Rafael Grohmann is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), with a graduate cross-appointment at the Faculty of Information (iSchool). He leads the DigiLabour Initiative and is a researcher with Fairwork, focusing on Critical Platform and Data Studies. His research emphasizes platform labour, the platformization of work, and resistance strategies among workers in Latin America. Grohmann holds a PhD in Communication from the University of São Paulo and has held prior academic positions at institutions in Brazil, including Unisinos University. His research interests span platform cooperativism, public policies for technology and labor, AI's impact on work, and data-driven labour practices. He is an editorial board member for Big Data & Society and Work, Employment and Society , and contributes to UCLA’s Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2). His work examines intersections of technology, labour precarity, and solidarity economies, with a focus on global South contexts. Recent publications analyze click farm labour in Brazil, gender dynamics in platform cooperatives, and global-local trends in platform worker organizing. Grohmann’s work bridges critical theory with action research, advocating for fair work standards in digital economies. He participates in initiatives like the Platform Cooperativism Consortium and the Labor Tech Research Network.
Lana Wells is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work and holds the Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence. As Founder/Director of Shift: Primary Prevention Research Hub and Research Fellow at the School of Public Policy, she specializes in preventing gender-based violence through systems change, policy innovation, and community engagement. Key research areas: Gender equity, Indigenous sovereignty, AI ethics for social work, and male allyship in violence prevention Led over $11M in research funding and 22.5M+ in prevention initiatives 2023 Killam Professor Award recipient Recent publications focus on AI applications for violence prevention, gamification in male engagement, and rural/small-town violence reduction strategies. Her work spans interdisciplinary collaborations with public health agencies, Indigenous communities, and international organizations. Major projects: Alberta's Primary Prevention Playbook, Strong Women's Circle with Indigenous communities, ConnectED Parents virtual intervention Active in policy advisory roles for governments and NGOs Scientific awards include: 2023 Killam Annual Professor Award 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal 2019 Alberta Inspiration Award 2015 & 2013 Carthy Foundation Leadership Awards 2012 School of Public Policy Fellowship As a graduate supervisor in Social Work and Public Policy, she develops prevention workforce capacity through Shifttolearn.com. Current initiatives include data-driven dashboards for real-time violence prevention and cultural transformation in male-dominated institutions.
Dr. Pammla Petrucka is a Professor at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Nursing and affiliated with the School of Public Health. A USask graduate with degrees in Nursing (BScN, MN, PhD), she focuses on marginalized populations' health through innovative methodologies like qualitative and mixed methods. Her research emphasizes Women’s Health, Global Health, Menstrual Hygiene Equity, and One Health initiatives. Current projects include improving healthcare accessibility in developing regions and addressing menstrual hygiene disparities. She teaches courses on leadership in nursing, rural nursing practices, and evidence-based health care. Dr. Petrucka’s work has been nationally and internationally funded, supporting collaborative research teams across disciplines. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications addressing global health challenges and cultural barriers to healthcare access. Her honors and fellowships reflect recognition for advancing nursing science and public health equity. Grants & Funding: Successfully secured funding at local, provincial, national, and international levels for research projects. Advising: Mentors a large cohort of graduate and undergraduate students in nursing and public health. Labs/Teams: Leads interdisciplinary groups focused on global health equity and maternal-child health interventions. Her sabbatical (July 2024–June 2025) will likely expand her work on One Health innovations and menstrual hygiene advocacy.
Dr. Jennifer Mills is a Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology graduate program at York University's Faculty of Health, leading the EASE Lab. Her research focuses on body image, eating disorders, and the impact of social media on women's psychological well-being. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto (PhD 2001, MA 1996, BSc 1995). Key research areas include social media's effects on body dissatisfaction, orthorexia nervosa, and interventions for disordered eating. She has published extensively on topics such as self-compassion interventions, Instagram imagery impacts, and pandemic-related behavioral changes. Her educational background includes a strong foundation in psychology and clinical research, with a focus on translational work between theory and practice. Current projects explore the psychological mechanisms behind body image concerns, including the role of perfectionism and emotional intelligence in mitigating eating disorder symptoms. She collaborates widely, as evidenced by multi-author publications and interdisciplinary research efforts. Labs/Teams: Director of the EASE Lab (Eating, Affect, and Self-Evaluation) at York University. The lab's work integrates behavioral experiments, longitudinal studies, and community-based interventions to address body image and eating disorder prevention.
Laura A. Meek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan , specializing in Medical Anthropology , Decolonial Science and Technology Studies , and East African research . She holds affiliations with interdisciplinary networks like the UBC-O Science and Technology Studies Collective and co-directs the Storying Otherwise: Creative Ethnographic Writing Hub . PhD, MA in Anthropology (University of California, Davis) MA in Women’s Studies (George Washington University) Honors BA in Comparative Human Development (University of Chicago) Her research examines counterfeit pharmaceuticals and bodily epistemologies in Tanzania, framed through feminist , decolonial , and anti-racist lenses . She investigates leprosy elimination campaigns and fugitive science practices across Africa and Hong Kong, with recent work focusing on creative ethnographic prose and critical disability studies . Her publications span high-impact journals like Social Science & Medicine and Medical Anthropology Quarterly , addressing themes of radical uncertainty and world-making practices . Laura’s 15 most recent articles (2021–2025) analyze: pharmaceutical counterfeits in East Africa, the temporal politics of leprosy , anti-colonial global health , and creative writing as research . Her work bridges Indian Ocean connections and STS frameworks to critique neocolonial health governance. 2025 Collaborative Research Mobility Award 2024 Wenner-Gren Workshop Grant 2023 MAE–MAT Early Career Paper Award 2021 Society for Humanistic Anthropology Creative Ethnographic Prose Prize 2018 Wenner-Gren Dissertation Grant 2013 NSF Doctoral Dissertation Grant She supervises M.A. and Ph.D. students in UBC-O’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies programs, particularly in global health , African politics , and STS . Her professional service includes co-chairing the 2026 Cascadia Medical Anthropology Seminar and serving on the American Anthropological Association Nominations Committee .
Margaret Robinson is an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University, holding dual appointments in the Department of English and Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She is a bisexual two-spirit scholar from Eski'kewaq, Nova Scotia, and a member of the Lennox Island First Nation. Her interdisciplinary work bridges Indigenous studies, queer theory, and intersectional feminism, with a focus on decolonizing methodologies and Indigenous oral traditions. Robinson’s research explores representation of Indigenous peoples and sexual/gender minorities in creative works, including fanfiction and popular culture. She holds a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Reconciliation, Gender, & Identity (2019-2023) and leads the Mi’kmaw Cultural Research Lab funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (2021-2024). Her education includes a BA from Saint Mary’s University and MA/PhD from the University of Toronto. Key research areas include Indigenous New Wave literature, Mi’kmaw spirituality, and Two-Spirit feminism. Recent grants focus on reconciliation frameworks and LGBTQ2S+ health equity. She has published widely on topics like queer mental health, animal personhood in Mi’kmaw cosmology, and decolonizing pedagogies.
Ben Tse serves as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, specializing in clinical education and patient care within women's reproductive health. His academic role bridges medical practice and academic instruction in this critical medical field. His research focuses on Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, with emphasis on clinical applications in reproductive medicine and maternal-fetal care. This work directly impacts patient outcomes and medical training in women's healthcare specialties. Dr. Tse maintains active clinical responsibilities while contributing to academic programs, though specific advising roles or research grants are not documented in available sources.
Rania Salem is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). Her research focuses on the sociology of family, gender, and economic sociology of households and labor markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Research Interests Dr. Salem explores themes such as women’s agency, marriage practices, and the intersection of economic factors with social stratification. Her work often employs empirical methodologies to analyze household dynamics, gender roles, and cultural norms in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. Publication Trends Her recent publications (2015–2022) emphasize gendered labor market effects on marriage timing, matrimonial expenditures, kin marriage rationales, and women’s empowerment in rural MENA contexts. These studies integrate qualitative and quantitative approaches to address social inequalities.
Priti Narayan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Faculty of Arts. Her research and teaching focus on urban processes and politics in India, with an emphasis on state-society relations, feminist methodologies, and public scholarship. Prior to joining UBC, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University’s Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism, and the Humanities. PhD in Geography, Rutgers University (2019) Narayan’s research explores how marginalized communities in Chennai, India, negotiate slum evictions through collective action. She collaborates with the Pennurimai Iyakkam (“Women’s Rights Movement”) to document working-class activists’ lived experiences and theorize their contributions to urban studies. Her work bridges academic and activist knowledge, advocating for interdisciplinary approaches to environmental justice and labor rights. Recent projects examine urban development in Tamil Nadu, labor codes, and occupational health for construction workers. Her academic publications span journals like Gender, Place & Culture , Urban Studies , and Environment and Planning D: Society and Space , often co-authored with local activists. She emphasizes ethnography, archival analysis, and collaborative methods. Scientific Awards : SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2023) UBC PRE Fund Award (2023) CIHR Operating Grant (Co-PI, 2021-23) Hampton New Faculty Research Grant Narayan supervises graduate students in Geography and Interdisciplinary Studies, including Varun Panickar and Paroma Wagle (postdoctoral). She currently does not accept new supervisees. Her courses at UBC include topics like urban environmental politics and climate change.
K.S. Joseph is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine, and an active staff member at BC Women's Hospital. He is affiliated with the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and contributes to the department's Maternal Fetal Medicine and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility divisions. His research focuses on maternal and child health outcomes, reproductive epidemiology, and population health sciences. Key areas include: Women's and Children's Health Sciences Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Population and Public Health Dr. Joseph supervises graduate students in thesis-based programs including Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Population and Public Health and Women+ and Children's Health Sciences, as well as the dual Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Nursing program. He maintains active involvement in the department's educational initiatives and research supervision within UBC's Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies framework, with program affiliations spanning Reproductive and Developmental Sciences, Population and Public Health, and Women+ and Children's Health Sciences.
Matt Ratto is a full Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto , where he also serves as Associate Dean, Research . He is a faculty affiliate of the Climate Positive Energy Institute , the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society , and an SDG Fellow with the Sustainable Development Goals Institute . His work bridges critical theory and digital innovation , focusing on the social production of knowledge through emerging technologies. His research explores critical making and socio-technical systems , with applications in 3D-printed prosthetics (deployed in Cambodia, Tanzania, and Uganda), AI-driven healthcare solutions , and climate justice in computing . He has received over $6 million in funding, including two Canada Grand Challenge grants , and founded organizations advancing equitable technology access. Ontario Minister of College and Universities’ Award of Excellence (2020) Bell Canada Usability Labs Chair in Human-Computer Interaction (2018–2023) He supervises students such as Olivia Doggett and Sarah Gram , with past advisees including Brian Sutherland and Dan Southwick . His Critical Making Lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and he teaches courses like INF2241: Critical Making and INF351: Information Design Studio .
Ellen J Amster is the Jason A. Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at McMaster University and holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Religious Studies. She is an interdisciplinary historian and qualitative health researcher specializing in global health, bringing together history with health and religious studies. Her work focuses on the history of medicine in the West, the Islamic world, and French empire. Dr. Amster received her B.A. from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She has established herself as an expert in the history of public health, Islam and North Africa, France and French empire, maternal and infant health, global primary care, Islamic studies, religion and nonwestern healing systems, colonialism and postcolonial theory, and women's histories and gender. Her research portfolio reveals strong thematic continuity across time periods, with a focus on the intersection of medicine, colonialism, and identity. Recent publications demonstrate increasing engagement with critical race theory in medicine, gender studies, and contemporary social justice issues including analyses of the George Floyd protests. Her work spans history of medicine, medical humanities, and global health policy, with particular attention to Morocco and French colonial contexts. Dr. Amster has secured funding from prestigious sources including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the IIE Fulbright-Hayes program, the Chateaubriand Program of the French Government, and the American Institute for Maghrib Studies. She teaches courses on gender and religion, public health, and Middle East/North Africa for the Department of Religious Studies, the Master of Public Health Program, and the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Dr. Amster also organizes the Hannah History of Medicine and Medical Humanities Speaker Series and created the History of Medicine and Medical Humanities Research Portal (https://medhumanities.mcmaster.ca/), funded by Associated Medical Services.
Joseph Kangmennaang is an Assistant Professor and Queen's National Scholar in Black Health & Social Change at Queen's University. He holds a PhD from the University of Waterloo, an MA from Western University, and a B.A. from the University of Ghana. His research focuses on the interplay between environment and wellbeing, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and among Black immigrant communities in North America. He employs social theories, participatory methods, and mixed approaches to address health disparities, with a focus on non-communicable diseases, food/water security, and the impact of racism and social change. His courses include HLTH 397 (Globalization and Black Health) and HLTH 495 (Racism and Health). Research areas include immigrant health equity, syndemics, and the role of place in healthcare access. Collaborations with marginalized communities emphasize participatory action and civic engagement. He has published extensively on topics such as climate change impacts on health, HIV/AIDS knowledge among women in Malawi, and the social determinants of wellbeing in Ghana. His work bridges global health challenges with localized solutions, addressing systemic inequities through interdisciplinary partnerships. Notably, he explores how structural factors like migration, remittances, and agroecology affect household welfare and food security in Malawi and Ghana. His recent studies highlight the mental health implications of discrimination among minoritized Canadians during the pandemic and the spatial distribution of diseases like cholera in Tanzania. He advocates for community-driven interventions to promote wellbeing in resource-limited settings.
Roxane Caron is an Associate Professor at the École de travail social (School of Social Work) within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the Université de Montréal. She holds affiliations with the Centre d'études et de recherches internationales (CÉRIUM) and the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal – Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur. Her research focuses on refugee women's experiences, transnational social work, and decolonial methodologies. She teaches courses such as SVS-6425 (International Social Work) and supervises graduate students in social work and international studies. Her research expertise includes refugee camp dynamics, gendered migration, and intersectional theory. Key projects include the Clinic Mauve initiative addressing LGBTQI+ migrant health and the Transnationalism and Psycho-Social Well-Being project. She has led or co-led over 20 research grants funded by agencies like the CRSH and FRQSC, emphasizing community partnerships and equity. Award-winning educator, Caron's work bridges academic research, clinical practice, and activism. Her recent publications explore ethical frameworks in social work education and refugee integration challenges. She collaborates internationally on migration studies, particularly in the Middle East and Quebec.
Dr. Lauren Emberson (she/her/hers) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Arts. She directs the Baby Learning Lab, which is part of UBC's Early Development Research Group, a consortium focused on infant and child development. Prior to her position at UBC, Dr. Emberson was an Assistant Professor at Princeton University where she co-founded and co-directed the Princeton Baby and Princeton Kid Labs. Education: Postdoctoral Associate, University of Rochester (PI Aslin) Ph.D, Cornell University (PIs Amso, Goldstein, Spivey) B.Sc, University of British Columbia Dr. Emberson's research focuses on learning, perception (audition, vision, crossmodal or multisensory), language development, face/object perception, and attention in infants. She investigates these capacities using behavioral and neuroimaging techniques, particularly fNIRS (functional near infrared spectroscopy), working primarily with very young infants (birth through 1 year) and preterm/premature infants. Her work examines how infants' learning capacities contribute to rapid development of perception in ecological contexts, with implications for understanding how early life experiences affect later outcomes. Analysis of Dr. Emberson's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on infant perception, learning mechanisms, and neuroimaging methodology. Her work increasingly incorporates advanced fNIRS techniques while maintaining focus on fundamental questions about how infants learn from their environment. There's a growing emphasis on individual differences, cross-cultural comparisons, and applications to infants facing developmental challenges. Dr. Emberson serves on the editorial board of Infancy (journal of the International Congress of Infancy Studies) and is a consulting editor for the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience . Her research has been published in top journals including PNAS, Current Biology, Psychological Science, Cognition, Developmental Science, and the Journal of Neuroscience. Dr. Emberson has secured significant research funding from prestigious organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, James S. McDonnell Foundation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She collaborates with clinicians at BC Women's and Children's Hospitals to understand how different early life experiences impact learning and brain development. Dr. Emberson is currently accepting graduate students into her research program. The Baby Learning Lab, under Dr. Emberson's direction, is part of UBC's Early Developmental Research Group and collaborates with multiple institutions. The lab strives to provide interactive research experiences for infants and families while advancing scientific understanding of early cognitive development. The lab acknowledges that it operates on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.
