Health and Human Services

News Stories

Sandy Shultz

VIU Welcomes Award-winning Researcher and Neuroscientist

March 8, 2022

Dr. Sandy Shultz has received a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award to continue his research at VIU. Improving treatment for people with traumatic brain injuries is the focus of an award-winning researcher joining Vancouver Island University (VIU) this year. Dr. Sandy Shultz, an Adjunct Professor in the Health and Human Services faculty, is VIU’s first recipient of the... Read more


Kryskow, Manson, Dames

VIU Establishes New Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Program

February 9, 2022

The graduate certificate program is the first of its kind from an accredited university in Canada. As growing research continues to demonstrate that psychedelic-assisted therapies show promise for treating mental health conditions, a new program is set to launch in September 2022 at Vancouver Island University (VIU). The Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy program is a graduate-level certificate program... Read more


Grant funds prototype of resilience education video game.

Grant Funds Prototype of Resilience Education Video Game

January 14, 2021

VIU Professor Dr. Leigh Blaney receives $10,000 grant to develop Firefighter Edge, a video game that could help firefighters cope with stress and anxiety experienced on the job. Vancouver Island University (VIU) Health and Human Services (HHS) Professor Dr. Leigh Blaney is branching out into the world of video game development.  A BC SUPPORT Unit grant of $10,000 will help Blaney and her research... Read more


VIU Graduate Reaches Unreachable With Unique Program

January 25, 2018

  Horses help in healing old wounds No amount of talking or medication can heal some wounds. It’s when people discover this that they tend to find Anastasia Hirst and Equine Facilitated Wellness (EFW).     Hirst enrolled in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Child and Youth Care program so she could continue her work in EFW. When she graduated, she was already employed at Generation Farms,... Read more