The SHAWNA Project was established in direct response to the growing concern by positive women’s community, public health, legal and human rights experts, policymakers, and service providers about gaps in women’s sexual and reproductive health and HIV care in BC and across Canada.
The SHAWNA Project is driven by a team of researchers, community partners, legal experts, and community experts. Our work is shaped and informed by the invaluable feedback from SHAWNA’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) and the Positive Women’s Advisory Board (PWAB). These boards play a critical role in guiding our efforts, ensuring that our approach remains rooted in the needs and voices of the communities we serve.
Centering Women’s Voices
SHAWNA focuses on cis and trans women (14+) who live and/or access services in Metro Vancouver. As a longitudinal study, SHAWNA also recognizes gender fluidity over time; about 2% of SHAWNA have non-binary/genderqueer gender identities and 13% of Indigenous community experts report Two-Spirit as their sexual and/or gender identities throughout the study period. See some of the characteristics of SHAWNA’s community experts here.
As a community-based research project, we are committed to MEPA/GIPA principles of meaningful engagement and greater involvement of women living with HIV. Women with lived experience have played a key role since the project’s inception, serving as outreach workers, community interviewers, research associates, and co-authors. SHAWNA established a Positive Women’s Advisory Board (PWAB) in 2015, where community experts (participants) can share their expertise to help shape our research processes and community engagement activities.
Research Objectives
Our study aims to understand barriers and facilitators to health care services among women living with HIV, with a focus on safety, choice and agency; reducing stigma and other harms.
The SHAWNA Project investigates and places priority on several additional themes that have been identified as priorities among our participants and stakeholders, including but not limited to:
- Criminalization of HIV non-disclosure and incarceration
- Peer support and community engagement
- Food, housing, economic and employment security
- Sexual and reproductive health
- HIV stigma, discrimination and violence
- Cultural safety, cultural responsiveness, and cultural appropriateness in health services
Why is SHAWNA unique?
Our commitment to creating a supportive, responsive, and reciprocal research environment made the SHAWNA Project unique. As part of this commitment, we provided resources including access to our Community Research Hub, limited no-cost food support, outreach, education, and referrals. Located in the Downtown Eastside, our Hub offered a welcoming space where women and gender-diverse people living with HIV could connect with our team and each other, access referrals, harm reduction supplies, clothing donations, snacks, and menstrual supplies, and participate in meaningful discussions. Our long-term study allowed us to adapt to the evolving needs of our participants, building trust and fostering community connections.
Since the data collection stage of the research project has ended, we have discontinued most of the above offerings as we have far fewer people visiting our Community Research Hub. However, our monthly drop-in group is ongoing and continues to offer opportunities for social support, creativity, and self-care, helping to bridge the gap between research and community care.
Picture 1: View of the mural near the entrance to the Community Research Hub space.
Picture 2: View of the waiting area in Community Research Hub space where drop-in participants can enjoy a coffee, and access harm reduction supplies and other resources.
Picture 3: View of a SHAWNA interview room. The room was always stocked with snacks, colouring supplies, and fidget toys for folks to enjoy during their visit!