The McGill Qualitative Health Research Group (MQHRG) was founded in January 2003 by a group of qualitative researchers from McGill University with the intention of providing an informal yet rigorous learning environment for Qualitative Health Researchers at McGill. We have grown to over 250 Listserv members from Canadian universities and hospitals, and have developed national and international affiliations with researchers from Brazil, Colombia, Belgium, Norway and the International Institute for Qualitative Inquiry.
In 2007, we organized McGill’s first qualitative health conference, Ensuring Quality in Qualitative Health Research. This event attracted researchers and students from over 20 disciplines. Following this initiative we were invited to present our work in a special issue of the International Journal of Qualitative Methods (2009; 8:2), which featured peer-reviewed papers from this conference.
In 2012, the MQHRG Graduate students were invited to form an organizing committee to contribute to the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology (IIQM’s) 18th Qualitative Health Research Conference (October 2012) in Montreal. Their hard work turned into a Graduate Student Reception sponsored by McGill’s Faculty of Dentistry: “Becoming a Qualitative Health Researcher: Navigating the Way Forward” featuring presentations by three MQHRG faculty members (Matthew Hunt, Franco Carnevale, and Mary Ellen Macdonald). Several other MQHRG members also took part in various symposia at this well-attended conference.
We have come a long way! MQHRG often appears in the top five hits on Google using the keywords: qualitative + health + research.
We are always looking for new members to keep our group diverse and dynamic.
To join our group and our LISTSERV, crystal.noronha [at] mcgill.ca (drop us a line)carolina.pineda [at] mail.mcgill.ca (!)
Check us out on Twitter: Follow @mqhrg
Mary Ellen Macdonald
Associate Professor
mary.macdonald [at] mcgill.ca
@mqhrg
@MaryEllenMacdo8