This year, we were thrilled to welcome experts on public health, communication media and politics.
2021 Jarislowsky Fellows
Dr. Pamela Palmater
Dr. Pamela D. Palmater is a Mi’kmaw citizen and member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. She has been a practicing lawyer for 22 years and is currently a full Professor and Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University. Pam was one of the spokespeople, educators and organizers for the Idle No More Movement. She appears frequently as a political commentator on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network's InFocus, CTV, and CBC. She continues to advocate for Indigenous issues and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Click here to learn more about Dr. Palmater and her many accomplishments.
Dr. Tim O'Shea
Dr. Tim O’Shea is an Associate Professor in the department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and Division of Infectious Diseases at McMaster University. He has worked in East Africa in general internal medicine and infectious diseases and has been a member of the Shelter Health Network since 2007.
Dr. Joan Donovan
Dr. Joan Donovan is the Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University. She examines internet and technology studies, online extremism, media manipulation, and disinformation campaigns.
Rebecca Rideal
Rebecca Rideal is an historian of early modern England, and the director of the history festival, HistFest. She is the author of 1666: Plague, War and Hellfire and host of the history podcast Killing Time. As a former television researcher and producer, she developed the Emmy award-winning David Attenborough’s First Life and the BAFTA-winning Flying Monsters with David Attenborough. Rebecca has lectured and tutored at University College London, Bath Spa University and Oxford University.
Denise Balkissoon
Denise Balkissoon is executive editor at Chatelaine, Canada's 93-year-old women's magazine. Prior to that, she was a columnist and editor at the Globe and Mail, where she also co-hosted the award-winning podcast Colour Code. Over her two decades as a journalist, she has written for or appeared on CBC, CTV, BBC, Toronto Life and the Toronto Star, among others, and from 2011 to 2018, she was co-founder and publisher of The Ethnic Aisle, a groundbreaking digital publication about race and ethnicity in Canada. Her commitment to anti-racism and diversity in journalism has been recognized by awards from the Association of Ontario Midwives and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.
Kevin Sutton
Kevin Sutton is a writer, spoken word performance artist, workshop facilitator, communications professional, and community organizer. He is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Guelph, and hosts The Great Pause on CFRU 93.3. His work with at-risk youth has led him to diversity, equity, and inclusion work helping organizations nurture supportive professional environments where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. He does sessions in supportive professional practice through his business Threshold: Thriving with Change. He is also a partner in Second Wind Solutions, which is dedicated to reimagining our systems of community care, services and emergency response.