Faculty of Health - Faculty of Health

The Faculty of Health is committed to creating positive change for our students, our communities, and the world around us through teaching and research excellence to keep more people healthier, longer.

Through our six degree programs – Global Health, Health Studies (Policy, Management, Digital Health), Kinesiology & Health Science, Neuroscience, Nursing, Psychology – our commitment to excellence is demonstrated through our faculty members who are nationally and internationally recognized experts, through our leading edge research, and through local and international partnerships to improve health outcomes both locally and globally. In addition, students engage in experiential education opportunities to build their learning in a range of settings beyond the classroom.

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Research by Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Tara Haas found that men are more likely than women to develop conditions associated with obesity such as cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes.

Projects by four Faculty of Health Researchers are part of York University’s $4.05M to support interdisciplinary research for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Research by Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Jennifer Kuk found that regressions in weight loss are learning experiences and possible steps toward sustained weight loss and improved overall health.

Nursing Prof Christine Jonas-Simpson has launched a digital learning platform to guide learners through an immersive experience to inspire alternative ways of thinking on dementia.

Psychology Prof Gord Flett says giving employees a sense of meaning is the solution to low productivity. Feeling like you matter boosts morale while feeling insignificant may cause employees to act out in destructive ways.

Global Health Prof Oghenowede Eyawo is among a group of York professors creating an interdisciplinary research cluster focusing on adaptive knowledge, response, recovery and resilience in transnational Black communities.

Psychology Prof John Eastwood says being glued to our smartphones may limit creative capacity as smartphone users feel bored easily and seek greater stimulation from screens with creativity suffering as a result.

Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Alison Macpherson is a co-principal investigator with the CapaCITY/É project to explore sustainable transportation interventions that can support health, mobility, and equity outcomes in cities.

Health Policy & Management Prof Mattias Hoben was named the Helen Carswell Chair in Dementia Care, funded by the Carswell Family Foundation, to evaluate day programs for older adults living with dementia.

With a $8.7 million grant from the Wellcome Trust, York’s Global Strategy Lab will tackle the urgent global health threat of antimicrobial resistance through the AMR Policy Accelerator intersecting scientific research and evidence-based policy to urge governments to act.

Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Joe Baker tells the Globe and Mail that natural athleticism exists but there is no one formula for success. He advises parents to focus on their child’s interest as a guage.

Can bicycles be a force for social change? Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Lyndsay Hayhurst’s research explores the question for self-identified women and diverse populations in Canada, Nicaragua, and Uganda.

Psychology Prof Jennifer Mills was quoted in the New York Times on the super-thin ideal for body types and its impact on young women. Mills says the super-thin ideal is very rare in the real world.

Nursing Prof Christine Jonas-Simpson is part of a research team recognized with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Aging Betty Havens Prize for Knowledge Mobilization in Aging.

Digital Health Prof Christo El Morr published a new book titled AI and Society: Tensions and Opportunities, that explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on human societies.

Research by Kinesiology Prof Joe Baker and Dr. Kathryn Johnston, is referenced in a discussion on the meaning of athletic talent and distance running, including distinguishing between raw talent and trained talent.

The Fall 2022 issue of The York University Magazine includes an article on how people experience grief featuring Nursing Prof Christine Jonas-Simpson and Health Policy & Management Prof Leeat Granek.

Research by Psychology Prof John Eastwood shows successive generations that scored lower on creativity during childhood seemed to carry it through into adulthood.

The Faculty of Health welcomes 4 new faculty members joining us this fall: Donald V. Brown, Jr. (Psychology), Karen Campbell (Nursing), Devin Phillips (Kinesiology) & Sachil Singh (Kinesiology).

Psychology Prof Thomas Teo awarded the 2022 Joseph B. Gittler Award for scholarly contributions to the philosophical foundations of psychological knowledge from the American Psychological Foundation.

Research from Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Jennifer Kuk finds diet regressions are learning experiences and may even be necessary steps toward sustained weight loss and improved overall health.

Research by Psychology Prof and York Research Chair in Human and Computer Vision, James Elder, found that even the smartest AI models don't match human visual processing.

Global Health Prof Steven Hoffman was among six York faculty members elected to the Royal Society of Canada.

Psychology Prof Joey Cheng and Global Health Prof Adrian Viens were appointed Tier 2 York Research Chairs in Leadership, Collaboration and Teams (Cheng) & Population Health Ethics and Law.

Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Sherry Grace is the lead author of a clinical practice guideline with 15 recommendations to the cardiac rehabilitation community on how to deliver more effective women-focused programming.

Psychology Prof Gordon Flett says people who feel like they don’t matter are more likely to have negative mental and physical health and suggests a variety of actions to grow one’s sense of belonging.

Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Jennifer Kuk says advice for millennials struggling with weight loss that focuses on calorie counting overlooks other factors such as stress and unhealthy sleep patterns.

A review of international treaties led by Global Health Profs Mathieu Poirier and Steven Hoffman shows most international agreements fail to deliver intended results.

Researchers led by Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Christopher Perry will develop novel therapies that treat muscle weakness in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) after receiving funding from Muscular Dystrophy Canada & MITACS Accelerate.

Psychology Prof Alexandra Rutherford received the Career Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association for her contributions to the development of histories of feminist activism, women’s history, and critical gender studies.

Health Informatics Prof Lora Appel discusses her ground breaking Virtual Reality therapy program for people with dementia with Global News.

A new study led by Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Antony Chum looks at the impact of the #MeToo movement in South Korea.

Global Health Prof Tarra Penney was featured in the Summer 2022 issue of The York University Magazine for her research on government taxes on high sugar sodas.

Global Health Prof Steven Hoffman starts a new role as VP corporate data and surveillance at the Public Health Agency of Canada helping to shape the future of public health responses in Canada.

Psychology Prof Gordon Flett appears on a podcast for Speaking of Psychology to discuss where perfectionism comes from and why it’s an increasing problem.

Can our mitochondria help beat long Covid? Kinesiology Prof Chris Perry looks at what we can learn from the mitochondria of elite athletes to help those with muscle diseases and even age-related sarcopenia.

Psychology Prof Esther Greenglass received a research grant to study psychological distress related to watching the Russia-Ukraine war and feeling threatened by COVID-19.

A new article by Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Sherry Grace argues depression is a significant risk factor for developing chronic diseases and is much more common in those who have a chronic condition.

Global Health Prof Steven Hoffman received a $2.5M SSHRC Partnership Grant for research into a global framework for sustainable antimicrobial drug use & preventing the proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria.

Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Michael Connor received the 2022 President’s University-Wide Teaching Award.

Nursing Prof Cheryl van Daalen-Smith has been appointed new associate dean, academic, in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Psychology Prof Jennifer Steeves has been appointed York’s new associate vice-president research (AVPR).

Kinesiology & Health Science Prof and diabetes researcher Michael Riddell received additional grants to support his work on the treatment of insulin-induced hypoglycemia in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Weight loss programs can be a big cost burden as people with obesity tend to have lower incomes says Kinesiology & Health Science Prof Jennifer Kuk.

Psychology Prof and Clinical Psychologist Rebecca Pillai-Riddell discusses how parents can talk to kids about school shootings.

Nursing Prof Brenda Orazietti wrote and directed 5 video clinical nursing simulation games to give nursing students practical experience they weren’t able to get in person due to pandemic restrictions.

Psychology Prof Nicole Muir was awarded a York University Indigenous Research Seed Fund grant for her work to address colonialism and advance excellence in Indigenous scholarship.

Nursing Prof Nazilla Khanlou is quoted in a Globe & Mail article on women doing more "worry work" than men, affecting their mental health and careers.

A new study from Health Policy & Management Prof Dennis Raphael finds corporate domination of food banks fails to address household food insecurity.

Reading to improve language skills? Focus on fiction rather than non-fiction writes Psychology Prof Raymond Mar in The Conversation.

The Faculty of Health is very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David Peters as the next Dean of the Faculty of Health starting on January 1, 2023.

Congratulations to the faculty recipients of the 2022 Dean’s Awards for Excellence: Joseph Baker, Mary Desrocher, Rachel da Silveira Gorman, and Mazen Hamadeh.

Psychology Professor Michaela Hynie helps refugees access culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services.

Psychology Prof Yvonne Bohr and colleagues received $1.7M from CIHR to develop culturally safe new virtual mental health resources for remote Nunavut communities working with Inuit youth and Elders.

Faculty of Health Profs were among York’s community of changemakers recognized for prestigious research and impact at the 2022 York University Research Awards Celebration.

Kinesiology Prof and Senior Scientist at the Toronto Rehab Institute, Sherry Grace, writes in The Conversation of the need for cardiac rehab for heart patients, only 10 to 25 percent of whom currently access cardiac rehab.

Kinesiology & Health Science graduate Farkhunda Muhtaj is one of #YorkU's Top 30 Alumni Under 30. In 2021, she played a key role in the evacuation of over 300 Afghans including the Afghanistan Youth National Girls Soccer Team.

Psychology PhD candidate Bri Darboh, a #YorkU Top 30 Alumni Under 30, is chairperson of the YU-CARE Trainee Network and co-president of York’s Black Students in Psychology.

Psychology graduate and TDSB teacher Jonathan Clodman, a #YorkU Top 30 Alumni Under 30, is creating positive change in the classroom and community, including as co-director of Vaccine Hunters Canada.

Banin Abdul Khaliq (BA Psychology ’16) is one of #YorkU’s Top 30 Alumni Under 30 creating positive change as an Afghan-Canadian founder and community builder.

The student-led Black Students Mentorship Program offers Black students mentorship opportunities, resources for academic, personal and professional development, and a safe and supportive community.

Psychology Prof Rebecca Pillai Riddell will lead a revolutionary, $5.54M research training initiative that will support a more diverse, inclusive, accessible, & transdisciplinary approach to mental health research and training.

Opening in 2024, the new Neuroscience Laboratory and Research Building, part of the Sherman Health Science Research Centre expansion, will create a world class facility for neuroscience and health science research at York.

Health Policy & Management Prof and YU Care Director Tamara Daly explains to CBC news why the failure to publicly report or collect home care data on private home care companies in the way we do for long-term care is a massive problem.

Global Health Prof and York U Global Strategy Lab Director Steven Hoffman is the corresponding author on a lead editorial published in the WHO bulletin that considers global health laws with respect to travel restrictions and variants of concern.

York’s 2022 Spring Convocation will take place in person for 2022 grads and for 2020 & 2021 alumni. Invitations to the ceremonies will be sent to those eligible in early May.

Psychology Prof and YorkU Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory, Shayna Rosenbaum, leads a research team investigating the science behind the reasoning that may affect an individual’s health care decisions.

New research by Health Policy & Management Prof Lora Appel shows virtual reality therapy could significantly improve mood and manage symptoms in older adults living with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Psychology Prof Gord Flett co-authored a ground breaking new book on perfectionism in childhood and adolescence.

The University-led Ontario Internationally Educated Nurses Course Consortium, including York U, has received $1.5M from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to help address the province’s demand for registered nurses.

The Working Group on Individual and Systemic Racism within the Faculty of Health released their final report with 29 recommendations to address systemic racism and promote greater health equity for all.

Psychology Prof and member of Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA), Jennifer Steeves, was appointed York’s interim associate vice-president research (AVPR).

Kinesiology Prof Andrea Josse was awarded $125,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to expand her research creating & testing strategies of lifestyle modification (nutrition & exercise) to improve bone, cardiovascular & metabolic health.

Health Policy & Management Prof Agnès Berthelot-Raffard & The Harriet Tubman Institute receive $400K from the Government of Canada to analyze racism in academia, study the mental health of and supports for Black university students.

MEET THE CHANGEMAKERS
Learn more about Faculty of Health students, alumni, faculty and staff who are creating positive change.

STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAMS
Explore peer mentorship, leadership and development, and peer assisted learning programs for students in the Faculty of Health.

ADVANCING QUALITY EDUCATION
Get more information on how we support student learning in the Faculty of Health.

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Undergraduate programs in Global Health, Health Studies, Kinesiology & Health Science, Nursing, Neuroscience, and Psychology

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RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Toward Compassionate Health Care for All

As founder of the Black Student’s Mental Health Project, Agnès Berthelot-Raffard, assistant professor in the School of Health Policy & Management, is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into the experiences of Black university students, who experience elevated rates of anxiety and depression compared to non BIPOC students. Another of her large projects examines how Black women in Quebec experience racial bias in obstetrics and gynecology.

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