Biography

Kalysha Closson, Ph.D., MSc, is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the Centre on Gender Equity and Health the University of California, San Diego and an Adjunct Professor with the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Closson holds a Ph.D. in Population and Public Health from the University of British Columbia, and her primary research interests are around youth gender equity and health measurement, with an emphasis on relationship dynamics, norms, and power dynamics, as well as sexual and reproductive health and mental health. Currently, she is working to address critical data gaps in gender equity measurement to better understand, monitor, and improve sexual and relationship norms using participatory and strength-based approaches to support the health and rights of youth in multiple global settings including South Africa, Canada, India, and the United States. Dr. Closson is also a member of the Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance and is working to support community-based efforts to measure Climate Change Distress and Resilience.