Content Warning: the following text discusses suicide.
Fady Shanouda, assistant professor in the PJIWGS, has been awarded the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s (SSHRC) Explore Research Grant for his project titled “Student, Staff, and Faculty Distress and Suicidality within the Neoliberal University” As the project description notes: “Too many students, staff, and faculty who study and work within universities experience distress or suicidality (i.e. thoughts, plans, or attempts of suicide). In response, academic institutions in both Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) have focused on the promotion of self-care, resiliency, and more traditional well-being measures, including exercise, a proper diet, yoga, and meditation/mindfulness practices. Such measures fail to address the structural and systemic issues producing distress within universities – specifically, the economic and cultural project of neoliberalism that cuts funding while increasing work, productivity, and personal responsibility.” Thus, this project focuses on identifying the effects and impacts of distress and suicidality as they pertain to students, staff, and faculty in higher education.
The project also includes the following partners: Jonathan Morris the CEO of Canadian Mental Health Association of British Columbia; Dr. China Mills a Senior Lecturer at the University of London; Dr. Ian Marsh, Reader, Canterbury Christ Church University; Dr. Corey McAuliffe, CIHR & MITACS, Health System Impact Postdoctoral Fellow, Canadian Mental Health Association of British Columbia and University of British Columbia.