Articles by author: Brock University

• Lab launch to highlight how the arts can help address discrimination in health care

  Friday, May 22, 2026 | By Brock University

  MEDIA ADVISORY — MAY 22, 2026 — R0047

  Brock University researchers will soon shed light on an innovative tool for addressing persistent discrimination in health care: the arts.

  On Thursday, May 28, the University will launch its Health, Art and Justice Lab and share the findings of a three-year Brock-led international project exploring how applied theatre and the arts can impact health care and other sectors.

  The public symposium will bring together researchers, students and artists as well as project partners from Niagara, Indigenous communities and New York City to examine arts-based approaches to health equity and social justice. The day will include an interactive exhibit of applied theatre interventions, poetry and visual art along with research presentations and keynote remarks by Christopher Bailey, founder of the World Health Organization’s Arts and Health program and co-founding co-director of the New York University (NYU) Jameel Arts and Health Lab.

  Held from 2 to 5 p.m. in Brock’s Pond Inlet, the event is the culmination of the 2023 project “Using Participatory Theatre to Eliminate Discrimination in Health System Delivery,” which was supported by the New Frontiers in Research Fund.

  The project saw international scholars and community partners come together to develop and test interventions grounded in real stories shared by people from equity-deserving communities. Applied theatre, visual arts and storytelling were used to help participants examine their role in discrimination and practice bystander intervention strategies in a collaborative setting.

  The project is led by Brock University Associate Professor of Health Sciences Valerie Michaelson and Associate Professor of Nursing Sheila O’Keefe-McCarthy in collaboration with the NYU Jameel Arts and Health Lab. Brock Assistant Professor of Education Sherri Vansickle, a First Nations scholar from Onondaga Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, leads the project’s Indigenous strand.

  Media are invited to attend the May 28 event and can email Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, at [email protected] to confirm their attendance and arrange parking.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases

• Media invited to groundbreaking ceremony at Brock University Norris W. Walker Research Farm

  Thursday, May 21, 2026 | By Brock University

  MEDIA ADVISORY — MAY 21, 2026 — R0046

  The time has come to turn the soil in preparation for groundbreaking research at the Brock University Norris W. Walker Research Farm.

  Media are invited to attend the Clean Agriculture for Sustainable Production (CASP) groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, May 29 at 10 a.m. at the Merrittville Highway farm, just south of Brock’s main campus.

  The event signals the next step in bringing this impactful sustainable agriculture project, and the farm it will call home, to life.

  CASP will advance sustainable and climate resilient agriculture in Canada, producing a state-of-the-art research site to develop clean plant materials, test innovative farm practices and support collaboration between researchers, students and industry partners.

  Additionally, the research farm, once completed, will serve as a hub for experiential learning, field research and applied innovation, providing valuable opportunities for students and industry partners.

  The CASP groundbreaking ceremony will include remarks from Brock University leaders, researchers and federal and provincial government officials.

  Interview opportunities will be available following the ceremony.

  Interested media can email Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, at [email protected] to confirm their attendance and arrange parking.

  What: Clean Agriculture for Sustainable Production groundbreaking ceremony
  When: Friday, May 29 from 10 to 11 a.m.
  Where: Brock University Norris W. Walker Research Farm, 2833 Merrittville Hwy., Thorold
  Who: Brock University leaders, CASP researchers, federal and provincial government officials and industry and community partners.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases