In this podcast episode, Vera Granikov and Marlene Chan – an “intergenerational research duo,” as they describe themselves – discuss their participatory research project on critical health literacy, carried out in the context of lifelong learning. The project involved English-speaking adult learners who took part in peer café-style discussion groups at the Atwater Library in Montreal.
Vera and Marlene reflect on their experiences with collaborative learning, relational accountability, and the ways in which participation in the project empowered learners to increase their health literacy capacity. The conversation also explores what makes a meaningful researcher–community partnership.
Suggested reference for this podcast episode:
Shoumarova, L. (Host) & Granikov, V. and Chan, M. (Guests). (2025, June 16). Learning Together to Think Critically about Health Information [Audio podcast episode]. In The English-Language Education in Quebec Podcast. ILET Research Hub.
About the podcast guests
Vera Granikov is a Fonds de recherche du Québec postdoctoral research fellow with the Canada Research Chair in Partnership with Patients and Communities. She holds a PhD in Information Science from McGill University. She has 17 years of experience in health information and patient-oriented and participatory research. As a researcher, information specialist, and community member, Vera is passionate about improving health literacy through working together and learning from each other.
Marlene Chan is an Independent Scholar and Community Representative for engAGE Centre for Research on Aging, Concordia University. With Eric Craven and Julian Hanna, she hosted Manifesto Writing Workshops (2022) on the theme of Reimagining the Future of Aging. She is an Editorial Board member for Concordia’s Aging in Data and Applied AI “Who Am AI?” Book Club and is a longstanding member of the McGill University Community for Lifelong Learning.
