Vol. 1 No. 1.January (2022): University of Waterloo Journal of Undergraduate Health Research (JUHR)

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first issue of the brand-new University of Waterloo (UW) Journal of Undergraduate Health Research (JUHR)! Back in May 2021, we spoke to students across various faculties with an interest in health research and recognized a common challenge faced by the majority: the limited opportunities to publish research works as an undergraduate student. Unfortunately, there were few existing initiatives on campus for students to publish and share their health-related research works with a broader audience. As a result, JUHR was founded in May 2021 to provide an opportunity for UW undergraduate students to have their research works undergo an extensive peer-review process and eventually be published.

The inspiration for JUHR came from current undergraduate journals at nearby universities related to the fields of health and life sciences. We are incredibly grateful to the McMaster Sciential journal members who helped guide us in kick-starting JUHR.

In this Fall 2021 issue, we explore a range of health-related topics, from COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy to the opioid crisis. Arden Grace Fenton guides readers through a comprehensive evaluation of the Waterloo Region Police Service’s Community Resource Officer Program, while Vanessa Geitz presents a narrative analysis of the experience of older adults. Through a series of opinion pieces, Precious Nwaka, Zinnia Chung, Francis Fernandes, Mahmoud El Mabrouk, and Zahra Mohamed discuss highly relevant issues facing the healthcare system today, including COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, scientific misinformation, and genetic engineering. Aida Zaheer explores health disparities in the United States relating to maternal morbidity and preconception care. In total, seven articles are included in this issue, all authored and reviewed by students at UW.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the JUHR Editorial, Creative, and Administrative Teams for their exceptional contributions toward this journal issue. The Editorial Team led an exceptional peer-review process to maintain utmost research integrity, while the Creative Team effectively created a cohesive brand behind JUHR and beautifully designed this issue. A special thank you to Kimberly D’Mello (Creative Director), Megan Dol (Senior Editor), Takuya Shibayama (Senior Editor), and Fiona Thi (Secretary) for their outstanding leadership in guiding and supporting all team members to successfully execute the creation of this issue. Thank you as well to our faculty advisors, Drs. Diane Williams, Ellen MacEachen, & Craig Janes, along with Digital Repositories Librarian Jordan Hale and others from the UW Open Journals System team.

We encourage all undergraduate students at UW with an interest in the interdisciplinary field of health research to contribute to JUHR and share their work with students and faculty members alike. This issue only scratches the surface of what UW students have to offer, and we are excited to continue sharing student-authored research articles in many issues to come!

Sincerely,

Tara Behroozian and Shayanne Thomas

Co-Founders and Editors-in-Chief