McNally Project Senior Fellow Lindsey Boechler was awarded the 2022 Paramedic Association of Canada’s Award of Excellence for Research and Innovation for her work in health research in October of 2022. She is concurrently pursuing her PhD while serving as a Research Manager with Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Centre for Health Research, Innovation, and Scholarship. Lindsey is a 2022 recipient of the prestigious federally funded Vanier scholarship.
Lindsey’s research explores how virtual reality (VR) technology can be used to promote mental health and well-being. VR-based mental health supports offer an appealing, safe, non-judgmental, and innovative approach to accessing care and resources that may otherwise not be accessed by those in need. VR technology holds the potential to increase access to existing tools, reduce the sense of stigma, and meet individualized needs in a culturally responsive way.
Lindsey’s current research projects explore how VR technology can be used to enhance the mental health and well-being of Indigenous youth living in rural and remote communities and investigate the value of virtual meditation as a preventative and proactive mental health and wellness tool for paramedics and police officers.
Well done Lindsey! We are all very proud of you!