Dalla Lana School of Public Health

SHIRA TAYLOR, PhD Candidate
SExT: Sex Education by Theatre – Theatre as a pedagogical tool for
sexual health education in a newcomer priority neighbourhood

Despite rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and inequitable access to sexual health education and services, relatively few studies have addressed the unique sex education needs of newcomer youth in an increasingly demographically diverse Canada. My dissertation involved the design, implementation, and evaluation of a novel and innovative participatory action research project, Sex Education by Theatre (SExT).
SExT is a theatre-based, culturally-relevant, peer education intervention piloted in a multicultural immigration destination of Toronto. Pilot study findings demonstrate the potential of a theatre-based, culturally empowering, peer education intervention to positively contribute to the sexual health and personal/social development of newcomer youth. This presentation will outline the results of a mixed methods evaluation of
the SExT program, with a focus on the identification of specific mechanisms through which individual and structural barriers to sexual health may be overcome through the application of theatre pedagogy. Shira Taylor is a PhD. Candidate in SBHS at DLSPH. Shira created the workshop and performance program, SExT: Sex Education by Theatre as her dissertation and SExT has since been performed by youth peer educators over
80 times for over 8900 youth. SExT is currently touring nationally with a focus on newcomer and Indigenous communities in partnership with the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR).

Dr. CAROL STRIKE
Illicit drug use while admitted to hospital:
Patient and health care provider perspectives

Literature shows that hospitals are ill-prepared to meet the needs of people who use drugs (PWUDs), including their need or desire to use drugs while admitted. We explore how PWUD and hospital care providers understand and attempt to manage the use of drugs that were not prescribed. Many patient participants spoke about using psycho-active substances to avoid negative experiences (e.g., withdrawal, boredom,
sadness, loneliness and/or untreated pain) while in hospital. Some health care providers were unaware of onsite illicit drug use; others acknowledged it occurred. Few could identify a hospital policy specific to illicit drug use, most used their personal beliefs to guide their responses to it (e.g., ignore it, increase surveillance of patients, reprimands, loss of privileges/medications, threats of immediate discharge should it continue, and
substitution dosing of medication) and many of the responses were inconsistent with the principles of patient centred care. This study contributes to an emerging body of literature calling for the development and implementation of harm reduction policies in hospitals. Carol Strike, PhD, Professor and Division Head in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences. Her research program aims to improve health services for people who use drugs and other marginalized populations.