Gillian Harvey
Biography:
Gillian Harvey is an Associate Professor in Design Studies, Department of Art & Design at the University of Alberta (Canada), where she teaches undergraduate and graduate students design theory, practice and research. She is Co-Director of the Design Health Research Innovation Lab (DHRIL) and an Executive Board member of the International Institute of Information Design (IIID).
Her research prioritizes information design, design for decision making and design in critical or emergency situations including technical administration of emergency overdose kits, patient safety education materials and pediatric resuscitation. She has worked with government, industry and the private sector developing materials that include projects that address systems concerns, and enhance broader healthcare processes. Her work is funded through CIHR and SSHRC, CRISM, and KIAS grants.
Node Funded Project (Jan 2025)
Title: Supporting Healthy Partnerships with People Who Use Drugs: Toolkit Mobilization
Principal Investigator: Gillian Harvey (University of Alberta)
Co-investigators/collaborators:
Dr Ginetta Salvalaggio, Jessica Kirkwood, Oksana Babenko (University of Alberta), Vanessa Gladue, Adrian Earl Robinson (As It Is; AAWEAR, Edmonton)
Description: People who use drugs (PWUD) choose to partner with the health system in improving care delivery for a variety of reasons. When done meaningfully, this health system engagement provides mutual benefit to both communities and care teams. There may also be individual-level benefits, but also paradoxical experiences of harm; this is especially relevant for historically oppressed and equity-seeking groups. A recent community-partnered realist review was conducted by Prairie Node members exploring why, how, and under what circumstances
positive and negative health outcomes occur during health system engagement by PWUD.
The review found that healthy partnership can be transformative for PWUD, but it depends on social and structural support, clear role definition, cultural safety, and an anti-oppressive space that fosters personal development. Several recommendations were generated to guide partnership best practices, including fair compensation, clear role descriptions, psychological and cultural support, continuous learning, and meaningful input into key decisions. PWUD and non-PWUD members of the review team developed a PWUD-centered knowledge mobilization strategy for the review findings and recommendations, identifying the development of a best practice Toolkit as a key resource to maximize review impact. To date, the project core team has co-created a series of
visually oriented, plain language vignettes exploring five interrelated themes of 1) compensation, 2) trust and safety, 3) physical environment, 4) people and perceptions, and 5)
systems and processes.
The Supporting Healthy Partnerships with People Who Use Drugs Toolkit co-design phase is complete. We seek CRISM Prairie Node knowledge mobilization funds for the following three
activities: 1. Incorporate feedback from early testing–from both the earlier workshop, and from planned additional input from a small group of local prospective end users of the Toolkit
with less direct partnership experience; revise Toolkit 2. Launch the Toolkit on a responsive, interactive platform with a downloadable version and accompanying resources; and develop social media resources to help with the launch of the Toolkit to stakeholders, and professional network connections. 3. Implement a web-based evaluation of the Toolkit during the first year of its online launch, assessing the Toolkit’s impact on the knowledge and intended practice change of its audience.
