Hello!
I am a creative and community-oriented researcher based out of Hamilton, Canada. I hold a PhD from the School of Social Work at McMaster University, alongside a Graduate Diploma in Gender Studies and Social Justice. My SSHRC-funded arts-based and participatory doctoral research explored how young girls (aged 8-12 years old) are working to make our worlds better, an endeavor inspired by my many years of working with girls as a community social worker.
I work as a Research Coordinator at the Offord Centre for Child Studies, which is a research institute affiliated with McMaster University, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and Hamilton Health Sciences. I am passionate about community engagement, equitable research, and children’s participation rights, a story that is more clearly told through my research and work experiences.
At the heart of my academic and professional work are questions about how we can better listen to kids and communities when they tell us what they want for their lives and their worlds. I am particularly drawn to community-engaged and arts-based ways of thinking and doing, and enjoy opportunities that both challenge and encourage me to think sideways, backwards, and from completely new perspectives.
You can learn about my research and work here, as well as view my curriculum vitae.
