Research affiliations
- Research scientist, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)
- Adjunct scientist, Research Institute in Oncology and Hematology at CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB)
- George and Fay Yee Centre of Healthcare Innovation (CHI)/Knowledge Translation (KT) Platform
- Research affiliate, Manitoba Centre for Nursing and Health Research (MCNHR)
Research groups
- Women in Science initiative, University of Manitoba
- Qualitative Research Group, University of Manitoba
- Canadian Chapter of the International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care
- International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care (INTRAC)
- SPOR Evidence Alliance Research Network
- Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) Research and Evaluation Committee
Research summary
Dr. Roberta L. Woodgate’s research program, IN•GAUGE, embraces a dynamic approach to: involve children, youth, and families in the research process; interact with researchers and knowledge users in the research, intervention, and evaluation process; and be innovative in the use and exchange of knowledge with the combined goal of improving the health and well-being of children and youth. IN•GAUGE uses child and youth-friendly methodologies and innovative, art-based approaches that help children and youth express themselves thereby increasing understanding of their lived experiences.
Roberta’s program is infused by an approach to knowledge inquiry that is grassroots, embedded in the needs, experiences, and practices of children and youth experiencing health challenges and their families. Her program also works alongside health care providers, knowledge users, and decision makers to address their needs, barriers, and any gaps that exist. Roberta embraces a rights-based approach to research that recognizes that the voices of children and youth have in the past been silenced in research and in the decisions affecting their lives, including their health, and advocates for an approach that recognizes that children and youth are key actors in their own development, with the right to participate in decisions that affect them in accordance with their evolving capacities.
Roberta researches the perspectives and lived experiences of children and youth across a wide range of health conditions (e.g., mental illnesses, disabilities, complex care needs and conditions, chronic illnesses) and life challenges (e.g., transitioning from the child welfare system, accessing respite services) as well as various communities (e.g., Indigenous youth and their families and newcomer families).