New Knowledge Mobilization Projects Funded in Saskatchewan: 2026-27 Mobilize Call 1 Results

Mobility assessments help identify issues with walking and are important in guiding rehabilitation interventions, especially among children and youth. Saskatchewan does not have a program for standard walking assessments, and families must travel out of province to access this service. To address this gap, a provincial working group was established in 2024, bringing together physicians, physiotherapists, administrators, patient-partners, and researchers.

As part of an ongoing needs assessment, the proposed structured World Café will serve as a culminating engagement event to identify priorities, barriers, and recommendations to support a sustainable and equitable pathway of care in Saskatchewan. This work will involve co-developing accessible, audience-specific knowledge translation products and dissemination pathways with families and clinicians. The project aims to help children receive the right care and assessment at the right time, improve rehabilitation outcomes for walking function, and empower families.

This project will focus on developing a module-based train-the-trainer course and accompanying resources with, by, and for Peer Health Educators at the Student Wellness Centre at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) so they are equipped to share evidence-based information about reproductive and sexual rights and health services in ways that are accessible and relevant to students.

Recognizing that Eurocentric, heterosexist, and ableist biases are often embedded within sexual health education, we will attend to how to share information and resources in ways that are anti-colonial and equity-oriented. We will also explore potential expansion of this training within USask, as well as to other post-secondary institutions and health and social services. It is our aim to utilize these knowledge mobilization activities as a catalyst to grow reproductive and sexual rights and health education across Saskatchewan, which will contribute to improved reproductive and sexual health among people in Saskatchewan.

Alcohol and cannabis are often used together by young people in Saskatchewan, yet most health resources address each substance separately and use adult-produced, clinical language that youth find disconnected from their lives. This project brings together a group of ten young people aged 18–24, from both urban and rural Saskatchewan, to create digital content that speaks directly to their peers about co-use in an honest, stigma-free way.

Drawing on real stories from youth who participated in prior research, the group will co-design short videos, infographics, and other digital materials in formats they choose. These materials will be shared through social media, schools, and community organizations across the province. By putting youth in the driver's seat, as storytellers, designers, and peer educators, this project ensures that health information about co-use reflects the voices and experiences of the very people it is meant to reach.

This project aims to improve how children with head injuries are assessed and treated in emergency departments across Saskatchewan. Although most pediatric head injuries are mild, it can be difficult for clinicians to identify the small number of children who need urgent care. While strong evidence-based guidelines exist, they are not always used consistently in everyday practice.

To address this gap, the project will develop easy-to-use clinical tools, including the development and implementation of an evidence-based clinical pathway and a “head trauma box” with quick reference guides and patient education materials. These tools will be introduced through training and simulation exercises to support healthcare providers in real-world settings. The project will also evaluate how these tools affect clinician confidence and practice. In partnership with the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute, findings will be shared with both healthcare providers and the community to support head injury prevention, including promoting helmet use and improving outcomes for children.

Long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP) may be a highly effective, acceptable HIV prevention option for people who use drugs. New HIV cases have been 2-3x the national average in Saskatchewan for over 15 years, with most new HIV infections among people who use drugs. However, awareness of and access to PrEP is low in Regina, Saskatchewan.

We are a community-based research partnership for HIV prevention in Regina. We have been offering PrEP education to people who use drugs through a SHRF-funded implementation study. Our participants, all people who use drugs and >90% Indigenous, have increased their knowledge of PrEP but have difficulties accessing PrEP in Regina. We will mobilize knowledge to enhance awareness of and access to PrEP (particularly LAI-PrEP) for people who use drugs in Regina. We will do so by working in a respectful, culturally safe manner with Indigenous Peoples to conduct educational outreach to Regina clinics that could enhance their offerings of PrEP and convening a PrEP Forum in Regina.

People-centred care is recognized in Canadian research as a key concept for advancing high-quality, evidence-based health systems. It emphasizes holistic, collaborative care that embeds individual, family, and community perspectives into care. People-centred care is associated with improved outcomes, experiences, system efficiency, and provider engagement. The Saskatchewan Health Authority is strengthening its commitment to people-centred care, building on its patient and family-centred care philosophy and the leadership of its Patient & Family Leadership Council. Established in 2019, Patient & Family Leadership Council brings patient partners and senior leaders together to influence system-level decision making and drive provincial priorities.

Patient & Family Leadership Council is hosting “Travelling Together – Embracing People-Centred Care,” a knowledge mobilization symposium designed to foster connection, co-creation, and system change across five people-centred care streams. The initiative will engage diverse partners and translate evidence into actionable strategies. Post-symposium sustainment and spread activities will support implementation, ensuring lasting impact on people-centred care practices and outcomes across Saskatchewan.