Media releases

• Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls to be remembered through red dress display, event

  Wednesday, February 08, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 9 February 2023 – R0012

  A weeklong display of empty red dresses and a day of activities at Brock University will honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

  The REDress Project began as an art installation by Métis artist Jaime Black at the University of Winnipeg in 2011 to signify the loss of thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit, lesbian, gay, trans, bisexual, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGTBQQIA) people over the past 40 years to colonial violence.

  Now in its fifth year at Brock, the display will see dresses hung indoors and outdoors across the University’s main campus and Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts from Monday, Feb. 13 to Friday, Feb. 17.

  Brock’s Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement Robyn Bourgeois said it remains critical to raise awareness about violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in gender-based violence.

  “We continue to disappear and be murdered across Turtle Island, and Canadian governments have done little to implement the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls,” she said. “We remain unsafe, so we must continue to demand justice.”

  To further raise awareness, a day of activities will be held Tuesday, Feb. 14 in Brock’s Pond Inlet to honour and remember those who were impacted by colonial violence.

  Taking place from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the gathering will feature a traditional song from Bourgeois, art displays and workshops, where participants will learn to make beaded medicine pouches, Métis sash bookmarks, beaded red dress earrings and seal skin bracelets. While the workshops are currently full, organizers will engage additional participants as resources allow.

  The event, which all are welcome to attend, will also include a traditional lunch and a talk by Vanessa Brousseau, an Inuk social media influencer and artist who has a personal connection with the REDress movement and its goals to educate and remember.

  Participants are also encouraged to bring their phones and headphones to take in a new art installation called ‘Robyn’s story,’ which documents Bourgeois’ own red dress experience through original graphic art and voice recordings.

  To ensure emotional support for all involved, Elders from Six Nations of the Grand River will be on hand to meet with those in attendance.

  Cindy Biancaniello, Director of Brock’s Hadiyaˀdagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, said the day is an important opportunity for the Brock and wider community to come together and reflect on the need for change.

  “We need everyone to feel welcome in a space like this, so that everyone can advocate for change,” she said. “It takes all of us to gather together and recognize the injustices that continue to take place while we commit to doing all we can to create a future where no one else must experience these horrors.”

  To learn more about the REDress project and coinciding REDress events at Brock, visit the Hadiyaˀdagénhahs ExperienceBU page.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock research explores use of artificial intelligence to diagnose back pain

  Wednesday, February 08, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 8 February 2023 – R0010

  Lower back pain affects more than 500 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of disability, above reported data of cancers and heart diseases.

  But receiving a back pain diagnosis can take time, with patients often facing barriers that may delay the process.

  Brock University Master of Science in Kinesiology student Carl Alano (BSc ’22) is determined to help patients receive their diagnosis faster — all with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

  Through his research, “Automated Movement Screen: Developing a data-driven scoring tool to assess spine motor dysfunction,” Alano is working to develop a telehealth screening tool for clinicians.

  “Back pain is typically hard to diagnose without using a movement assessment test in clinic,” Alano says. “Identifying movement patterns with the naked eye can be difficult, and for those without access to an allied health team because they may be living in rural settings or suffering from limited access due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proper care is further challenged.”

  Using AI software called MediaPipe, Alano inputs images and videos of common tasks requiring movement of the lower back into software for analysis. The data are aligned with patient-reported outcomes to understand the relationship between how someone moves and how they reportedly feel.

  “The aim of our work is to automate movement analysis and to help alleviate the need for in-person appointments,” Alano says. “Particularly, since many cases of low back pain are classified as ‘non-specific,’ meaning the pain cannot be attributed to any specific injury or cause.”

  To accomplish this, research participants aged 18 to 65 years complete an online survey and are asked to submit video of themselves performing three different movement tasks: picking up a pen or pencil, completing a single body weight squatting motion and doing a maximum spine flexion, which is when an individual rounds their spine as much as they can comfortably.

  The data derived from the survey then allows the team to build an algorithm that scores someone’s movement using a web camera or smartphone and predicts levels of disability.

  “The research takes a data-driven approach to uncover hidden patterns that are aligned with clinically meaningful outcomes,” Alano says. “To get a good idea of how one individual compares to others, we need a large number of participants with a wide range of ages, activity levels and low back-related disability.”

  The idea for this research emerged during Alano’s fourth-year undergraduate thesis, which looked at back pain in rowers. Even though COVID-19 restrictions were easing, athletes were hesitant to come to campus or had scheduling conflicts, which made it difficult to recruit participants.

  “I started looking at ways AI could help in the collection and analysis of data because it can be done from anywhere with an internet connection,” Alano says. “I want my research to have an impact and to do this we need a lot of data. Historically, we have suffered from small sample sizes; this is where AI can help.”

  Growing up in the Philippines, Alano observed the hardships faced by individuals with socio-economic challenges as well as those who had to travel long distances for medical care. This experience motivated him to make a difference by pursuing a career in the medical field.

  “As an undergraduate Medical Sciences student at Brock, and a patient with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, I often thought about how in-person appointments can take two to three hours,” says Alano, who completed his bachelor’s degree at Brock last year. “This motivates me to find new ways to streamline diagnostic workflow, benefitting patients though expedited assessments, creating access to underserved demographics and freeing up valuable clinician time.”

  Alano’s study is still recruiting participants. Adults 18 to 65 years of age interested in participating in the study are invited to learn more online or contact Alano at ca18ei@brocku.ca

  A video demonstrating the assessment process is available on YouTube.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases