Jessica holds a B.A (Hons.) in Forensic Psychology, a diploma in Addiction and Mental Health Counselling, and is currently enrolled in her master’s degree in Occupational and Public Health at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She is pursuing her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Bhawra, working concurrently as a teaching assistant in the School of Occupational and Public Health. Jessica is additionally involved in the non-profit, social service sector, working in research, evaluative, and consulting capacities. She specializes in at-risk youth, mental health, and gender-based violence.
jessica.rogers@torontomu.ca

Stefania holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Western University and a degree in Public Health from Toronto Metropolitan University. She has worked in local public health units where she contributed to the Safe Water and Vector Borne Disease portfolios, acquiring various skills including water sampling, tick dragging and analysis, and conducting surveillance for West Nile Virus in regions of Ontario. She currently works as a public health inspector for a local public health unit and is undergoing certification. She is interested in the intersection between health equity, physical activity participation and food systems, and how they play a role in the development of chronic diseases in later life stages and in future generations. She is currently a Research Assistant with CHANGE Research Lab. srizzardo@torontomu.ca

Jasmin Hans is a third year Public Health student at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is passionate about global health and serving underrepresented communities. She aspires to pursue further education in the field of Public Health after her undergraduate studies. Jasmin is currently a Research Assistant with the CHANGE Lab focused on climate change-related health risks in Pune, India and Toronto, Canada. Jasmin brings research experience from Western University, as well as hospital and healthcare organizations. Jasmin hopes to bring her knowledge and experience to the CHANGE Research Lab to promote health equity and to continue learning more about the field.
jhans@torontomu.ca

Amina holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Human Nutrition from the University of Guelph. She completed her undergraduate thesis project exploring the ways in which parents of young children use social media in relation to child feeding and family meals. Amina is passionate about promoting lifelong health and building resilient food systems in marginalized communities that have faced the disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, climate change, and food insecurity. She is a Research Assistant with the Change Research Lab and is currently assisting with a project exploring climate change-related health risks in Toronto. She is excited to learn about the use of technology and digital methods to achieve health equity within her community.
asaher@uoguelph.ca

Claire Buchan conducts program evaluation and health outcome research at the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. She is currently pursuing a PhD, working with Dr. Scott Leatherdale and the COMPASS team on establishing quantitative metrics for program and policy evaluation and assessment of province-wide youth physical activity and physical education. She is also collaborating with the DEPtH Lab at Western University evaluating citizen science and digital epidemiological platforms for health equity and Dr. Kelly Skinner at the University of Waterloo evaluating the Dementia Resources for Eating, Activity, and Meaningful Inclusion (DREAM) project. She has developed and implemented a range of program evaluation projects for non-profit, academic, and governmental agencies.
mcbuchan@uwaterloo.ca

Nadine Elsahli graduated from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University with an Honours Specialization in Health Sciences and a Minor in Psychology (2023). Nadine enjoys learning about the interdisciplinary nature of health studies, and joined the CHANGE Research Lab as a Research Assistant because of her shared interest in using digital tools to promote health equity in areas of climate change, food sovereignty, and mental health. She has experience in knowledge translation, community-engaged research, and social media content creation. nelsahli@uwo.ca

Dr. Rubina Mandlik is a Project Manager at the Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir Medical Research Institute in Pune, India. She is a nutritionist and researcher with over 15 years of experience in nutrition and education. She is a Lila Fellow and has been a recipient of the University Grants Commission Jr. Research Fellowship. Her research interests span maternal, infant, and young child nutrition, knowledge translation, and behaviour change communication. Rubina works with Dr. Bhawra on a range of projects focused on infant and young child feeding practices, as well as climate change impacts on non-communicable disease risk in India. dr.rubina.mandlik@hcmri.org.in

Jamin Patel completed an Honours Specialization in Health Sciences (2023) and is currently an MSc. Candidate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University. He is passionate about using innovative technology such as mHealth and predictive modeling to improve the wellbeing of populations. Previously, he led several health equity initiatives in partnership with local organizations in London, Ontario. His current research focus lies in cutting-edge digital health research, utilizing mixed methods and a citizen science approach to address health disparities and complex public health issues. Jamin is currently contributing to CHANGE Research Lab projects focused on climate change, mental health, and non-communicable diseases.
jpate244@uwo.ca