The SHERPA University Institute is a research infrastructure funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec Société et Culture - the Quebec Society and Culture Research Fund – and by the Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux (MSSS) – Ministry of Health and Social Services. Its research activities and mobilization of knowledge combine practical and academic knowledge with the goal of advancing understanding and developing best practices in primary intervention in a multi-ethnic context.
SHERPA brings together around 40 regular university and clinical researcher members from multiple disciplines (psychology, social work, anthropology, nursing science, transcultural psychiatry, etc.) as well as research practitioners, research professionals, students and interns from different areas. Research, evaluation and knowledge exchange activities are carried out in close collaboration with sites of practice and community partners.
Its designation as a university institute specializing in migration and intervention in an intercultural context has made SHERPA a vital actor in Quebec’s health and social services sector. SHERPA also works in collaboration with two partner groups: Équipe Migration et Ethnicité dans les Interventions en Santé et en Services Sociaux (METISS) (Migration and Ethnicity in Health and Social Service Interventions) and Équipe de Recherche et Action sur les Polarisation Sociales (RAPS) (Research and Action on Social Polarizations).