Robert Chase, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Research summary

Dr. Chase’s early research area involved applied occupational and environmental health, and population mortality and morbidity survey research.

Since 2010, he has principally focused on Vidaview Life Story Board (LSB) as a practical tool designed for counsellors and therapists and for use by social and health researchers.  Research projects that used LSB as the mode of interview have led to several peer-reviewed publications and student dissertations.  

He provides LSB training and support with published studies of LSB used by high school counsellors with newcomer students, trauma counsellors in multicultural wellness programs, and community studies of persons with addictions.

Research themes

• visual methods in counselling

Research interests

• addictions
• counselling approaches
• immigration and displacement
• qualitative visual methods
• vulnerable communities

Robert Chase is an assistant professor in the College of Community and Global Health in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. He is occupational health physician at the MFL Occupational Health Centre in Winnipeg.

He teaches undergraduate medical education in immigrant refugee and global health and has supervised community health sciences graduate students.

He was part of the 1991 International Study Team in Iraq, that conducted an independent nation-wide multi-stage household survey that determined effects of the Persian Gulf War on infant and child mortality and evidence of war crimes (NEJM 1992; 327:931-936).

Subsequent project work out of McMaster University (1993-1996) on the health of children in war zones involved child mental health survey research in Sri Lanka. A second phase of the ‘health initiative as peace initiative’ model led to formation of an arts-based program called the Butterfly Peace Garden that has since provided ongoing programming in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. In the course of this work, Dr Chase devised a visual tactile interview tool, Vidaview Life Story Board, that was further refined in collaborative work with international humanitarian NGOs, and with mental health and counselling professionals in Canada.

Education