Profiles

Amanda's PhD research examines the impact that missing height and weight data can have on youth body mass index research.

Laura's MSc research examined privacy and user trust in companies, and transparency in healthcare IoT (Internet of Things) data collection.

Eric's PhD research explores sexuality, information and communications technologies, and body image.

Mahmood’s PhD research evaluated how the authorized sale of alcohol in some Ontario grocery stores affected alcohol use behaviours among youth.

Nour's PhD research investigated patterns of protective (physical activity) and risk health behaviours (binge drinking, cigarette smoking and cannabis use) and their relationship with weight status over time among youth participating in the COMPASS study in Ontario, Canada.

Somkene's PhD research examines the embedding of psychosocial stress among firefighters and university faculty and aims to increase our understanding of the relationship between stress and disease.

Nnenna's MSc research investigated the role of resilience on university students' use of mental health services while on campus. 

Yong-Jin's PhD research investigates the cost-effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the first-line treatment of lung cancer in Ontario.

Kirsten's PhD research investigates the potential for nutrition labelling on menus to support healthy and sustainable eating in cafeterias.

Jerrica's PhD research examined the clinical mental health needs and service access of emerging adults aged 18-29.

Alex's MSc research examined the impact of adverse childhood experiences on Indigenous children, and the nature of coping or resilience strategies to overcome these adversities. 

Sara's PhD research examines mercury exposure in First Nations communities in northern Canada. 

Emily's MSc research investigated the relationship between social support availability and cognitive function in Canadian adults between the ages of 45 and 85.

Anis's PhD research examined how patient similarity analytics can accelerate the move toward precision medicine. 

Madeline's MSc research compared health-related quality of life in parents of children with mental illness with what you would typically see in the Canadian adult population.

For his PhD, Robert is studying how machine learning can be used by researchers to assist with thematic analysis of online communities that are discussing public health topics such as addiction recovery and vaccination.

Working with a NGO in the Philippines, Shoshannah pivoted her research plans in response to the global pandemic to understand more about the experience of community volunteers giving up their time to address the emergency food insecurity amongst some of the country's income-poor.

Kirti's research explores the use of NexGen data sources for public health surveillance. This includes the use of data from the Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time monitoring of behavioural risk factors for chronic diseases in Canada.

Kathy's MSc research examined the interaction of gender and social networks and how social networks can be a source of assistance for women experiencing poverty when accessing health care services in the Philippines.

For her doctoral research, PhD Aging, Health and Well-being student Madara Marasinghe investigates the impact of assistive devices on the lives of older adults to understand more about the benefits and challenges these devices can have.

Pam Hopwood's PhD Public Health Sciences research examines the experiences of women who find work via digital platforms or apps in feminised care occupations such as elder care work.

By 2031, immigration is projected to account for 80 percent of Canada’s population growth, making mental health among newcomers an important public health issue. Tasneem's doctoral research investigates the mental health of immigrants to Canada by applying ecological system and life-course perspectives.

Public Health and Health Systems doctoral student, Shu-Feng Tsao is passionate about infordemic - or health mis-/disinformation associated with infectious diseases. In particular her research looks at the infodemic that has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shu-Feng explores how infodemic influences people's decisions and behaviour with Twitter data analyzed by machine learning or artificial intelligence techniques.

Busola Adekoya's PhD Aging, Health and Well-being research examines how policies and programs for alert systems at local, municipal, and provincial or national levels are developed and implemented in Canada and Scotland.

Margaret Mutumba's PhD Public Health and Health Systems research investigates the implementation of accessible and affordable fertility services in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

People with dementia often experience challenges communicating their experiences, which can impact their ability to participate in research. PhD Health and Well-being student, Emma Conway's research examines the current use of adapted or modified research methods with a view to improving the accessibility of research for people with dementia.

Kelly Gregory's master's research explores the occupational experiences of women first responders, through a comparative analysis of women police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. 

As well as environmental and economic impacts, air pollution is considered a major global health risk. Working toward his PhD Public Health and Health Systems, Shahan Salim has partnered with UNICEF Mongolia to develop a tool that will better predict air pollution patterns and provide early warnings for vulnerable populations.

Intersectionality reflects the idea that people simultaneously embody multiple social characteristics such as gender, race, and socioeconomic position. Natalie Doan's PhD Public Health and Health Systems research uses intersectionality to advance our understanding of the systemic and structural barriers preventing adults in Canada from eating diets supportive of optimal health and well-being.

Nina’s thesis research investigates how the cost barrier to contraception might differentially affect racialized and Indigenous women.

Ashish is a fourth-year Health Sciences student working on his undergrad thesis.

Alexandra's research explores if and how food insecurity among adults and youth changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing our understanding of the impact of policy responses and how they may better prepare us to respond to food insecurity

Hibah is a fourth-year Health Sciences student working on her undergrad thesis project entitled "Exploring the experiences of receiving pregnancy care via telehealth in Ontario: A qualitative study"

Martin's research focuses on food literacy, the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate the modern food environment. A better understanding of food literacy can inform interventions to improve dietary patterns and practices to improve health.

Isabella Coady is a fourth year Public Health student who studied at the University of Bristol in the Fall 2022 term.

Lesley's research is examining the proportions of children and adults in Canada who use low- and no-calorie sweeteners, as well as identifying the key food and beverage sources of these sweeteners.

Danica Kannathasan is a fourth-year Health Studies student who completed an undergraduate thesis. Her research aims to explore the lived experiences of Tamil mothers during the postpartum period.

Danielle Fearon is a PhD student in Public Health Sciences.  Her thesis focuses on individuals with traumatic life events who have been admitted to inpatient psychiatry in Ontario.

Bara's research focuses on proposing a new framework to understand how biological and social interactions between vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 can cause negative health outcomes among marginalized populations living in Ontario.

Emily's PhD Public Health Sciences thesis investigates how and to what extent does taking part in agroecology inflences women's capacity to sustain rural livelihoods in the Western highlands of Guatemala. As a growing movement, science and set of practices, agroecology offers a strategy for advancing food system transformation through the centring of ecological and social wellbeing.

Karen Hock is a second-year PhD student in the Public Health Sciences program. Her research will examine the impact of government policies implemented with the goal of reducing the occurrence of diet-related chronic diseases.

Kimberly's research aims to examine changes in the types of cessation assistance used by people trying to quit smoking over time.

Ashlyn Simpson is an MSc student with a specialization in epidemiology and biostatistics. Her research focuses on comparing the levels of dixons in people living in an arctic community with the Canadian national average, and looks to discover how traditional indigenous foods can expose these communities to environmental contaminants.

Sarah Sousa is a PhD student in Public Health Sciences.  Her thesis focuses on the use of technology designed for older adults with dementia located in northern British Columbia (BC)

Nina’s research project explores the Region of Waterloo’s Drug Treatment Court and its role in addressing drug-related offenses, with a specific focus on understanding participant experiences and redefining success within the program.

Karen’s research examines the potential implications of a new staffing policy taking effect across Ontario’s long-term care homes.

Tithi’s research is on how stress impacts the reproductive journey of female first responders. 

Emma’s research explores the relationship between chronic stress and mental disorders in children with a chronic physical illness.

Alyssa's research aims to provide valuable insights into trends in diet quality which will inform decision-making and guide public health programs and guidelines.

Michaella's research focuses on the working conditions in long-term care for direct care workers and how staffing characteristics impact quality of care.

Arlene’s research leverages smart thermostat technology to gain insights into indoor heat levels during extreme heat events and inform warning systems and health programs.

Kathleen's thesis goal was to understand the experiences of people accessing and receiving abortions in Ontario. It also aimed to make suggestions about how abortion care could be improved.