prowting interests while offering opportunities to expand his expertise.

Prowting highlights the collaborative environment within the School of Kinesiology and Health Science as a key part of his experience, allowing him to work closely with peers. He also had opportunity to access specialized methods, including muscle biopsy analysis, through collaboration with Professor Chris Perry, director of 91��ɫ’s Muscle Health Research Centre. He also credits the strong sense of community among lab members and colleagues for making his time at 91��ɫ especially rewarding.

“I’m very grateful to be recognized for this award, and proud of myself for maintaining a high level of quality despite the challenges I faced while writing my thesis,” says Prowting. Some challenges were more unique than others, he notes. Completing his thesis coincided with a significant personal milestone: the birth of his daughter.

“I was writing my dissertation from midnight to 5 a.m. while she slept on my chest. It was hard but reminds me that I have the resilience to get things done.”

Prowting is currently a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University, where he is studying the effects of resistance training and protein intake. Looking toward his future goals, he remains open to both academic and non-academic career paths, building on the skills and connections developed during his time at 91��ɫ.

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At the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic, however, researchers and graduate students are working from a different premise: that understanding a child means understanding the family around them.

Heather Prime, a clinical psychologist and associate professor in the , is leading that effort with a team of graduate students.

At the clinic – a mental health care facility for families in the community and training centre for 91��ɫ’s emerging clinical psychologists – graduate students study family mental health while also engaging directly with clients. As part of their clinical training, the students deliver services and conduct supervised assessments with families.

PhD candidate Gillian Shoychet’s doctoral dissertation sits at the centre of this work: she is studying how to implement family assessments in a university clinic, using feedback from families to refine the model.

Their work, alongside researcher Maya Koven, is outlined in an published in JAMA Pediatrics which argues that family systems assessments remain underused in the care of older children and youth.

"The family system – all family members and the interactions between them – influences a child's development and mental health," says Shoychet. "Children's mental health does not exist in isolation."

The approach centres on the Lausanne Trilogue Play Paradigm, a structured assessment that originated in Lausanne, Switzerland. During the assessment, families complete tasks while clinicians film the sessions. In a follow-up meeting, clips are played back to the family and observations are discussed collaboratively.

"We don't say ‘here's what we learned, and here's what you need to do,’" says Prime. "We say, ‘here's what we saw – how does that make sense to you?’"

A key focus of this approach is the co-parenting relationship: the parenting team and how both caregivers work together to support their child. The team’s research states that this dimension is rarely examined in standard child mental health care, where assessments typically involve only one caregiver.

"We're interested in all those relationships that are co-occurring," says Shoychet. "Without observing all those different pieces, it's hard to get a full sense of the child in a holistic manner."

The assessment spans four sessions and concludes with a tip sheet compiled by the clinical team and a follow-up check-in. For some families, that is enough. For others, it becomes a roadmap – pointing toward individual therapy for the child, parental support or longer-term family therapy.

"It's really a broader systemic map of what services families might be able to access," says Prime.

Building that map required significant groundwork by Shoychet. With support from Koven and the graduate student team, Shoychet worked to merge two existing clinical manuals into a single program guide designed for the 91��ɫ Psychology Clinic and its clinical, research and training teams.

"It takes a lot of time, a lot of attention to detail, a lot of patience,” says Shoychet of that project. “As a graduate student, I'm not just getting training to do this program – I'm supporting the implementation of it in my clinic, which is a very unique experience."

Graduate students are trained through a deliberate scaffolding approach. They begin by observing how Prime leads a case, then they work alongside her as co-therapists. Eventually, they take the lead themselves. Between sessions, the team gathers for group consultations – typically joined by collaborator Diane Philipp, a child psychiatrist at The Garry Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health at SickKids who was instrumental in bringing this training model to Canada.

"Even if the student isn't the primary clinician, students on the team can come watch, provide feedback and learn," says Shoychet. "It's a really beautiful learning opportunity."

Families are also active participants in shaping the program. Surveys provide meaningful feedback on time commitment, session satisfaction and whether families felt their clinician was supportive.

"We're not just evaluating outcomes," says Shoychet. "We're really trying to understand how the program works in this specific setting and what we need to change to meet the needs of the communities we serve."

"I actually get to see the value that this has for families and be part of changing it to make it more valuable," she adds. "That was one of my aspirations for coming into grad school."

Both Prime and Shoychet share the same vision for the program: to serve those in need while creating meaningful learning experiences for grad students.

Success would mean sustainable program, says Prime, characterized by ongoing training opportunities for graduate students to serve a continuous intake of families.

"We put so much heart and soul into this project," adds Shoychet. "I'm hopeful that people will know more about it."

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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In 2018, OHIP+ was launched to provide public drug coverage for youth, helping overcome financial barriers to prescription medications for those under 25.

For Antony Chum, an associate professor in 91��ɫ’s  who studies how public policy shapes health outcomes, it also created what he describes as a "natural experiment" – an opportunity to track differences before and after free drug coverage was introduced. He examined this "experiment" alongside postdoctoral researchers Peiya Cao and Yihong Bai, as well as PhD student Kristine Ienciu.

“We wanted to see if removing financial barriers and providing free prescriptions to those under 25 actually translated to a reduction in acute, life-threatening mental health crises,” says Chum, who is also a Canada Research Chair in Population Health Data Science, adding the team focused on emergency department visits of suicide-related behaviours.

The study, published in , draws on linked census and health care data to analyze emergency department visits between 2016 and 2020 that document suicide and self-harm behaviours among Ontarians aged 19 to 24.

The researchers tracked monthly rates of these visits before and after OHIP+ was introduced, using statistical models to isolate the policy’s impact from underlying trends. They compared outcomes between lower- and higher-income individuals to assess who was most affected, and applied matching techniques and additional tests to ensure the results were robust.

At the conclusion, Chum says he and his team were surprised by the results, which showed that after OHIP+ was introduced, there was a significant and immediate drop in emergency department visits related to suicide and self-harm – a change that was faster and larger than expected.

Looking more closely at the results, the researchers also found notable reductions among young people considered high risk, including those with a history of mental health diagnoses or prior suicide-related behaviours. The effect was also more pronounced among lower-income youth, who are more likely to face cost barriers to medication, and among young women, who tend to use mental health services at higher rates and may be more likely to benefit from improved access to treatment.

The findings suggested OHIP+ had its strongest influence on those who needed it most, says Chum.

“It shows that public investments in drug coverage pay off in profound ways,” he says, adding the most notable impact may be in prevention of mental health emergencies. “Better access to medication may help stabilize symptoms earlier, reducing the likelihood that someone reaches a crisis point requiring emergency care.”

Chum notes the findings require further study to understand the effect of changes to the system. In April 2019, OHIP+ was revised to restrict eligibility to youth without private insurance, shifting the program from universal to more targeted coverage. That change raises important questions about how it may have influenced the results observed here and whether the early gains seen under full coverage were sustained, weakened or reversed.

Nonetheless, he hopes the study clarifies how reducing cost barriers can improve health outcomes, particularly as Canada advances pharmacare legislation, including plans to provide universal, first-dollar coverage for certain contraceptives and diabetes medications.

“We hope this research provides timely evidence as Canada moves forward with broader national pharmacare reforms,” says Chum. “We want policymakers to see that expanding pharmacare is an essential, effective part of Canada’s youth mental health strategy.”

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Espinosa, a member of the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health and the Connected Minds program, is among researchers working to better understand dogs as a global species within the fields of comparative psychology and canine science. Her work examines how animals think and behave, and how those processes shape their relationships with people in different environments.

Across scientific fields, researchers aim to draw conclusions that are consistent in different populations and contexts. That requires studying a wide and representative range of subjects. In canine science, however, that breadth is often limited, Espinosa says.

Most studies on dog behaviour and cognition tend to focus on companion canines in affluent regions of the Global North, whose lives are shaped by specific cultural and economic contexts. That leaves out a large portion of the world’s dog population – especially free-living canines and those in the Global South – as well as the many different ways humans and their pets interact across cultures and environments.

That narrow focus also shapes how studies are built. In many cases, participants are recruited through university communities or social media, which can skew toward people with the time, resources and interest to take part. Those same factors can influence the kinds of dogs being studied, favouring well‑trained, highly socialized pets while excluding others.

“With research drawing mostly from similar types of dogs and guardians, it becomes harder to know whether the results reflect the species as a whole or just a specific subset,” says Espinosa.

Espinosa has observed this kind of variability in her own work. In studies examining how dogs respond to human pointing gestures, she and her collaborators found that results can differ depending on where the they are studied and the conditions they are raised in. For example, canines in Toronto respond differently to pointing gestures than those studied in Vancouver and Nebraska.

Findings like these, she says, highlight how much remains unknown and point questions that may be overlooked if results were broadly representative.

“Once we understand that there are these gaps in how we do our science – and even our individual ability to address them – we can start collectively working on ways forward,” she says.

In an article published in , Espinosa offers an analysis of current canine research and proposes a shift in approach to improve the relevance of the field. Through large‑scale collaborative studies, researchers from multiple sites and countries can better capture the diversity of dog ecology and dog-human relationships using shared methods and larger, more diverse samples.

“The main goal is to propose how we could make science more representative and equitable, both in the type of dogs that are studied and the people who do the research,” she says.

One example is the ManyDogs Project, founded by Espinosa in 2018, which brings together collaborators from different locations and populations to study canine behaviour across contexts. By combining data and comparing results across sites, researchers can test findings across diverse groups.

In practice, this could lead to better inform human-animal relationships, animal welfare and ecological interactions. It could also offer a clearer picture of how dogs adapt across environments, including when they move between them.

Espinosa points to the growing practice of bringing canines from other regions, such as the street of Mexico, into Canadian communities as one example. Understanding how dogs from different backgrounds behave, she says, can support more effective training when they struggle to adjust to new environments.

Espinosa stresses that what she calls “big team science” is not intended to replace the work done by individual groups, but rather to complement those efforts and broaden understanding and research practices through international collaboration, diverse viewpoints and scientific traditions and ways of knowing.

“Understanding that what we know is just a drop in the ocean and only applicable to a small subset of very particular dogs can help us appreciate the value that diverse perspectives can add to the conversation,” Espinosa says.

By widening its lens, canine research has the potential to produce more reliable findings while deepening peoples’ connection with one of its oldest and most widespread companions. “Ultimately, the goal is improving dog well-being and supporting healthy dog-human relationships,” says Espinosa.

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A new study by 91��ɫ researchers puts a name to that feeling and examines what it means for employee well-being and job satisfaction.

Tsorng-Yeh Lee, associate professor in the School of Nursing, and Gordon Flett, professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology, are co-authors of "," published in the Canadian Journal of Nursing Research. The study examines how employees' sense of mattering, or its absence, relates to psychological well-being and satisfaction at work.

"Mattering is that feeling of being significant to others, that others see you as important," says Flett. "When somebody says they feel seen, heard and appreciated, that reflects their sense that they matter."

The flip side is anti-mattering: feeling invisible, unimportant or irrelevant. The study indicates that anti-mattering is negatively associated with well-being, mattering at work and job satisfaction – making it one of the study's most robust findings. Feeling unseen at work, the results suggest, has distinct effects, separate from feeling undervalued.

"If participants feel they don't matter, they are less likely to find their work meaningful," says Lee. "If they feel their voice is heard by their boss, they will work harder and do better."

The study also reveals a link between the fear of not mattering and problematic social media use, and an association between the latter and depression.

"When you are engaged with social media at a problematic level, you are exposing yourself to crafted, perfectionistic images of lives [that appear to be] better than yours," says Flett. "People see perfect vacations or perfect children and realize their life isn't like that, making them feel more isolated."

The research was conducted with 60 adults working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants who reported having COVID-19 indicated lower mattering and higher anti-mattering – suggesting that becoming ill somehow limits employees' feelings of significance.

Flett notes the research is a small-scale pilot study with limited scope. While the findings require further investigation, he notes the results point to meaningful patterns that merit closer examination.

For employers, the study's practical implications are clear. Lee points to the value of recognizing contributions regularly and giving meaningful feedback. As Lee explains, this helps foster a feeling for employees that “I’m not just here – I make a difference.”

When employees feel they matter, they are more likely to be engaged, satisfied and emotionally positive about their work. Flett adds that organizations need to move beyond passive wellness messaging and actively demonstrate that employees matter.

"We shouldn't assume people know they are important," he says. "We need to show them."

That can take many forms, he says, such as involving employees in decision-making, checking in on them as people rather than just as workers, and cultivating what Flett calls the “lost art of sending a personal note.”

The U.S. Surgeon General's framework for workplace mental health identifies mattering at work as one of its five core pillars, and Flett suggests organizations should build wellness approaches that include mattering and frame their messages around that construct.

“Mattering is about feeling important, being noticed and feeling depended on,” he says. “When workers are sent messages such as 'You matter to us' and 'Everybody counts,' they know they are seen, heard and cared about at the organizational level. They won't feel like a number."

Lee’s research on the topic will continue through a follow-up grant focused on mattering among Asian communities, with the aim of expanding the research to more diverse and conclusive samples.

The pilot study was supported by a seed grant from the Faculty of Health.

With files from Mzwandile Poncana

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