Event Leads- English
Eliana Suarez is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University. Eliana received her master and PhD in Social Work from the University of Toronto. Born and raised in Peru, she is a peace and human rights advocate, committed to eradicate gender-based violence in conflict –affected and post-conflict zones. Her overall research focuses on how people survive and resist violence, in particular, political, sexual, and structural violence and the health consequences of such violence. Eliana previous research has honoured the gendered resilience and resistance of Indigenous women in the aftermath of the Peruvian armed conflict (1980- 2000) and their use of political activism as a resilience strategy in the context of post-traumatic stress. Supported by CIHR, she has also examined youth informed priorities on HIV/STIs prevention and sexual health rights in Peru. A recent SSHRC funded project has developed a community based prevention model of sexual violence in Ayacucho, Peru, a post-conflict community. Based on the evaluation of this program, she is currently developing a revised theory of change of effective community engagement practices in prevention of sexual violence that can be evaluated, and adapted to different post-conflict contexts. She is a member of a large interdisciplinary /international network of scholars and activists involved in Transformative Memory projects in Colombia, Uganda, Peru, Indonesia, Northern Ireland and Canada based at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC (Vancouver) and a global research network on civilian self-protection. A future project will examine the intergenerational journey of memorialization of violence in armed conflicts and its role in intergenerational trauma . She is also the PI of a CIHR funded community engaged research project in Ontario aiming to map the resilience pathways and preferences for help-seeking among police forces in the context of post-traumatic stress injuries. Connected to this project, she also joins the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT), which serves as the Knowledge Exchange Hub for the National Research Consortium on post-traumatic stress injuries among public safety personnel (PSP). She has recently joined the Global Health Research Cluster (GHRC) at the Balsillie School of International Affair. As a researcher informed by decoloniality, she believes in a ‘reverse innovation’ approach in global health research, this is- rather than ‘to rescue’- ‘to learn’ from the Global South.
Valentina Cardozo has an MSc in Public Health with a Global Health specialization from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Prior to joining SE Health, Valentina worked in research and program evaluation at various organizations including CHAIN (the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research), CCNM (Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine), Women’s College Hospital and the Dr. Jay Children’s Grief Centre. In her current role, Valentina provides support to the development and implementation of health services research projects within the SE Research Centre priority areas. Valentina’s research interests include health equity, culturally appropriate/respectful care, person and family-centred care, grief and bereavement experiences and healthcare quality innovation.
Sofiya Chorniy
Nathan C. Funk, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario. He has authored or co-authored a number of writings on international peacebuilding, with a special focus on the Middle Eastern context, religious and cultural dimensions of conflict and peacemaking, dialogue processes, and local capacity development. He has served on the boards of several Canadian peace organizations, and is currently board chair of the Peace and Conflict Studies Association of Canada.
Dane Mauer-Vakil holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology from the University of Toronto and is currently a Master of Science Health Services Research student (specializing in health policy) at the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation at University of Toronto. He has been involved in research in the following academic fields: health psychology, sport psychology, addiction medicine, psychiatry and public health. His main research interests include the integration of mental health services in primary care, harm reduction frameworks, community mental health and quality improvement in psychiatry. Dane is interested in health policy and systems research and plans to complete doctoral training in pursuit of his goals of contributing to impactful work that will alleviate and improve pressing public health issues related to mental health and addiction.
Event Leads- Spanish
Mona Negoita was initially trained as a medical doctor in Romania. After moving to Canada she graduated from Western University as a physiotherapist and is currently practicing in Kitchener-Waterloo with a passion for post stroke rehabilitation. She has completed a Masters in Medical Education through the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm with a project regarding the attitudes and behaviours supported by international health placements. She is a cofounder of the charity Abrazos Canada, supporting access to health care and education for marginalized populations. Mona is traveling to Mexico and Ecuador to support the organization’s projects and encourage the international involvement of Canadian allied health students.
Event Leads- French
Antoine Clark
Pakisa Tshimika