Blog

Cynthia is a doctoral researcher whose work explores how environmental degradation and water insecurity linked to illegal small-scale gold mining (galamsey) affect women's psychosocial health and wellbeing in Ghana. Drawing on community-engaged and participatory research approaches, her work centres women's experiences and perspectives to better understand the health and social impacts of the galamsey crisis. Supported by the SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship–Doctoral, her research advances evidence that informs community-led responses and promotes environmental justice and gender equity. Read more about her journey and research here.

Yuki is a doctoral researcher whose work focuses on climate change as a pressing public health challenge, shaped by both lived experience and applied research on environmental health and climate adaptation. She has contributed to projects on extreme heat, disaster resilience, and community-informed climate-health policy in Canada, building strong links between research and practice. Supported by the SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral, her work continues to advance evidence-and-place-informed approaches to strengthening climate resilience and health equity, read more about her journey and research here.

Taylor is an undergraduate Science and Business student at the University of Waterloo. During her co-op term, she is working as a research assistant in Dr. Elliott’s GoHelP Lab on the GAPS project. Learn more about her experience and the opportunity she had to present her research poster at LUPUS 2025.

Maria Eduarda Almeida is a Psychology undergraduate at the State University of Maringá, Brazil. As a MITACS Research Assistant in the GoHELP Laboratory at the University of Waterloo, she contributed to international projects such as CANVAS, which examines the impacts of everyday violence on children in vulnerable settings. Her work emphasized the value of interdisciplinary and qualitative research, highlighting how collaboration and cultural context shape efforts to improve health, human rights, and well-being. Learn more about her experience here! 

Learn about Pascal’s experience as a Teaching Assistant with the Queen Elizabeth Scholars (QES) program in Ghana, where he supported University of Waterloo students in adapting to a new culture while engaging in field-based learning. This unique exchange showcased the power of collaboration and experiential education in tackling complex environmental challenges.

Read about Pascal's experience at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG), where he presented his research on gender-transformative health policymaking in Ghana. The 2025 conference theme was “Confluence” which generated discussion from diverse perspectives in geography, fostering collaboration and dialogue on global issues. Learn more about Pascal's inspiring opportunity to explore health equity challenges, and connect with leading scholars in the field.

The Write-Life project utilizes equity-centered resources to promote fair and inclusive participation in global health research. Every aspect of the project aimed to cultivate a diverse and inclusive learning community, valuing varied perspectives and positionalities among both the research team and participants. By adopting a relational approach, the project emphasized that meaningful change occurs through relationships, highlighting the importance of allyship in advancing equity in global health.

Alexa Bennett, a PhD candidate and GoHelP Lab member, recently returned from Ecuador, where she collaborated with WASHCanada and Engineers in Action on a community-based water supply project. Working in the mountain community of El Progresso, she gained hands-on experience in designing gravity-fed water systems, conducting water quality testing, and engaging with the local Water Board.

For over two decades, Dr. Susan J. Elliott has been a leading WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) researcher, focusing primarily on Sub-Saharan Africa. Her recent project, funded by REACH, delves into the intricate links between water security and gender-based violence (GBV), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Collapsed pit latrine on the left and Emergency pit latrine constructed with aluminum roofing sheet on the right in a dispensar in Kisumu, Kenya.