The Border Policy Research Institute welcomes international researchers to Western

The Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) is excited to welcome two international researchers to Western. The first, Post-Doctoral Researcher Andréanne Bissonnette, was hired as part of a binational research team focused on the equity of Canada – US border travel measures during the pandemic.

Bissonnette’s research focuses on access to reproductive health services in the US, with special interest in borderlands and cross-border access to care.

“I applied for the postdoctoral position at BPRI firstly because the research project focuses on health policies and borders, but also because of BPRI’s unique perspective as a research center focusing both on academic research and policy-oriented work,” said Bissonnette.

BPRI aims to promote research and public programming on critical policy issues affecting the Cascadia region, which aligns with Bissonnette’s goals.

“I aim to conduct research that can lead to recommendations and policy change,” said Bissonette.

BPRI’s second international Research Fellow, Salta Zhumatova, moved from her home country of Russia to Canada in 2010 to pursue her master's degree at the University of Toronto in an effort to learn more about the Western perspective of post-Soviet politics and history.

Zhumatova is BPRI's 2024 research fellow as well as a postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University.

Zhumatova will join Bissonnette on the BPRI's border-equity project, which ultimately aims to develop tools that inform policymaking, and that minimize inequities across social, economic, and public health outcomes in multiple global contexts.

In their continued efforts to strengthen international partnerships, BPRI is also thrilled to announce the call for the next Visiting Cross-Border Research Fellowship. This joint appointment between Western and the 21st Century Borders SSHRC Research Program at the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cross-border, policy-relevant research in the Cascadia border region and beyond.

This year, BPRI especially welcomes research projects that address transboundary governance/management of climate-induced environmental challenges at the regional scale.

The visiting fellowship is a unique opportunity as it encourages applicants from around the world and from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from academic researchers and professors to nonprofit representatives, public agency employees as well as members of civil society.

About the Institutes / Collaborations: The Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) at Western Washington University is a multi-disciplinary institute that undertakes research that informs policymakers on matters related to the Canada–U.S. border, particularly in the British Columbia – Washington State region. These cross-border collaborations with Simon Fraser University, Pandemics & Borders, and the University of Victoria’s The 21st Century Borders Partnership are funded by the Social Science and Human Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant and New Frontiers in Research Fund.

Media Contacts

Laurie Trautman, director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University and global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center & Canadian Global Affairs Institute, at Laurie.Trautman@wwu.edu