Community-Engaged Research

Talk Title: Telling the Transition: Deep Engagement, Data-Driven Storytelling, and Equity in Renewable Energy Futures

Bio: Kassandra Drodge is a researcher and community strategist with a diverse educational background from Memorial University and the University of Ottawa. With a focus on sustainable community building and social justice, they have contributed to projects that emphasize data-driven decision-making and innovative strategies for resource management. Their work spans the intersection of policy development, economic diversification, and environmental conservation, ensuring that community voices are central to any project. As a founding member of The Mixed Coast Collective, they lead efforts in conducting environmental assessments and developing renewable energy solutions across Newfoundland. Their research combines both scientific and social approaches, creating comprehensive strategies that prioritize community safety and sustainable development. In addition to their work in Newfoundland and Labrador, Kassandra had the opportunity to present their research at prestigious international forums, including Oxford University, solidifying their reputation as a leader in the field of community-driven research and policy innovation.

Talk Title: Nurturing Generations: A Community Video Journey into Indigenous Fatherhood and Wellness

Bio: Dr. Amy Wright’s program of research seeks to understand the experiences of parents with a focus on Indigenous parenting and cultural safety. Recent work includes community-engaged projects aiming to address the needs of Indigenous fathers, and to understand the strengths and service needs of gender-diverse Indigenous parents. Dr. Wright has experience in community-based approaches to research, collaborating with Indigenous communities to meet their research goals. Her research is funded by the CIHR and SSHRC. Dr. Wright also works clinically as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at McMaster Children’s hospital.

Talk Title: Sparking Change: A Community-Engaged Evaluation of an Urban Greenspace Program for Health Equity

Bio: Ayan Mohamed is currently in the Master of Public Health program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, specializing in Health Promotion. Her academic and professional interests focus on advancing health equity through inclusive, community-driven public health strategies. She is particularly passionate about the role of urban greenspaces in promoting social connectedness, environmental justice, and mental well-being.

Talk Title: Sparking Change: A Community-Engaged Evaluation of an Urban Greenspace Program for Health Equity

Bio: Dr. Nadha Hassan is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her work sits at the intersection of public health, urban public space, and intersectional anti-racism. She specializes in community-engaged research aimed at advancing health equity in built and natural environments. Dr. Hassen brings an interdisciplinary background to co-producing knowledge that informs more equitable, sustainable, and health-promoting environments.

Bio: Dr. Sean Kidd is a Senior Scientist with the Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an Associate Professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Kidd’s areas of focus have included developing and trialling interventions for individuals with severe mental illnesses and youth who have experienced homelessness. His research has included trials of cognitive and critical time interventions for schizophrenia spectrum populations, housing stabilization interventions for homeless youth, digital health interventions for severe mental illness, and global health work in the area of climate change and homelessness. He has founded global and national networks related to health equity and climate change and co-leads climate-related initiatives at CAMH.