Dr. Maya Gislason, PhD, MA 

Principal Investigator

Maya Gislason is an Associate Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, where she leads the Research for Ecosocial and Equitable Transformation (RESET) Team. Additionally, Maya is the faculty lead for the Planetary Health Research Group, a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar, and an Ecohealth International board member. Maya holds a doctorate in Medical Sociology from the University of Sussex, a Masters in Sociology and a double major in Sociology and Women’s Studies both from the University of Victoria. Dr. Gislason is a Principal Investigator on several projects and research programs, including the Environment Community Health Observatory (ECHO) Network. A defining characteristic of her research is the integration of social inequities in health scholarship, intersectionality, and gender-based analysis plus with ecosystem approaches to health. Her research includes topics such as climate change, and focuses on connecting theory to practice with a particular focus on women and children’s health. 

Angel Kennedy, MPH, BSc

Research Manager/Coordinator, PhD Candidate

Angel is the Research Manager for the Researching for Eco-Social and Equitable Transformation (RESET) Lab, a PhD Candidate at Simon Fraser University, Researcher for the Environment, Community Health Observatory (ECHO) Network, and Early Career Coordinator for Ecohealth International. Angel actively engages in the dynamic space of intergenerational equity-oriented policy formation, including through research contracts and presentations to various levels of government and workshops on youth engagement. Angel’s research is supported through a SSHRC Fellowship, and an award from the Initiative for Digital Citizen Research program.

Dawn Hoogeveen, PhD, MA

Faculty of Health Sciences University Research Associate

Dawn Hoogeveen’s research interests are in environmental politics, Indigenous studies and environmental and public health. She is a Senior Environment Community Health Observatory Research Fellow with the First Nations Health Authority where she is collaboratively progressing a program of work concerning health and healing indicators and health impact assessment. Dawn takes a mixed methods approach to her research and always enjoys a good interview and time spent in community. She is a settler scholar of Dutch and British ancestry and grew up on Williams Treaty lands in Ontario.

Jordan Brubacher, MSc, BSc

Faculty of Health Sciences University Research Associate

Jordan is an interdisciplinary scientist with a background in health sciences, GIS, physical geography and ecological restoration. He is passionate about the environment and has focussed his career around studying issues at the intersection of the environment and human health. He embraces the understanding that humans are not separate from the environment, but rather that we are a part of it and that as humans impact the health of the environment, the health of the environment in turn impacts the health of humans, and so on. Although most of his research has focused on the negative aspects of this cycle, he is looking forward to the opportunity to study the positive aspects as our society moves towards embracing a sustainable future.

Katie Bauder, MPH, BSc

Katie Bauder is a health researcher and knowledge translation enthusiast living and working as an uninvited settler of European descent on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Katie is driven to affect systems change and motivated by creative and community-driven approaches to developing, sharing and implementing research evidence. Katie does this work by drawing on her graduate education in public health and her experience over the last seven years working in research environments producing a variety of research products, including scoping reviews, reports, videos, and art in the areas of environmental health, mental health, and community health and wellness.  

Christiana Onabola, MPPGA, BSc

PhD Candidate and ECHO Network Research Assistant

Christiana’s research interest is in environmental health and use of eco-social theory in exploring health and its intersections with socio-ecological issues, while focusing on understanding of equity and inequities. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Human and Health Sciences at UNBC. Her doctoral research draws attention to potential use of the Sustainable Development Goals as a cross-sectoral platform for exploring how externalities of the land-water-energy nexus impact on equitable distribution of social and ecological determinants of health at a watershed scale. The work is funded by the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and supported by the Environment Community and Health Observatory (ECHO) Network. Interdisciplinary by training, she holds a Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs from UBC, where she majored in environmental sustainability and resource management. 

Sadeem Fayed, MPH (SFU), BSc (UBC)

PhD Student

Sadeem Fayed is a PhD student at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU). She is learning under the mentorship of Dr. Maya Gislason, who is her senior PhD supervisor. Sadeem works as a research associate with pewaseskwan Indigenous Wellness Research Group, which is led by Dr. Alexandra King and Prof. Malcolm King and includes teams based in SFU and the University of Saskatchewan. Sadeem is learning and working within the field of Indigenous health and wellness. At pewaseskwan and as a PhD student, Sadeem is focused on the Peers4Wellness project in British Columbia. This research study is led by Indigenous people, people with lived/living experiences and local community in partnership with aspiring allies including Sadeem. Sadeem’s work with Peers4Wellness aims to support Indigenous women (cis-gender, trans-gender), Two-Spirit people and non-binary folks who have lived and/or living experiences with hepatitis c and/or HIV by introducing Indigenous-centred approaches to healthcare and health research. As a newcomer to Coat Salish Territory where she is situated, Sadeem is on a life-learning journey hoping to heal her relationships with her own culture, Indigenous people and the Indigenous lands known today as Canada.

Adrienne Barcket

Adrienne is a public health professional practicing as a registered nurse in public health for over 10 years in front-line, coordination and clinical educator roles. Her passion for infant, child, youth and family health has led her to work in social nursing pediatrics, primary care, virtual care, maternal infant and youth health nursing in urban, rural and Indigenous community settings. Social and ecological determinants of health have been a cornerstone of her nursing practice and her collaborative work in public health programming as a result of her experience and education. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Calgary and a Master of Public Administration for Policy Leadership from Queen’s University (with a concentration in Indigenous Governance and Policy).

Adrienne’s work and living experiences in both rural and urban areas as well as being a co-founder of a climate change consultancy service since 2014, has led to her policy and research interest in the intersection of climate change impacts/adaptation, rural and remote health equity and child/youth health development.

Kiera Tsakonas, BA, MSc (c2024)

MSc Student

Kiera Tsakonas is a first year MSc student in Health Sciences. Her disciplinary background from her undergraduate degree (BA) is in environmental geography and environmental resource management. Kiera is passionate about research at the intersection of environmental and human health in impact assessment, cumulative effects management and community planning. Outside of academia she works and volunteers with education and conservation based non-profit organizations to advance place-based environmental education.

Forrest Berman-Hatch 

Undergraduate Student

Forrest Berman-Hatch is an undergraduate student studying anthropology and political science at the University of British Columbia. His interests lie at the intersection of environmental anthropology and political ecology, studying how culture and power influence human and ecosystem health. He is on the RESET team as part of a collaboration with the Friends of Cortes Island Society (FOCI), with the purpose of developing a climate change resiliency, adaptation and mitigation plan with the Cortes community.

He has a background in environmental activism and in 2019 he was part of the successful campaign to get UBC to commit to divesting from fossil fuels. Forrest has also published nonfiction for The Georgia Straight, The Garden Statuary and The Ubyssey, where he is a staff writer and the co-founder of the paper’s first sustainability column.

He enjoys roaming coastlines and mountains by sailing, kayaking and backcountry skiing.

Christine Yanagawa

MPH Student

Christine is a nisei uninvited settler of mixed ethnicity that has had the immense privilege of living and learning across Turtle Island. She is currently a Master of Public Health student at Simon Fraser University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography and in Social Anthropology from Concordia University. Christine is also a Registered Veterinary Technician and is passionate about exploring the constellation of intersections between human and more-than-human health and well-being, including place-based praxes of reciprocal care. Outside of work and studies, Christine enjoys camping, trail running, hiking, and watching films and documentaries.

Erik Mohns (MA, BA)

PhD Student

Erik Mohns is an Indigenous graduate student from the Hupačasath First Nation in the faculty of health science at Simon Fraser University (SFU). They are learning under the mentorships of their supervisor Nicole Catherine. Erik is also learning from many other mentors at SFU and Indigenous communities that have shared their knowledge, food and experiences.

Erik is currently part of the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative, a CIHR-funded study led by Lynnette Lucas and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. The initiative is an Indigenous-led longitudinal study aimed at optimizing healthy early life trajectories and well-being for Indigenous peoples.

Erik's research is focused on built environments, food ecosystems, mental health, decolonization, harm reduction, and the social determinants of health. He uses a mixed methods approach to research that combines different knowledge and experiences with population-level data. While somewhat new to the Vancouver area, they have been a very grateful guest on the lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, who have shared their stories, knowledge and food with him and who continue to protect the land that he and many others are a guest on.

Kira Johnson (MSc, BS)

PhD Student

Kira Johnson is a PhD student in the health sciences faculty. Her research interests focus on planetary health, and more specifically the intersection of agriculture and food systems with human health, biodiversity loss, climate change, and animal welfare. Kira's master's degree is in conservation biology, with a focus on Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas and the value of traditional agricultural systems to conservation. When she isn't learning about the best ways to improve the health of humanity and ecosystems, Kira enjoys aerial dance, circus arts, and hiking with her dog Norman.

Melody Choi 

Volunteer

Melody Choi (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University intending to major in Communication and minor in Health Sciences. The intersections between her passions for community-based health promotion and formal educational background and professional experience with communication operations and strategy, have inspired her to pursue extracurricular opportunities, like RESET, related to public health intervention. Upon completion of her Bachelor's degree she plans to complete a Masters of Public Health with aspirations to work in health communications. Outside of academia, Melody enjoys exploring the outdoors, live performance arts such as acting and dancing, and baking desserts!

Sophia Conradi, MPH (c2022), BSc 

Research Assistant

Sophia is a Master of Public Health candidate with a passion for mental health and LGBTQ2IA+ health equity. Outside of academia, she is an avid road biker, outdoor fanatic, and artist, using mediums like watercolours and acrylic paint. Having grown up in the Comox Valley, she is well versed with the healing properties that nature has to offer, leading her to work with the RESET team in building youth mental health resilience to climate change through art.

Greg Lee

Volunteer

Greg is a medical school student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland who was born in Richmond, British Columbia. Prior to attending medical school, he completed a Kinesiology undergraduate degree at Queens University. In his spare time, Greg enjoys running, and playing both indoor and beach volleyball. He is excited about working with the RESET team and looks forward to helping the team where he can.

Atharva Ranjankar, BA Hons

Honours Student

Atharva obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Sciences in April 2021. He also worked on an Honours project alongside Dr. Maya Gislason on developing a framework to combat food insecurity in Nunavut through basic income. His interests lie in Indigenous Health, Social determinants of health and social inequities in health

Diane Mugisha, BSc

USRA Student

I joined Maya’s research team because I wanted to gain hands-on experience in public health and deepen my understanding of social determinants of health. I look forward to pursuing graduate studies and being able to make an impact in the health of marginalized populations.

In my free time, I enjoy working out and cooking healthy meals.

Elly Blake, MPH

Meg Signorelli, MPH (c2022), BA

Research Assistant

Meg is a Master of of Public Health candidate with a passion for mental health and supporting youth in living adaptive and resilient lives. She completed her B.A in Psychology at SFU and her MPH studies are now focused on mental health program planning and community-based participatory action research

Saron Kassay, BA

Co-op Student 

Saron completed her Health Sciences and Kinesiology degree at Simon Fraser University in April 2021. She is passionate about exploring and addressing health inequities among marginalized populations. In her spare time likes to engage in outdoor activities such as hiking. 

Stephanie Witham, MPH, BSc

Hello! My name is Stephanie. I’m an Australian/Canadian and past Master of Public Health (MPH) student at SFU with a background in Biology (BSc.). I’m passionate about the natural world and humans’ interactions with it, especially the social and ecological determinants of health. I’ve had the joy of working with the wonderful equity team and inspired to apply what I’ve learned to my public health career after graduation.

Ali Zapernick, MPH (c2022), BA

As a Project Coordinator for the EAP project, Ali is helping evaluate participant perspectives on an equine-assisted psychotherapy program for youths'. She received her B.A. in Psychology in Edmonton and is currently completing her MPH at Simon Fraser University. Her studies and interests are focused on mental health program planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Parsoua Shirzad, MPP

Directed Studies Student

Parsoua is an outside-the-box thinker who enjoys exploring the myriad of ways people, strategy, operations, and process improvement help shape the future of communities and organizations. As a values-driven champion of social and economic capacity building, Parsoua values the process of building strong bridges between community, business, and government. In Spring 2021 she will obtain a Masters of Public Policy, a 2-year professional program, where she is focused on community planning, governance, political economy, and social determinants of health. 

Helena Murcelle, BA 

Volunteer

Helena Murcelle was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is currently nearing the end of her Bachelors degree, majoring in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, and a minor in Archaeology. Helena has a strong passion dedicated towards research related to identifying and advocating for equity deserving populations, and use of statistical analyses. Helena wishes to continue her studies and research, with a Masters in Public Health (MPH), focusing on inequities within marginalized communities. Currently, Helena is taking a directed studies course (HSCI 488-Children and Youth, Equity and Climate Change) with Dr. Maya Gislason. Helena hopes to present a manuscript incorporating the rich data gathered from the course, to the Canadian Public Health Association, related to supporting youth and future generations, coping through the global climate change crisis. In Helena's spare time, she enjoys hiking in the Squamish area, spending quality time with family, and practicing yoga.

Jocelle Refol, BSc

Jocelle (she/her) is a Filipinx 2nd generation immigrant-settler on the unceded and stolen lands of the Musquem, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. She is a 5th year Health Sciences student in the Population and Quantitative Health stream with an interest in health promotion, knowledge translation, and overall health equity. As an honours candidate, she hopes her research highlights the health experiences of Filipinos in Vancouver to help support generations to come.