2025 Catalyst Grant Projects
Integrating community perspectives into greenspace policies and planning in the City of Mississauga
Project Leads: Dr. Gillian Booth and Karen Gomez
Research shows that spending time in nature improves physical health, encourages activity, and supports overall well-being. In collaboration with the City of Mississauga, this project will generate insights to inform the development of policies and programs that could enhance park access for communities with high diabetes rates. The team will contribute evidence-based input and develop a toolkit of practical solutions that municipalities of all sizes can consider to help reduce disparities, strengthen community connections, and promote outdoor activity—particularly among marginalized and equity-deserving groups.
Staying active and connected: A healthy lifestyle group for Mississauga adults living with psychosis
Project Leads: Dr. Deborah Scharf and Dr. Alison Freeland
People who live with psychosis have two to three times higher rates of diabetes than the general population. Trillium Health Partners, who provide care to more than 500 adults with psychosis, run weekly programming to promote socialization, physical activity, and community engagement. This project will provide enhanced opportunities for participants to engage in physical activity, group-based meal planning, shopping and cooking in the Diabetes Care Centre kitchen at THP, and use City of Mississauga recreation facilities. Participants will receive financial help to purchase groceries and basic supplies and build connections to City and community programs to maintain new health behaviours after the group.
Evaluating community gardens as environmental health interventions in Mississauga
Project Leads: Britt McKee and Dr. Vasanti Malik
This project, in partnership with Ecosource, will look at how community gardening can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and improve health in priority neighbourhoods in Mississauga. Building on the success of Ecosource’s community garden program, it will assess how gardening combined with nutrition education can enhance diet quality, improve food access, and address other factors that reduce diabetes risk. This research study will fill gaps in the understanding of the role community gardens can play in overall population health and in type 2 diabetes prevention.
Food and culture as healing: An intergenerational community garden to address the burden and impacts of type 2 diabetes in Black low-income communities
Project Leads: Dr. Ibukun Abejirinde and Racquel Bremmer
Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem in Malton, especially for Black communities. Many people struggle to find healthy, culturally familiar foods, safe green spaces, and support to prevent diabetes. Building on research that shows that community gardens can improve health outcomes, this project will create a Black-led community garden where older adults (65+) and youth (15-29) can grow food, learn about nutrition, and interact socially to reduce loneliness and create community bonds. The findings will guide future programs and help expand diabetes prevention efforts in Mississauga.
South Asian healthy living project
Project Leads: Dr. Neil Tangri and Dr. Baiju Shah
This project is a partnership between Peel Public Health and Healthy Living MD. It aims to foster healthy behaviours among the South Asian population through faith-based settings. The project will help congregants make changes for their health with the goal of reducing diabetes and other chronic disease risk. Peel Public Health will work with leaders in faith-based settings to increase access to and information about healthy eating and physical activity. Healthy Living MD will lead a community health and screening event at these faith-based sites, including blood pressure and blood sugar testing.
Diabetes and dementia care of Mississauga’s immigrant communities
Project Leads: Dr. Lisa McCarthy, Dr. Ruben Hernandez Rodriguez, and Dr. Kainat Bashir
This project aims to develop a culturally-tailored program that supports older immigrants with dementia and diabetes to manage their health and social needs while waiting for long-term care admissions. Cognitive impairment is a common challenge for older adults with diabetes, which makes it harder for them to follow treatment plans without support. Older immigrants with these conditions can face cultural or language barriers to getting help. With a lack of long-term care beds available and a desire by many to age at home, a culturally-tailored program will help people live well in their communities as long as they can. Working with Partners Community Health, researchers will study community needs, co-design a program with the community and create a plan to evaluate the program’s effectiveness.
Community health outcomes improvement by computerized education seminars (CHOICES)
Project Leads: Chenai Kadungure, Dr. Mireille Norris, and Dr. Camille Clarke
The CHOICES project is aimed at improving diabetes prevention and treatment in the Black community of Peel Region through cost-effective, culturally-tailored nutrition education . This study will evaluate the level of nutrition literacy among a group of Black patients with type 2 diabetes at Mississauga Community Health Centres and then use this information to create and deliver a customized education program via Zoom for participants. The data collected from this study will provide valuable insights into how culturally-competent interventions can address disparities in diabetes outcomes, helping to shape health policies and primary care practices.