Karen Riddell (BScN 1989) always knew she wanted to help people. With 35 years of health-care experience spanning regions and roles, from frontline nursing to senior leadership, she has been able to do just that.

Riddell, who is now serving as the acting president and CEO and chief nursing executive at Windsor Regional Hospital, said she considered several careers, including dental hygiene, marine biology, and veterinary medicine, before choosing to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother and pursue nursing.

“One of the things that I liked about nursing was you could have a lot of career opportunities, and it didn’t lock you into one geographic area or one particular job,” she said. “There were a lot of different things that you could do throughout your career.”

After graduating from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Riddell worked as a nurse in Michigan before moving to northern Ontario and then British Columbia, where she gained her first administrative experience in health care.

“When I first graduated, I had no interest in becoming an administrator or a manager. I really loved bedside nursing,” she said. “But while I was on the west coast, I was working on a brand-new unit and a lot of the staff were very junior. By that point, I had only been working for about five years myself, but I saw some gaps and supports that were available.”

She worked on developing educational resources for staff over a few months, and from there Riddell moved into the position of clinical educator and resource nurse for the hospital where she was working.

She moved back to Windsor, where she returned to work as a frontline nurse before advancing into management at Windsor Regional. She held the roles of chief nursing executive and vice-president before taking on her current position as acting president and CEO.

Riddell is the first woman and nurse to hold the top job at the hospital.

“I think it’s a really neat thing that there are more and more women becoming CEOs,” she shared. “When you look at health care in general, about 90 per cent of the workforce is female, but a much smaller percentage in leadership is female, so it’s nice to see that balancing more. I believe now more than 50 per cent of the CEOs in Ontario are women, which is a great thing from an equity and nursing perspective.”

She added, “Having someone with a health care background in leadership brings a unique perspective to the role.”

With experience at various hospitals and in different roles, Riddell said she values the insights she has gained from working with other practitioners. From a management perspective, she always considers what is important to frontline workers and patients, and how each decision will impact them.

“We always strive to do the best that we can. Of course, there are constraints in our system, but we do the best we can with the resources that we have. It is a huge challenge, and I think understanding how we can work better with our frontline because really, they’re the key to delivering the best care possible,” she said.

One of the biggest takeaways from her extensive career, Riddell said, is to “never say never” and to embrace new challenges.

“I feel very lucky in my chosen career. I’ve worked with amazing people and continue to work with amazing people in my career, and I couldn’t recommend a better profession, whether it’s nursing, specifically, or just health care in general,” Riddell noted. “It’s incredibly hard, but it’s incredibly rewarding.”

Alumni Week opens today with the Black Alumni Weekend and continue Saturday with the Lancer football game and tailgate party. Find a full schedule of Alumni Week activities.

UWindsor researchers have been awarded close to $500,000 for seven projects that will advance understanding of workplaces, addiction services, psychology, the consumer aspects surrounding female fertility, education, and film and theatre.

Social work professor Adrian Guta, history professor Steven Palmer, and School of Dramatic Art professor Michelle MacArthur have been awarded Insight Grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Education professor Naved Bakali, business professors Yanhong Li and Hajar Fatemi, and psychology professor Alexander Daros have been awarded SSHRC Insight Development grants. These grants range in value from nearly $52,000 to $92,000.

Insight Development grants differ from Insight Grants in that they support research in its early stages. Insight grants are intended to allow academics to expand their research, deepening understanding of societal challenges.

The funding to UWindsor researchers was part of more than $123 million in Insight and Insight Development grants recently announced by the federal government.

“Today, we celebrate the remarkable researchers, students and institutions set to benefit from this vital funding,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry. “The government of Canada will continue to empower them by providing the resources and opportunities to advance their groundbreaking work. By investing in their growth and development, we are reinforcing Canada’s leadership in global research and innovation and paving the way for a more prosperous and sustainable future for everyone.”

Shanthi Johnson, UWindsor vice-president, research and innovation, said SSHRC funding is crucial to expanding understanding of Canadian society and the world. In addition to the solid and committed work of our researchers, Dr. Johnson recognized SSHRC coordinator Natasha Wiebe from the research and innovation team who worked alongside each of these researchers to put forward the best application to enhance their chances of success.

“The UWindsor projects being funded through SSHRC’s Insight and Insight Development programs are indicative of the diversity of research, innovation, and creative activity being undertaken at our institution,” Johnson said. “We are truly grateful to the federal government for supporting this important work through SSHRC.”

Dr. Guta will study the surveillance of people who use drugs and how the data collected from and about them may pose a barrier to accessing healthcare and harm reduction services. His team of researchers will study the key issues and trends in surveillance and interview harm reduction stakeholders about their views on these trends. They will also interview people who use drugs about their lived experience of being surveilled.

Dr. Palmer’s project involves analysis of art with medical themes. He will focus on Miracles of Modern Medicine, a multi-media production that left audience members passed out in their seats at Expo ’67 where it was screened. The production was the first instance of a live birth being shown to a public audience on a large screen and in colour. Palmer will produce not only a film on the historic documentary, but articles and a book.

Dr. MacArthur’s project will focus on the changing landscape of theatre criticism in light of declining arts coverage in mainstream media, the rise of digital technologies, and advocacy efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion within the theatre industry. She will analyze how artists and audiences engage with theatre criticism and how they might be mobilized to re-imagine more sustainable and equitable models of criticism.

Dr. Bakali’s project will analyze how prepared pre-service teachers are to work with Muslim students from kindergarten to Grade 12. His team will look at how teacher training programs prepare or do not prepare students, how issues of race and racism are addressed in these programs, and what training is or is not provided to understand the lived realities of Muslim students.

Dr. Li’s project will focus on factors that encourage or discourage, facilitate or hinder employees from engaging in morally courageous behaviours such as speaking up about unethical behaviour in the workplace when they see it. The research will provide insights for organizations and managers to cultivate moral courage in their employees.

Dr. Fatemi’s project will be one of the first to explore consumer psychology and female age-related infertility. After conducting consumer surveys and experimental studies, her research will provide solutions for improving the status of information communication about age-related female fertility preservation solutions available to women in Ontario.

All seven projects will involve teams that include undergraduate and graduate students, training the next generation of scholars and researchers.

Competing in the Canadian International Rover Challenge was a defining moment for members of the UWindsor Mars Rover team, says mechanical engineering student Rajan Singh.

The competition pits teams against each other in a test of the skills in designing, building, and operating a vehicle in a simulation of tasks for an early colony on an extraterrestrial planet. The UWindsor team “Black Widow” drove to finish first in Ontario, second in Roverolymica, third in Canada and sixth among 26 teams in the international competition.

“We faced relentless challenges that tested not just our technical skills but our resilience as a team,” says Singh. “Our success is a testament to the unwavering support from our supervisors and sponsors, who empowered us to push beyond our limits. Achieving our goals as a first-year team at the University of Windsor makes this accomplishment even more special.”

His teammate Soham Patel adds appreciation for help from professors: “The guidance and support provided by the faculty were crucial for our success and our ability to overcome all the hurdles we faced.”

Dean Bill Van Heyst says the Faculty of Engineering is proud of what the 12-pereson team has been able to accomplish over the past eight months.

“Their achievement in the Rover Challenge is a testament to their dedication and their technical abilities,” he says.

And team member Meet Joshi concludes that other schools have been served notice: “We’ve successfully achieved our goal of establishing the University as a competitive force in the competition.”

Blending research and art, Carlo Charles draws on his Haitian upbringing to explore the intersection of international migration, race, gender, and sexuality.

The assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology pursued his studies in Venezuela, France, and Canada, earning dual PhDs in sociology and geography. Dr. Charles has worked with influential research centres and served as a public policy advisor, contributing to discussions on Haiti’s crises and immigrant communities.

His current book project examines how queer men in Haiti form transnational relationships with Haitian queer immigrants and the impact on Haiti. His work as a playwright also brings research-based insights to wider audiences through creative writing.

DailyNews will showcase the contributions and insights of members of the Black Scholars Institute leading up to its official launch on Sept. 26 and connected with Charles to discuss his research goals and experiences.

Q: Tell us about your research interests and what projects you’d like to pursue at UWindsor.

A: I am a sociologist, playwright, and public policy advisor. My research program examines how international migration, capitalism, race, ethnicity, gender, sexualities, and transnational space intersect to impact the lived experiences and outcomes of migrants and non-migrants in the Caribbean, the Americas, and Europe from an intersectional and decolonial perspective.

Specifically, I study: (1) how international migration from the Caribbean creates socio-economic inequality between those who migrate to wealthier countries and those who remain in their homeland; (2) how race, ethnicity, gender, and sexualities intersect to affect cross-border relationships between migrants and non-migrants in the Caribbean; and (3) how transnational social space shapes political relationships between Caribbean migrants and non-migrants over time.

For my current book project, I use qualitative mixed-method approaches and theoretical frameworks from various disciplines to examine how queer men in Haiti form and sustain transnational relationships with Haitian queer immigrants in Canada, the United States, France, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, and the impacts of these relationships on Haiti. Visit my departmental website for more information about my research.

As a playwright, I use creative writing to share knowledge with audiences outside academia. In 2022, I co-authored the play Kap O Mond! with Alice Carré. It opened in Paris at l'Échangeur Theatre and has since been produced in various theatres across France. Kap O Mond! addresses contemporary Haitian migration issues in France and French humanitarianism in Haiti. I use my background in sociology and geography to show how global issues, such as colonialism, global capitalism, and the North-South divide, affect everyday decisions in both the Global North and South. In 2022, I also co-developed the script for the film documentary Pigs to the Slaughter with Mark Osmond, analyzing how race, ethnicity, sexuality, socio-economic status, and online technology intersect to shape the latest cryptocurrency romance scams. This fall, I am launching my first manga on homosexuality in Haiti.

Q: Can you share a bit about your academic journey and what inspired you to pursue a career in sociology?

A: My academic journey began with my family in Haiti, where I grew up. My parents emphasized the value of education in changing one's life. In Haiti’s context of socioeconomic precarity and political instability, education is seen as a means to achieve upward social and economic mobility. Their sacrifices to provide my siblings and me with the best education possible motivated me to move to Venezuela, France, and Canada for higher education after completing high school in Haiti.

In Venezuela, I started studying medicine and psychology but switched majors to complete a teaching certificate and become a full-time French teacher at l’Alliance Française de Caracas. After President Hugo Chávez’s death and amid a severe humanitarian crisis, I moved to France to complete two bachelor’s degrees in sociology and psychology at the Université Lumière Lyon II. While there, I worked on multiple projects as a research assistant in France, the U.K., and India.

In my final year of undergrad, I joined the Africa-France Solidaires NGO for its EU-funded mission of international solidarity and development in Cameroon, which significantly influenced my decision to pursue graduate studies. I won the Explo’Ra Sup Grant at Université Lumière Lyon II to complete my master’s degree in sociology as an exchange student at York University in Toronto. At York, I also completed a graduate diploma in migration and refugee studies, which motivated me to pursue dual PhDs at McMaster University and CNRS-Université des Antilles. Under the supervision of leading migration scholars Dr. Vic Satzewich (McMaster University) and Dr. Cédric Audebert (CNRS), I completed PhDs in sociology and geography and received several awards, including the SSHRC-Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship, France-Canada Research Fund, Outstanding Graduating Sociology Student Award by the Canadian Sociological Association, and the CNRS Foundation Prize for Best PhD Thesis at Université des Antilles.

This journey led me to my position as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Windsor last year. Here, I have found an incredibly supportive group of colleagues and staff. I am excited to draw on my Canadian and international experience to teach and mentor students while collaborating with colleagues.

Q: What led you to become a part of the University of Windsor’s Black Scholars Institute?

A: I joined the Black Scholars Institute to contribute to research, teaching, and community-building among Black faculty, students, and staff. As a collaborative researcher, I believe better research emerges when scholars integrate diverse theoretical perspectives and methods. I have collaborated with researchers in Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Latin America. As a graduate student, I was involved with influential research centres such as York University's Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean, Centre for Refugee Studies, the Harriett Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diaspora, the University of Toronto’s Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexuality Studies, France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, French Collaborative Institute on Migrations, and Université des Antilles’ Social Science Research Laboratory. I have also held visiting scholar positions at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor and Concordia University’s Digital Intimacy, Gender, and Sexuality Lab. I joined the Black Scholars Institute to leverage my research experiences and fluency in five languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole) to advance the institute’s goals and mission.

Q: Could you explain the significance of your work and research interests?

A: My research is among the first in the social sciences and humanities to empirically demonstrate how sexuality shapes intimate transnational relationships among queer migrants and non-migrants. My research contributes in two ways. First, it shifts the focus from queer immigrants’ experiences in host societies to the perspectives of queer non-migrants — those who remain in their homeland. This shift enhances our understanding of how queer non-migrants perceive immigrants and diasporic communities and why they engage in transnational relationships with migrants.

Second, it centres on the lived experiences of Black queer participants in the Caribbean to examine how race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic inequality intersect to shape their intimate transnational relationships with queer immigrants in various countries. By focusing on non-migrants, my ethnographic research sheds light on how homosexuality influences the flow of remittances from rich to poor nations, examining how Black gay migrants’ remittances create an underground queer community, culture, and economy connecting queer men in Haiti with those across the Haitian diaspora.

Q: What do you believe are some of the most pressing challenges in your field today?

A:

a. Anti-immigrant sentiment and politics: Recent years have seen a resurgence of anti-immigrant sentiment through reactionary politics in Europe and the Americas, often targeting non-White migrants. These politics challenge the fundamental right of people of colour to move across borders in pursuit of better lives. Meanwhile, elite migrants with powerful passports and resources can easily move capital across borders. This contrast highlights the need to examine how anti-immigrant sentiment affects marginalized populations.

b. Growing socioeconomic inequalities: Socioeconomic disparities between those who can migrate and those who cannot contribute to marginalization and exclusion. More research is needed to find solutions to reduce these inequalities.

c. Climate change and conflicts: Climate change and wars have intensified displacement across borders, creating significant challenges for individuals, families, governments, and diasporic communities. Solutions are needed to address the growing migration resulting from these factors.

d. Homophobia: Homophobia continues to impact the migration and integration of LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide. Further research is needed to understand how homophobia pushes people out of their families, communities, and countries, and to explore ways to address this issue.

Q: In what ways do you hope your research and work will influence policy?

A: As a researcher of social issues, I am committed to transformative research that directly contributes to policy and practice. My experience as a public policy advisor includes serving on the Toronto City Council’s Francophone Affairs Advisory Committee for four years. Recently, I have used my ethnographic research in Haiti to advise governments on solutions to Haiti’s political, humanitarian, and criminal gang crises. My public policy work has included publishing op-eds and giving interviews to mainstream media such as The Conversation, Policy Options, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, CBC News, The National Post, Radio France Internationale, BFM-TV, and M6, among others. I hope my forthcoming book on Haitian queer transnational relationships and my art projects will influence how ordinary citizens and policymakers understand and address queer migration and its implications.

Faculty of Law assistant professor Daniel Del Gobbo has been selected as the recipient of the 2024-25 Ontario Bar Association Foundation Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowship in Research.

Professor Del Gobbo’s research project, “Towards a Restorative Approach to Legal Ethics in Canada,” explores the possibility of re-orienting legal ethics around restorative justice principles as the foundation of a more public interest-minded approach to the lawyer’s role in Canadian society.

Del Gobbo considers whether restorative justice can offer more than just an alternative path for lawyers in criminal law settings, but instead support a new approach to legal ethics within communities and across systems that can raise the moral consciousness of lawyers, facilitate collaboration, promote social justice, and redefine the role of lawyers as change agents.

His paper “Legal Ethics and the Promotion of Substantive Equality,” published in the Canadian Bar Review, received the 2023 Scholarly Paper Award from the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, the 2022 Best Paper Award from the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics, and the 2021-22 OBA Foundation Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowship in Legal Ethics and Professionalism Studies.

A Windsor family was so inspired by an Alzheimer’s disease research project, they donated $30,000 to a UWindsor lab.

In memory of Omkarnath Dhar, who lost his battle to Alzheimer’s disease in 2013, the Dhar family attended the Alzheimer’s Society of Windsor and Essex Research Day in April 2024. There they saw chemistry and biochemistry’s Siyaram Pandey give a talk about his Alzheimer’s disease research.

This talk spurred the family to donate. Dhar’s wife, Raj Dulari Dhar, says she just wants to help people. Her son, Anil Dhar, adds that the family wanted to support Dr. Pandey.

“We wanted to find some meaningful way to honour my father, and I think this is a great project ­— it is so promising,” says Anil Dhar.

The research project explores feeding mice natural extracts to slow down the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Based in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, it also involved Pandey’s long-time collaborator, psychology professor Jerome Cohen, who passed away in the spring. Dr. Cohen observed the behaviour of the mice.

“We were finding out if our treatment can halt the progression of the disease,” says Pandey.

Pandey held a memorial for Omkarnath Dhar on Aug. 30. Three generations of Dhar family members gathered on campus for a cheque presentation and lab tour.

“This is very heart-touching generosity to have the family donate funds to support our doctoral student as well our research project,” says Pandey.

Joining the Ontario network of the EnerTech Advanced Mobility Ecosystem will provide great opportunities for researchers and students to explore impact-driven research and collaborations, says Tom Schnekenburger, UWindsor director of research partnerships.

“The University of Windsor is thrilled to be a part of the EAME program and work with some of the electric vehicle and mobility industries’ top innovators in developing future technologies,” he said in a release Thursday announcing the partnership.

The EnerTech Advanced Mobility Ecosystem aims to share ideas related to innovation, identify business opportunities, and explore potential partnerships. The release highlights the University’s research strengths in electric vehicles, batteries and other energy storage, energy transition, digital technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics, advanced manufacturing, smart mobility, and shared mobility.

“We are excited to have University of Windsor join our expanding ecosystem across North America,” says Wally Hunter, managing partner at EnerTech Capital. “The University’s strong focus on mechanical, automotive, and materials engineering as well as its Centre for Automotive Research and Education will provide EnerTech valuable insight and access to world-class researchers and partnership opportunities.”

EnerTech Capital is a venture capital firm that has been investing and partnering with innovators since 1996, empowering entrepreneurs to build transformative technology companies.

The City of Windsor will transform eight kilometres of roadway into a vibrant, car-free space for the Open Streets festival on Sunday, Sept. 22. The closure of roadways to vehicular traffic allows people to use them for a host of healthy and fun physical activities like walking, cycling, yoga, dancing, and fitness.

The route starts on Erie Street and proceeds east to the Riverside neighbourhood along Ottawa Street, Walker Road, Richmond Street, Drouillard Road, and Wyandotte Street to St. Rose Avenue.

Activity hubs along the way promote community, local businesses, and organizations. The University will have a presence in Ford City, about the middle of the route, nestled between the shops and restaurants on Drouillard Road.

“Whether you’re walking, cycling, or scootering, be sure to stop and visit our booth,” says organizer Mona Sleiman, manager of outreach, events, and protocol in the Office of the President. “We’ll have activities, games, and prizes for everyone — while supplies last.”

Visitors will have a chance to take a photograph with the giant UWin letters. Grads who stop by to update their contact information for the alumni association will be entered into a draw for a prize package.

The event runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find more details, including a map to the action, on the Open Streets website.