Welcome our new Project Manager

We're excited to share that Dr. Jennifer Wolowic has joined the Centre For Dialogue to help lead our Strengthening Canadian Democracy Initiative.

Jennifer is an anthropologist and ethnographer with over 15 years of experience working with diverse groups, including visible minorities, First Nations, LGBTQ, and youth. A bit of a polymath, Jennifer is an applied researcher, media producer, behaviour-change expert, and proponent of federalism. She holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia in Interdisciplinary Studies and is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has been screened internationally. Her collaborative artwork was displayed as part of Vancouver’s 2011 Media Democracy Days and the UBC’s Dialogue on the History and Legacy of the Indian Residential Schools. She is a 2019 recipient of the UBC School of Nursing Centennial Medal of Distinction for her contributions to research and outreach that solves the worlds’ practical problems.

Before joining the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Jennifer was the Managing Director of the internationally recognized Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC) at the University of British Columbia. There she project managed an interdisciplinary team of public health researchers and behaviour-change specialists in multi-million dollar projects funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Vancouver Foundation. She has mentored over 30 graduate students and post-docs in the real-world skills required for research that improves lives.

Jennifer also embraces her role as a public intellectual. During her tenure with SARAVYC, the team prioritized creating national community-friendly reports, multi-cultural awareness campaigns, easy to understand info-graphics that have been quoted in the BC Legislature, alongside dozens of research publications. Thanks to her approach, SARAVYC has frequently received media coverage; including a quote from Jennifer in popular media (Teen Vogue). She has presented to BC Ministry of Education, BC Ministry of Health, Lt. Governor of BC, non-profits, youth groups, as well as international academic and public audiences.

After five days at the Centre, Jennifer said it "feels like home." She looks forward to reaching out, connecting, and getting to know our many collaborators.