Learn more about Faculty of Health faculty members who are creating positive change in our communities and the world around us.
Lauren Sergio
KINESIOLOGY & HEALTH SCIENCE
Neuroscientist Lauren Sergio of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science wants to expand concussion research to reflect the impacts on an overlooked demographic, one that comprises the majority of our population: adults ages 18 to 65.
Oghenowede Eyawo
GLOBAL HEALTH
KINESIOLOGY & HEALTH SCIENCE
As a researcher whose work lies at the intersection of epidemiology and population health, Oghenowede Eyawo has a warning to people in highly vaccinated countries who may believe the COVID-19 pandemic is coming to an end.
Sean Hillier
HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT
Sean Hillier researches the social, cultural and justice aspects of how First Nations people access HIV/ AIDS health-care services in Ontario and helps York make progress with prioritizing Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing within the academy.
Jennifer Connolly
PSYCHOLOGY
Professor and Psychology Department Chair Jennifer Connolly is collaborating with community CAS partners to assist teen girls involved with the child welfare system who may be particularly vulnerable to the luring and recruitment strategies of traffickers.
Michael Riddell
KINESIOLOGY & HEALTH SCIENCE
The founding scientist, Michael Riddell, collaborates with Zucara Therapeutics Inc. to develop a drug that will prevent hypoglycemia in those with diabetes.
Jessica Vorstermans
HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT
Assistant professor Jessica Vorstermans works to deepen and decolonize thinking about health, care and wellness among students in her first-year Health on the Frontlines course.
Mathieu Poirier
GLOBAL HEALTH
Mathieu Poirier, a Global Health professor and York Research Chair in Global Health Equity, sought to engage his students in creative and collaborative problem-solving with their international peers.
Kristine Pedernal
NURSING
Kristine Pedernal, the assistant professor of nursing, used escape rooms as a teaching tool.
Steven Hoffman
GLOBAL HEALTH
York's Global Strategy Lab (GSL), led by Director Steven J. Hoffman, partners with governments, civil society organizations and international agencies to assess and advise on new strategies for improving global health.
Raymond Mar
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology professor Raymond Mar researched how Narrative Fiction Shapes Our Social Skills.
Heather Edgell
KINESIOLOGY & HEALTH SCIENCE
An associate professor and a specialist in women's cardiovascular health, Heather Edgell will embark on a year-long project to investigate the pathophysiology of long COVID.
Jacqueline Choiniere & Christine Kurtz Landy
NURSING
Advancing Scholarship and Capacity for Emerging Nursing Doctorates (ASCEND) led by Jacqueline Choiniere, graduate program director in the School of Nursing and associate professor Christine Kurtz Landy in the School of Nursing.
Heather Prime & Magdalena Wojtowicz
PSYCHOLOGY
Students of psychology assistant professors Heather Prime and Magdalena Wojtowicz in Atypical Development (PSYCH 4460), observed first-hand how children learn and grow in their school environment.
Farah Ahmed
HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT
In recent years, organizations have tapped into peer leaders as a conduit for awareness and information about health issues. Lesser known, however, are the emotional complexities of this role, Professor Farah Ahmad explores this relationship through a study funded by Cancer Care Ontario to deepen our understanding of the benefits and challenges of peer leadership.
Joel Katz
PSYCHOLOGY
About one in 10 people experience chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP). Psychology professor Joel Katz explores this problem by working with a large multidisciplinary team of Toronto health professionals to identify CPSP’s main risk factors.
Ali Abdul-Sater
KINESIOLOGY & HEALTH SCIENCE
Professor Ali Abdul-Sater explores inflammation at the molecular level to find ways to bring it under control.
Lyndsay Hayhurst
KINESIOLOGY & HEALTH SCIENCE
Professor Lyndsay Hayhurst decided to bring both employers and students together in an experiential education collaboration for her International Development and Sport course.
Claire Mallette
NURSING
Professor Claire Mallette's fourth-year leadership course is all about inspiring students to identify a health issue and create a strategy for positive change that emphasizes compassion in health care.
Shahirose Premji
NURSING
Professor and York's School of Nursing director Shahirose Premji is shedding light on how physiologic burdens influence birth outcomes among women exposed to some of the most extreme psychosocial stress worldwide.
Jonathan Weiss
PSYCHOLOGY
Research conducted by clinical psychologist and associate professor of Psychology Jonathan Weiss has shown that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can make life much brighter for children with autism and their families.
Christine Jonas-Simpson
NURSING
Professor Christine Jonas-Simpson is improving quality of life for patients with dementia at the Bitove Academy.
James Orbinski
DAHDALEH INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL HEALTH RESEARCH
Established in 2015, York University’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research is leading change in a world that desperately needs it. And there is no-one better to lead that change than James Orbinski, the Institute’s inaugural director.
Tamara Daly
HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT
Over 100,000 Ontarians live in long-term care homes, and they are among our most vulnerable citizens. It’s essential that both residents and the people who care for them enjoy the highest quality of life and excellent conditions of work. Professor Tamara Daly has dedicated her career to improving policy and practice in this highly important field.
Nicolette Richardson
KINESIOLOGY & HEALTH SCIENCE
Assistant Lecturer Nicolette Richardson has taken the teaching of anatomy to the next level by introducing state-of-the-art dissection software into the courses she teaches.
Michaela Hynie
PSYCHOLOGY
How well are Syrian refugees adapting to their new life in Canada? That’s the key question Psychology Professor Michaela Hynie asked in a study that measures the integration of Syrian refugees.
Shayna Rosenbaum
PYSCHOLOGY
Along with researchers at University College London, Shayna Rosenbaum, a York Research Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory, has discovered that other parts of the brain cooperate with the hippocampus in forming memories.