A Brock University postdoctoral fellow is among recipients of a new early career, national health grant for her research on how to improve newcomers’ access to programs that screen for, and prevent, Type 2 diabetes.

Sujane Kandasamy is one of 43 researchers across Canada to be awarded the Research Excellence, Diversity and Independence (REDI) Early Career Transition Award being offered for the first time by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to researchers in underrepresented groups.

“It’s really important for me to surround myself with mentors with whom I share a common vision with,” says the postdoc based in Brock’s INfant, Child and youth Health (INCH) Lab. “This award is centred in mentorship, and I’m really excited to mentor other trainees such as undergraduate and master’s students, since mentorship goes full cycle,” she says.

Her research involves co-designing, piloting and evaluating, alongside newcomers, a mobile Type 2 diabetes awareness program.

Newcomers to Canada often face a number of challenges, including changes to their diets, activity levels and social networks, says Kandasamy.

She explains that healthy foods and cooking methods in the country of origin may be replaced by processed and fast foods, and newcomers may be less physically and socially active, all of which are risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.

“Health Canada acknowledges that immigration is a determinant of health,” she says. “There needs to be culturally-reflective and co-ordinated approaches to ensure newcomers to Canada are set on a path towards optimal health, particularly in the prevalence and prevention of Type 2 diabetes in newcomers.”

Kandasamy’s project involves research in the areas of the social determinants of health, current Type 2 diabetes outreach programs that are culturally tailored, and interviews with community members, leaders and service providers to learn about current needs and barriers to existing service provision.

“These are multi-sectoral challenges, which is why meaningful partnerships with local community organizations and leaders are crucial,” she says.

The end result of her project is the roll-out of “The Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Van.” This would offer co-designed mobile services from which newcomers in Calgary, Alta., and Hamilton, Ont., can receive screening and prevention services.

“This is incredibly important work, as we have seen a large influx of newcomers to Canada in recent years, with many more coming over the next several years,” says Kandasamy’s primary supervisor, Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Matthew Kwan.

“It is imperative that we find effective solutions to best support their physical, mental and social health during their transition to Canada, and limit the burdens of our social system,” says Kwan, Canada Research Chair in Youth Mental Health and Performance.

Kandasamy came to Brock University in 2022 from McMaster University. Shortly after her arrival, she co-led a research team that worked with residents in the Riverdale area of Stoney Creek to design a program for immigrants that promotes outdoor activities as a way of preventing obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

She then co-led research with Kwan that created a unique pilot program called Immigrant-focused Physical Literacy for Youth (IPLAY) with the aim of boosting the physical activity levels of newcomer youths through improvements in physical literacy.

CIHR’s REDI Early Career Transition Award provides $28.4 million to support post-doctoral researchers, clinicians and research associates from specific underrepresented groups in launching their research faculty careers.

“I’m so incredibly proud of Dr. Kandasamy, being one of the first recipients of this very competitive, important CIHR initiative, which well represents Brock University,” says Kwan.