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Alberta Family Wellness Initiative

Academic Research and Projects

What We Do > Academic Research and Projects

Academic Research and Projects

The Palix Foundation has supported a range of initiatives that advance understanding and action in early brain and biological development, mental health, and addiction. This support has included funding for research programs, academic positions, and other efforts at post-secondary institutions across North America, fostering knowledge generation and translation in these areas. 

The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) welcomes partnerships in the form of internships and the integration of its resources into higher education settings.

CURrent research and projects

University of Oxford

The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative has been partnering with a University of Oxford research team since 2020. This collaboration, known as the Oxford Brain Story, has expanded the reach and impact of the Brain Story into the United Kingdom.

The research group focuses on elucidating the key mechanisms underpinning child development including the intergenerational transmission of difficulties in the context of adversity and works to share knowledge about the Brain Story science with families and professionals. Read the latest report from the Oxford Brain Story here.

HERO-Can

The Palix Foundation has supported the Health’s Early Roots and Origin Study (HERO) study in Canada, led by McGill University. The study is being conducted in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. 

This study aims to identify specific biological markers that can help understand how children respond to stress and build resilience. Learn more about the HERO-Can Study.

previous research and projects

The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) has provided financial support to programs at several universities across North America. AFWI has supported:

  • University of Calgary - Several research projects aimed at improving early brain development and health outcomes have been completed at the institution with support including:

    • 2022-2024: The ACEs Hub is a multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to improving the understanding, prevention, and mitigation of the long-term impacts of childhood adversity through the consolidation of global data. It brings together researchers, clinicians, educators, and community partners to address the complex effects of early trauma on health, development, and social outcomes with the aim of guiding clinical practice and shaping policies to improve the outcomes of individuals affected by ACEs.

    • 2018-2019: Frontline Service Providers and Child Sexual Abuse Imagery Online (CSAIO): North Alberta - This research developed an understanding of knowledge, capacity, and confidence of frontline service providers regarding CSAIO. Learn more about the study here.

    • 2017-2019: The ATTACH™ parenting intervention was demonstrated through randomized controlled trials to improve children’s secure attachment to their parents, brain development and mental health, as well as positively influence the expression of genes related to inflammation for both mothers and children, especially for those affected by early life adversity. 

    • 2012-2014: The Adverse Childhood Experiences in Alberta (ACEs-A) research program was designed to Increase capacity to identify and clinically manage adverse childhood experiences and their associated physical and mental health sequelae in primary care. Learn more about the study here. 

  • University of Alberta 

    • 2017-2019: Functional (Psychogenic) Neurologic Symptoms and ACEs - This study compared the prevalence of ACEs in a General Neurology Clinic versus patients with definite neurologic diagnoses, as a first step toward developing targeted interventions.

    • 2011-2012: Neuroscience Grant - Several research projects targeted at understanding the interplay among adverse childhood experiences, children's mental health, epigenetics and addiction, and developmental and behavioural neurosciences were funded through a gift to the institution

  • 2009-2019: The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University - This partnership supported the creation of the Working Papers that translate the science of early childhood and brain development into actionable insights for public decision-making, as well as supported the Frontiers of Innovation Research and Development Platform. Read examples of these AFWI-supported knowledge-translation papers here.

  • 2015-2019: Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation ABCD: Alberta Birth Common Dataset - This dataset combines the All Our Families and Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition cohorts. This dataset built on existing data and infrastructure to advance understanding of the risk factors for suboptimal child development, including emotional and behavior problems, learning problems, injury, obesity and chronic disease.

  • University of Lethbridge

    • 2007-2014 -  Several research projects were supported including demonstration of the neurobiological basis of ACEs, a knowledge-translation initiative to inform public policy and practice on how early experiences shape brain and behavioural development, and development of Building Brains Together program. 

  • 2012-2014: The Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) study at McGill University - This study investigated the relationship between genetics and the environment involved in maternal stress and aimed to identify more effective ways for at-risk mothers and babies to foster healthier lifestyle choices. Learn more about the study here. 

  • 2012: Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (Joint) Panel on Early Childhood Development - This expert panel examined how biological, social, and environmental factors in early childhood influence mental health in adolescence and adulthood. Their report, available here, concluded that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are strongly associated with a range of negative outcomes later in life. The panel emphasized that developmental stages are interconnected, with success in one phase shaping outcomes in subsequent phases

Chairs

The Palix Foundation has supported research chairs at post-secondary institutions to explore issues related to early brain and biological development, mental health, and addiction. While the terms of the Chair positions have concluded, their impact continues through the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative and other organizations across the province.

THE ALBERTA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION CHAIR IN PARENT-INFANT MENTAL HEALTH

Between 2011 and 2023, the Palix Foundation, Newall Foundation, and Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation supported a Chair in Parent-Infant Mental Health to establish a program of research in parenting and healthy child development at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Nursing. The program addressed family and childhood mental health, including healthy family environments, parental attachment, and issues such as family violence, maternal depression, and substance abuse, with a focus on generating, disseminating, and translating knowledge to inform interventions that support child and family health.

FULBRIGHT CANADA-PALIX FOUNDATION DISTINGUISHED VISITING RESEARCH CHAIRS

Between 2015 and 2017, the Palix Foundation partnered with Fulbright Canada to create and sustain a binational research program. Fulbright Canada is a not-for-profit organization that facilitates education exchange between Canada and the United States. The product of this partnership - the Fulbright Canada-Palix Foundation Distinguished Visiting Research Chairs program - brought distinguished U.S. scholars to Alberta. The program was designed to build capacity, open the lines of communication, and advance research in the areas of early childhood development, mental health, and addiction.

Through the program, exceptional American scholars and researchers spend a semester working in an area of targeted research at one of Alberta’s top-tier research universities: the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, or the University of Lethbridge. 

DR. LLOYD “CHIP” A. TAYLOR, PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, CITADEL, THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,

University of Calgary, 2016–2017

Dr. Taylor’s research, entitled “Knowledge and Resilience as Protective Factors for Bullying and Ostracism among Children and Adolescents with ADHD,” explored the risk and resilience factors that might ameliorate bullying and ostracism among children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

DR. JOHN P. ZIKER, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY, BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY

University of Lethbridge, 2016–2017

Dr. Ziker’s research project, “Childhood Trauma and Addiction and Mental Health Outcomes in the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth: Direct Epigenetic Effects or Behavioral Responses to Compromised Phenotypes,” explored how maternal conditions, traumatic social events, and childhood social relationships affect brain development particularly in outcomes related to addiction and depression. 

DIANA DOW-EDWARDS, PHD, PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY/PHARMACOLOGY, ANATOMY/CELL BIOLOGY AND NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER

University of Lethbridge, Fall 2015–2016 

Dr. Dow-Edwards worked on the effects of early stress and pre-pubertal cannabinoid administration on cellular morphology of the pre-frontal cortex of the rat. She examined whether or not these alterations could be normalized by enrichment or other potential therapeutic interventions.

W. WARREN H. BINFORD, JD, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LAW AND DIRECTOR OF THE CLINICAL LAW PROGRAM, WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW

University of Calgary, Fall 2015–2016

Professor Binford conducted research entitled “The Impact of Digitization on Child Trauma,” in which she studied the continued effects of child pornography on the victim. Her research was designed to support the advancement of brain research that can be used to support the development of laws, policies, and programs that will impede the continuing victimization of children in the digital age.

NICOLETTE TEUFEL-SHONE, PHD, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR, FAMILY AND CHILD HEALTH SECTION OF THE HEALTH PROMOTION SCIENCES DIVISION; AFFILIATED FACULTY MEMBER OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

University of Alberta, 2015–2016

Dr. Teufel-Shone conducted a research project entitled “Fostering Strategies to Build Indigenous Youth Resilience” to recognize and leverage community assets to develop action plans to foster indigenous youth resilience and health.

FRASER MUSTARD CHAIR IN CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

From 2005 to 2011, the Fraser Mustard Chair in Childhood Development played a leading role in the development of interdisciplinary programs to further research and practice in child development. 

Overhead Policy for Research Funding

Palix applies an overhead cap of 10% for all research funding. This limit ensures responsible stewardship of resources and aligns with our commitment to directing funds primarily toward research activities and outcomes.