As we celebrate our 2026 social work graduates, we’d also like to recognize and celebrate Rebecca Hargreaves, who successfully completed her Master of Social Work thesis this past Spring.
Although Rebecca was unable to attend convocation and has returned to Australia after nine years in Vancouver, we would like to commemorate this achievement as very few MSW students undertake a MSW thesis.
You can read Rebecca’s published MSW Thesis here:
Exploration of Cultural Humility in Social Work Practice Among Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Primary Health Care Teams
Please join us in congratulating Rebecca on this significant achievement!
A few words from Rebecca:
Rebecca in front of the newly reopened Jack Bell Building
I would like to acknowledge the support of Dr. Barbara Lee as my supervisor. She enabled this research in many ways, supported my growth, and directed the scholarly process. Dr. Jac Nobiss and Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim were part of the academic committee and scholarly review. Their support, constructive reviews, and challenges were fundamental in bringing the final thesis forward. The thesis work was also supported by a data analysis consultant, Kayla Kenney (PhD Candidate). Data collection and community engagement were supported by research assistant Ruth Pedersen (MSW Student). In addition, members of the Vancouver Coastal Health advisory group (Samantha Parenteau, Kaillie Kangro, Sandra Fox, and Dr. Andreas Pilarinos) were consulted on the research questions, focus, purpose, and related considerations.Support and advisory consultation from this network contributed to the relevance of the research.
From left to right: Dr. Jac Nobiss, Kayla Kenney, Rebecca Hargreaves, Dr. Barbara Lee
I believe this research is important because it uses rigorous scholarly inquiry to examine how cultural humility is integrated into social work practice in a Canadian setting where communities continue to experience significant social inequities and vulnerability. It was certainly a privilege to undertake this research and work with others. I hope the research can contribute to further development of social work services in Primary Care, Downtown Eastside.
Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
