Lindsey Boechler

Lindsey Boechler , MA

Research Manager

Biography

Lindsey Boechler , MA

Area of expertise:

Utilizations of virtual reality (VR) technology to support optimal mental health and well-being of Indigenous youth living in rural and remote communities.
Impacts of proactive mindful practices for public safety personnel (PSP)
Community-Based Participatory Action Research
Patient-Oriented Research

Related professional experience:

Research Manager with the Centre of Health Research, Innovation and Scholarship (CHRIS), Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Canada.
Practiced as an Advanced Care Paramedic in urban, rural, and northern settings for more than a decade prior to becoming an educator.
Obtained Master of Arts - Leadership from Royal Roads University in 2019 and currently a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan.
2022 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship recipient.
Received the 2022 Award of Excellence for Research and Innovation from the Paramedic Association of Canada (PAC) and 2023 and the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Applied Research Award of Excellence.
Current research, explore how virtual reality (VR) technology can be used to support the mental health and well-being of vulnerable populations.
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.
Current projects specifically explores how VR technology can be used to enhance the mental health and well-being of Indigenous youth living in rural and remote communities and investigates the value of virtual meditation as a preventative and proactive mental health and wellness tool for paramedics and police officers.

Selected publications, grants or research projects:

Boechler, L. (2023, May). Community wellness connections, invited oral presentation for the Council for Innovation and Commercialization Meeting, Conference Board of Canada, Manitoba, Canada.
Boechler, L. (2023, May). Community wellness connections for Indigenous youth across Canada, invited oral presentation for Polytechnics Canada conference, Alberta, Canada.
Boechler, L. (2023, April). The transformation of community wellness connections for Indigenous youth, invited virtual presentation for the Health Quality Council (HQC) QI Power Hour, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Boechler, L. & Herman, R. (2022, October). Sekwe’ha: A community-based research approach to virtual mental health supports for Indigenous youth, oral presentation for the 3rd Edition of Global Conference on Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health and Psychiatry, Florida, USA.
Boechler, L. & Herman, R. (2022, September). Sekwe’ha: Exploring the use of virtual reality technology to support the mental health of Indigenous youth, oral presentation for the National Summit on Indigenous Mental Wellness, Indigenous Services Canada, Ontario, Canada.
Boechler, L. (2022, May). Sekwe’ha: A community-based research approach to virtual mental health supports for Indigenous youth, virtual invited oral presentation for the Okanagan Research Innovation Partnership Expo, Okanagan College, British Columbia, Canada.
Boechler, L., Peirce, R., Holah, J., & Charlton, K. (2021, November). Where is the patient’s voice? Involving community engagement (patient and public) in EMS research, virtual invited panel presentation at the International Paramedic Research Conference 2021: Global Developments in Paramedic Research in partnership between London, UK, Sydney Australia, and New York, US.
Boechler, L. (2021, November). Addressing the Mental Health Support Needs of Indigenous Adolescents Residing in Rural and Remote Communities, virtual presentation as a Launchpad Finalist at the Alberta Health Services i4 conference, Alberta, Canada.
Publications: Boechler, L., Ford-Jones, P., Smith, C., Suthers, P., & Cameron, C. (2022). Challenges, changes, and implications of COVID-19: Canadian paramedics’ experiences. International Paramedic Practice, 12 (3). https://doi.org/10.12968/ippr.2022.12.3.45
Boechler, L., Renwick, S., Alabi, A., de la Torre, H., Kumar, S., Singh, H., Xavier, R., Hector, D., McTaggart, L., & Shrubsole, J. (2021). Beyond the role of participant: a firsthand account of the experiences of a patient-oriented research team. Research Involvement and Engagement. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-021-00323-9
Boechler, L., Cameron, C., Smith, J.C., Ford-Jones, P. & Suthers, P. (2021). Impactful approaches to leadership on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic: Lived experiences of Canadian paramedics. Healthcare Quarterly, 24(3), 42-47. https://doi.org/10.12927/hcq.2021.26620
Boechler, L., Hubbard Murdoch, N., & Nelson, H. (2020). Interprofessional reflections: Pandemic duty to care. Canadian Paramedicine, 44(2), 50-51. Retrieved from https://canadianparamedicine.ca/featured-edition/
Nelson, H., Boechler, L., & Hubbard Murdoch, N. (2020). Researching at high-speed: Recording the story of the COVID-19 experience. Antistatis, 10(3). Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/antistasis/article/view/31448/1882526675
Boechler, L., & Boechler, R. (2020, October). Policing in uncertain times: Lived experiences of Saskatchewan police officers during COVID-19. Blue Line: Canada's Law Enforcement Magazine, 16-19. Retrieved from https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=44080&i=674130&p=0
Grants and/or Research Projects: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Align funding, Pathways to safer communities: Co-creating a crisis preparedness framework for Indigenous communities, Principal Applicant, April 2023. Competitive funding: $10,000.00
Mobilize Capacity-Building Applied Research Project Funding (CBAR), Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Barriers to accessing children’s audiology services in northern Saskatchewan: A community-driven approach, Principal Applicant, January 2023. Competitive funding: $20,000.00
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Truth and Action funding, Connecting Communities: Sharing the potential of using virtual reality technology to support the mental health and wellness of Indigenous youth living in rural and remote Saskatchewan, Principal Applicant, February 2022. Competitive funding: $10,000.00
Seed Applied Research Program (SARP) grant, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Meditative Policing: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Value of Virtual Wellness Practices for Law Enforcement, Principal Applicant, July 2021. Competitive funding: $6,000.00
Seed Applied Research Program (SARP) grant, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Health matters for international students: (In)equities with online support during COVID-19, Co-Applicant, July 2021. Competitive funding: $6,000.00
College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Assessing the mental health support needs for Indigenous adolescents residing in rural and remote Sask: A mixed methods study exploring the potential of virtual reality technology, Principal Applicant, June 2021. Competitive funding: $360,000
School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences Internal Scholarship Grant, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Strategies for Poverty Reduction in Moose Jaw, Principal Applicant, June 2021. Competitive funding: $2,500.00
School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences Internal Scholarship Grant, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Health matters for international students: (In)equities with online support during COVID-19, Principal Applicant, June 2021. Competitive funding: $2,500.00.
School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences Internal Scholarship Grant, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, The ethical challenges for frontline health and law enforcement professionals during COVID-19: A secondary analysis, Co-applicant, June 2021.Competitive funding: $2,500.00.
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Research Innovation funding, Assessing the mental health support needs for Indigenous adolescents residing in northern Saskatchewan: A community based participatory action research study exploring the potential use of virtual reality technology to promote mental health and wellbeing, Principal Applicant, February 2021. Competitive funding: $50,000.00
Provost’s NSERC Research Fund, Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Exploring the use of virtual reality technology to promote mental health and well-being of Indigenous adolescents and young adults in rural and remote Saskatchewan, Principal Applicant, January 2021. Competitive funding: $8,000.00
School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences Internal Scholarship Grant, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Lived experiences of paramedics during the COVID-19 pandemic, Principal Applicant, July 2020. Competitive funding: $2,500.00
Seed Applied Research Program (SARP) grant, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Building meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities to promote equitable access to mental health services for Indigenous youth, Principal Applicant, June 2020. Competitive funding: $6,000.00
Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Research Connections COVID-19 Rapid Response funding, The experience of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan: The knowledge translation plan, Co-applicant, May 2020. Competitive funding: $10,000.00
Saskatchewan Centre for Patient Oriented Research (SCPOR) POR Academies Competition, Unifying for Health Equity: Revitalizing the Saskatchewan Health System through Patient Oriented Research, Principal Applicant, March 2020. Competitive funding: $3,000.00