Dr. Adrian Buttazzoni is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Planning working with Dr. Leia Minaker. Previously, Adrian completed a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Western Ontario (Dept. Geography and Environment). He obtained his Ph.D. in Planning (University of Waterloo, 2022) and his M.Sc. in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (University of Western Ontario, 2018). Broadly, his research uses mixed methods approaches and generally focuses on the pathways by which different urban environments, characteristics, and designs impact the physical and mental health of people, with an emphasis on youth populations. Some specific topics that he has explored in the past include youth physical activity (e.g., active school travel), population health interventions (e.g., school travel planning), public health and planning policy, environmental design implications related to youth mental health, interdisciplinary integrated knowledge translation issues, the use of neuroscientific instrumentation in the study of urban health phenomena, and adolescent drug use behaviours (e.g., cannabis use, vaping).
His current postdoctoral appointment is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In this position his research activities are focused on examining the relationships between adolescent health and high-density urban living, investigating the equity impacts of urban design policy on youth health outcomes, analyzing the impacts of urban development patterns on current and future health outcomes, and exploring the application of foresight methods and systems thinking in planning and public health research.
To date, he has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the Journal of Environmental Psychology, Social Science & Medicine, Landscape and Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Health & Place, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Cities, and Journal of Transport & Health. A complete and current overview of his papers can be found via google scholar. He is also an ad hoc reviewer for over a dozen academic journals, is a member of the Active and Safe Routes to School Steering Committee for the tri-county region (Elgin, London-Middlesex, Oxford Counties), and has obtained his Certificate in University of Teaching from the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo.
He welcomes inquires from researchers, practitioners, and community partners and individuals, and is happy to connect via email: anbuttazzoni@uwaterloo.ca.
Supervisor: Leia Minaker