Ami Goulden

Dr. Ami Goulden serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Memorial University of Newfoundland, located at St. John's College. She is a registered social worker with a multidisciplinary academic background, including a PhD and Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Toronto, a Master of Arts in Child and Youth Study from Mount Saint Vincent University, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Dalhousie University.

Her research program prioritizes disability justice, critical social work praxis, and universal design, employing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Dr. Goulden’s work centers on the lived experiences of marginalized groups, particularly young disabled people’s sexual well-being and their interactions with social work practices. She has secured notable grants, including the Public Engagement Accelerator Fund (2023), TESI Grant (2022–2025), and SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant (2022).

Dr. Goulden is the founder and director of the CARES Lab, which advances social work through disability justice principles, mixed-methods research, and community-focused initiatives. The lab’s projects and publications are detailed on its website, www.CARESLab.ca.

Prior to her current position, she taught at Renison University College (University of Waterloo) and King’s University College (Western University), with extensive experience in both on-campus and online teaching. Her educational contributions include developing universal design approaches in social work curricula, as evidenced by her TESI Grant-funded work.

Key grants and awards include:

• SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2020–2022)
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2018, 2019)
• Public Engagement Accelerator Fund (2023)

Dr. Goulden currently mentors Pathway (MSW) and PhD students, focusing on preparing future social work professionals to address systemic inequities. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications, aiming to transform social work practices to better serve disabled communities.