Postdoctoral Fellows, Graduate Students & Research Assistants

Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Zerihun Admassu (he/him)

UofT Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Zerihun Admassu is a postdoctoral fellow working under the supervision of CGSHE faculty Dr. Carmen Logie at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. He is a public health expert and researcher with a bachelor in nursing, and a master and PhD in public health. Dr. Admassu has more than 10 years’ experience in public health and worked in governmental and international non-profit organizations (global fund, KNCV, MSH and USAID) in his birthplace, Ethiopia. He has also worked as a public health researcher focusing on tuberculosis, HIV & nutrition to ensure the public health project management he runs is based on scientific evidence and research. After coming to Canada, Dr. Admassu volunteered with various community organizations like Africans in Partnership against AIDS and Immigrant Researchers Support Network to gain experience in public health programs and health-related research. He is interested to continue working in public health-related research focusing on health care disparities, infectious diseases and addiction and drug use.

Dr. A.J. Lowik (they/them)

UBC Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. A.J. Lowik (they/them) is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UBC working with supervisor Dr. Kate Shannon and Researcher with the Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity. Their work is primarily focused on trans people’s health, and experiences accessing health care, including reproductive and sexual health. They lead the Gender & Sex in Methods and Measurement Research Equity Toolkit project, creating tools for researchers who are interested in the precise, accurate and inclusive mobilization of gender and sex concepts. Dr. Lowik is a Board Member with the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, a member of the BC Period Poverty Task Force, and an Advisory Member on a number of research and KT projects, including MindMapBC (CGSHE’s REAFFIRM Collaborative), the Trans Health Research Project (CGSHE), Birth Includes Us (UBC’s Birth Place Lab), The Fireweed Project (UVic), and Pride-RX (UBC’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences). Dr. Lowik is a renowned expert in trans-inclusion, having worked with researchers, health care and social service organizations, lawyers and policymakers who are interested in trans-inclusive research and praxis, policy and practice, and legal reform.

Dr. Zerihun Admassu (he/him)

UofT Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. A.J. Lowik (they/them)

UBC Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Kaveri Mayra (she/her)

UBC Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Kaveri Mayra (she/her) is a CGSHE Researcher and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow at UBC Midwifery Program working with CGSHE faculty Prof. Saraswathi Vedam at the Birth Place Lab, where she leads the Continuum for Respectful Care (CORE) initiative. She is a midwifery, nursing and global health researcher from India with a PhD in Global Health from the University of Southampton, UK, where she explored the experiences and determinants of obstetric violence in India through an arts-based method called “birth mapping.” Dr. Mayra has extensive research experience in nursing and midwifery workforce policies, regulation and practice as well as sexual, reproductive and maternal health care and the underlying gender-based challenges. She has delivered guest lectures in universities and at conferences around the world on obstetric violence, orgasm equality, nursing and midwifery governance, and sexism in health policy-making. Dr. Mayra was recently recognized as one of the 100 outstanding global midwife and nurse leaders by Women in Global Health, WHO, ICN, ICM, Nursing Now and UNFPA to mark the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020. She serves on the boards of Human Rights in Childbirth (HRIC), White Ribbon Alliance UK, and Academy for Nursing Studies and Women’s Empowerment Research Studies. Dr. Mayra also runs the Obstetric Violence Journal Club and the Birth and Body Book Club. When she is not doing any of the above, she is dancing.

Dr. Sarah Van Borek (she/her)

UofT Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Sarah Van Borek (she/her) is a CGSHE Researcher and New Frontiers in Research Fund Postdoctoral Fellow working with CGSHE faculty Dr. Carmen Logie at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Through Dr. Logie’s Canada Foundation for Innovation Stigma and Sexual Health Interventions to Nurture Empowerment digital storytelling and mobile multi-media lab, Dr. Van Borek is developing and implementing innovative research methodologies using augmented reality storymaps, consisting of audio stories and songs created on mobile phones, as well as a mobile museum approach to engage youth and elders in informal settlements in Kenya. She also supports gender and sexual health equity projects in Uganda by exploring innovative modes of research communication and mobilization, such as 360/VR video, and their potential to influence policymaking and the uptake of recommended practices. Dr. Van Borek has a PhD in Education specializing in Environmental Education from Rhodes University, South Africa, where she explored water justice, reconciliation, and decolonizing higher education through a media arts-based water curriculum.

Dr. Kaveri Mayra (she/her)

UBC Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Sarah Van Borek (she/her)

UofT Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Trainees

Christian Barborini (they/them)

UBC MSc Student

Christian Barborini (they/them) is a CGSHE Trainee and an MSc student in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, as well as a Work Learn Graduate Academic Assistant at the BC Centre on Substance Use. Christian’s research, co-supervised by CGSHE Faculty Dr. Rod Knight and Dr. Mark Gilbert, focuses on cannabis use in relation to the gender experiences of trans and non-binary youth. This work involves exploring the role of cannabis in facilitating gender exploration, gender euphoria, and the challenging of gender norms in society. Prior to UBC, they completed their Honours BSc at McMaster University in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences. In addition to their science background, Christian’s research is informed by their years of experience working and organizing within 2S/TLGBQIA+ community. They are committed to approaching their research from an intersectional, community-based lens that accounts for various forms of marginalization experienced by 2S/TLGBQIA+ youth who use substances.

Logan Burd (she/her)

SFU MPH Student

Logan Burd (she/her) works, lives and learns on the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She is of mixed heritage with Métis, Cree, Blackfeet and European ancestry and is a Métis Citizen of British Columbia. Logan is a CGSHE Trainee and a Master of Public Health candidate in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, working on the Amplifying Indigenous Voices: Towards Culturally Safe and Equitable Sexual, Reproductive Health and Justice for Indigenous Cis and Trans Women, Gender Diverse and Two-Spirit Peoples project, led by Dr. Brittany Bingham. She has a BA in psychology from the University of British Columbia. Logan’s research interests include Indigenous health and well-being, and promoting self-determination. She is involved with her Métis community and holds a position on the Métis Youth and Mental Health Wellness Initiative through MNBC; she also works on various projects reconnecting Métis youth with their culture and mental health support.

Ace Chan

UBC PhD Student

Ace Chan is a CGSHE-affiliated doctoral candidate in the School of Population and Public Health at The University of British Columbia. Ace is supervised by Dr. Trevor Dummer and Ace’s committee members include Dr. Travis Salway and Dr. Hannah Kia. Ace’s research focuses on primary and secondary cancer prevention in different minority communities. Ace earned a Master of Science in Population and Public Health where Ace explored barriers to cervical cancer screening.

Christian Barborini (they/them)

UBC MSc Student

Logan Burd (she/her)

SFU MPH Student

Ace Chan

UBC PhD Student

Hanah Damot (she/her)

McMaster MPH Student

Hanah Damot (she/her) is a CGSHE Trainee and a Master of Public Health candidate at McMaster University. She is also a Research Assistant for the IRIS Project in the Department of Family Practice at UBC She first joined UBC in September 2021 as a Research Project Coordinator working across UBC AESHA, IRIS, and MIHRA projects. As a first-generation immigrant, Hanah is interested in promoting health equity among im/migrant women through the equity-centred framework. In her spare time, Hanah enjoys travelling, going to the beach, and trying new restaurants.

Suiqiong Fan (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Suiqiong Fan (she/they) is a doctoral student in the UBC School of Population & Public Health, under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Deering. She is interested in women’s health, mental health, health equity and social epidemiological methods to approach these topics. For her doctoral research, Suiqiong will be looking at various aspects of mental health among women living with HIV.

Trevor Goodyear (he/him)

UBC PhD Student

Trevor Goodyear (he/him) is a CGSHE Research and a UBC doctoral student in the School of Nursing. He is a registered nurse and Addiction Medicine Research Fellow with the BC Centre on Substance Use. Trevor’s research, co-supervised by Drs. Rod Knight and Emily Jenkins, will be a critical ethnography with precariously housed LGBTQ/2S youth who use drugs. Trevor has a Master of Public Health and a Master of Science in Nursing from UBC, where his thesis explored opportunities to advance equity in access to hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs. He is broadly invested in critical and community-based research with LGBTQ/2S youth and people who use drugs. Trevor’s research is directly informed by his past clinical experiences, including in youth mental health nursing at BC Children’s Hospital. Click here to read Trevor’s publications. He is @goodyear_trevor on Twitter.

Hanah Damot (she/her)

McMaster MPH Student

Suiqiong Fan (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Trevor Goodyear (he/him)

UBC PhD Student

Milo Ira (they/them)

SFU MSc Student

Milo Ira (they/them) is a CGSHE Trainee and an MSc student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, under the supervision of Dr. Travis Salway. Following a 10-year illustration career in the queer narrative arts community, they are researching health determinants of Two-Spirit neurodiverse people. Milo has a BFA in Illustration from Emily Carr University, an AS in Biology from Douglas College and Biomedical Visualization and Communication certification from UBC. They are also an RA with the Two-Spirit Dry Lab, Turtle Island’s first research group focused exclusively on 2S communities.

Kirstin Kielhold (she/her)

SDSU PhD Student

Kirstin Kielhold (she/her) is a CGSHE-affiliated graduate student under the supervision of CGSHE faculty member, Dr. Shira Goldenberg, in the Joint PhD Program in Public Health at San Diego State and UC San Diego. She has a MS in Global Health from UC San Francisco and her BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley. Her Masters’ capstone research focused on how technology can be used to bridge gaps in sexual health specifically around consent. She has experience teaching health education in 9th grade classes with the Peer Health Exchange organization. Kirstin has also worked at the SF AIDS Foundation and the California Department of Public Health doing harm reduction centered work at syringe exchange sites. She has just begun her PhD program and is excited to become involved in the public health community in San Diego. In her spare time, she enjoys relaxing at the beach and exploring new places with her friends.

Alexander Korzuchowski (he/him)

SFU MPH student

Alexander Korzuchowski (he/him) is a CGSHE-affiliated trainee and a research assistant in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, where he is a Master of Public Health candidate. Under the supervision of CGSHE faculty Dr. Julia Smith, Alex has contributed to the Gender & COVID-19 project, supporting research on the gendered effects of COVID-19 on women working in health care, including how paid and unpaid work intersect with moral distress. At a community level, Alex has supported harm reduction efforts in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, as well pursued opportunities to help support the relocation of LGBTQ/2S refugees. Beyond his graduate degree, Alex hopes to pursue community-based research and program evaluation as a form of transformative justice, exploring how health and well-being can be made more accessible to gender and sexual minorities, as well as drug user communities. Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a certificate in Social Justice from SFU.

Milo Ira (they/them)

SFU MSc Student

Kirstin Kielhold (she/her)

SDSU PhD Student

Alexander Korzuchowski (he/him)

SFU MPH student

Bea Lehmann (she/her)

UBC MSc Student

Bea Lehmann (she/her) is a CGSHE Trainee and an MSc student in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia supervised by Dr. Kathleen Deering. She is using data from the SHAWNA project, focusing on eviction amongst women living with HIV. Bea previously completed her BA in international development at McGill University, where her undergraduate thesis looked at housing disparities amongst minorities in Canada. Bea is a staff writer at UBC’s student newspaper, is a member of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and volunteers with Vancouver Coastal Health’s Women’s Nights. She hopes her work will inform preventative programs to reduce the likelihood of evictions and address their impacts on health equity.

Stefanie Machado (she/her)

SFU PhD Student

Stefanie Machado (she/her) is a CGSHE Trainee and a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Stefanie’s doctoral research focuses on intersectional and structural determinants of im/migrant women’s healthcare access during COVID-19 and beyond. During her BSc and MPH, she explored healthcare access among im/migrants globally and in Canada, focusing on the experiences of international students and women with precarious immigration status. Stefanie has supported the IRIS Study since May 2018, when she joined CGSHE as an MPH Practicum Student. Her interests in im/migrant health and rights stem from her background as a South Asian im/migrant woman born and raised in the United Arab Emirates. Stefanie has completed internships in health promotion and global public health at the Island Sexual Health Society, Health Promotion Canada, and CGSHE/ University of California. At the federal level, Stefanie is a representative of the first Youth Advisory Group of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Locally she volunteers with the Pacific Immigrant Resources Society.

Chelsea Monell (she/her)

UBC MD Student

Chelsea Monell (she/her) is of mixed heritage with Anishinaabe (grandfather from Kenora Ontario) and white settler ancestry. She is a CGSHE Trainee and MD student working with Dr. Brittany Bingham and Dr. Kate Shannon in the UBC Northern Medical Program. Her primary interests are Indigenous health and wellness, reproductive and sexual health rights, pregnancy and maternity care, and family planning services including abortion and contraception. Chelsea is from Prince George, BC and received her Bachelor of Health Sciences in Biomedical Studies and First Nations Studies from the University of Northern British Columbia.

Bea Lehmann (she/her)

UBC MSc Student

Stefanie Machado (she/her)

SFU PhD Student

Chelsea Monell (she/her)

UBC MD Student

Sarah Moreheart (she/her)

SFU PhD Student

Sarah Moreheart (she/her) is a CGSHE Trainee and a doctoral student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, supervised by Dr. Shira Goldenberg and Dr. Kanna Hayashi. She is a Canadian Graduate Doctoral Scholarship (CIHR) recipient. Her PhD project is nested within UBC’s AESHA Project and focus on evaluating innovative and low-threshold health and social support models for sex workers. Sarah previously worked as the Research Coordinator for the AESHA and SHAWNA projects, overseeing the day-to-day research operations of the research cohort teams. Prior to her work with UBC, Sarah worked in and then managed a transitional housing program for women in the Downtown Eastside. The housing program was the first supportive housing program for at-risk women in Canada that screened women in, not out of the program based on the complexities of their needs, and the residents represent the most marginalized members of the community. Sarah has supported the rights of sex workers for over a decade and had the honour to be present in 2013 at the Supreme Court of Canada to hear the arguments on why the laws were unconstitutional and results in a risk of serious harm and death to marginalized women. Sarah’s previous experience with peer-led initiatives, working with experiential staff, and supporting the human rights of sex workers is in alignment with the values and aims of research unfolding at CGSHE. Outside of work, Sarah can be found buried in a book, doing puzzles, or exploring online cat videos. She is @cameagesarah on Twitter.

Alice Murage (she/her)

SFU PhD Student

Alice Murage (she/her) is a CGSHE Trainee and a PhD student at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Simon Fraser University working with CGSHE Faculty Dr. Julia Smith. She has a master’s degree in Public Policy from Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt. Her current research focuses on health and social inequities associated with health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, as a team member of the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society. She previously collaborated on the multi-country Gender and COVID-19 Project. Alice has worked with civil society organizations addressing gendered vulnerabilities through research, programming, and fund raising in Kenya, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Canada. In her spare time, she actively works towards promoting inclusion through community service. Alice is also facilitating the African Ancestry Project, a research and dialogue project aimed at bringing awareness to the diversity of identities and lived experiences of Black people in BC. She is @AMuragz on Twitter.

Mika Ohtsuka (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Mika Ohtsuka (she/they) is a Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health. Under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Deering and Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Mika’s work on the SHAWNA Project focuses on understanding how experiences of violence relate to healthcare access for women living with HIV in Metro Vancouver. Mika’s work is informed by years of experience in community-based sexual assault support services. Before joining UBC and the CGSHE Trainee Network, Mika completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Ontario in psychology and biology and a Master of Public Health at the University of British Columbia. Her work aims to inform healthcare practice and guidelines with a trauma- and violence-informed lens.

Sarah Moreheart (she/her)

SFU PhD Student

Alice Murage (she/her)

SFU PhD Student

Mika Ohtsuka (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Rhiannon Owen (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Rhiannon Owen (she/they) is a doctoral student in the UBC School of Population & Public Health. Her research history and interests lie in HIV, sexual health, social justice, women’s+ health and 2SLGBTQ+ healthcare. Rhiannon’s PhD project is nested within the SHAWNA Project, led by Dr. Kathleen Deering. Their dissertation, co-supervised by Dr. Mark Gilbert, will examine the barriers experienced in accessing HIV healthcare, how gender and sexual fluidity effect these barriers overtime and how the trajectory of HIV treatment and healthcare access changes for 2SLGBTQ+ women living with HIV in Vancouver, BC.

Rhiannon’s other work has centred around vaccine uptake in people living with HIV, experiences of living with HIV and menopause and abortion rights within the U.K. Before joining CGSHE and UBC, they studied nursing at King’s College London and has an MSc in Clinical Trials from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She is a Registered Nurse and has worked as a research nurse in Sexual Health and HIV at University College London and for the World Health Organisation.

Sagar Pannu (he/him)

UBC MSc Student

Sagar Pannu (he/him) is a Graduate Student in the UBC School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Deering.

Jennie Pearson (she/her)

UBC PhD Student

Jennie Pearson (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program at the University of British Columbia. Her research is nested in the AESHA Project at the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity, and is supervised by CGSHE faculty members Dr. Andrea Krüsi and Dr. Shira Goldenberg. It explores the lived experiences of sex workers and outcomes of digital community mobilization in the context of criminalization anti-sex work internet policy. Jennie also works with the AESHA Project as a Community Engagement Associate, collaborating with the qualitative and quantitative research teams on knowledge translation, creative storytelling projects, and community partnership initiatives. Her past work experience ranges from storytelling and journalism to gender equity campaign work and resource development for frontline sex work organizations such as PACE Society. Jennie received a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University and a Masters of Global Communications from Simon Fraser University. Her thesis work examined the internet policy FOSTA/SESTA and its implication for the sex work community. Jennie is passionate about dismantling stigma around sex work and uses her storytelling and research abilities to amplify community-centred dialogue.

Rhiannon Owen (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Sagar Pannu (he/him)

UBC MSc Student

Sagar Pannu (he/him) is a Graduate Student in the UBC School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. Kathleen Deering.

Jennie Pearson (she/her)

UBC PhD Student

Chelsey Perry (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Chelsey Perry (she/they) is a citizen of the Nisg̱a’a First Nation with mixed Nisg̱a’a and settler European ancestry. Their Nisg̱a’a ancestors come from the G̱anada (Raven) Wilp. She lives, works, and learns on the traditional unceded homelands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaɬ Nations. Chelsey is an Indigiqueer PhD student in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. Chelsey’s dissertation work is nested within the Amplify Project, led by Dr. Brittany Bingham. Their dissertation focuses on the intersecting challenges of health inequities and environmental injustices utilizing weaving methodology to integrate Indigenous art-based, qualitative, and quantitative methods to support the creation of healthier and sustainable futures for Indigenous women, gender diverse, and Two-Spirit Peoples. Chelsey is also a graduate research assistant on an Amplify study that focuses on amplifying Indigenous voices for equitable and culturally safe healthcare through Indigenous art and storytelling. She is a board member at Living In Community supporting and advocating for the health and labour rights of sex workers. Chelsey is also a traditional Nisg̱a’a dancer and a part of the Vancouver Nisg̱a’a Dancers.

Andreas Pilarinos (he/him)

UBC PhD Student

Andreas Pilarinos (he/him), MPP, is CGSHE Trainee and UBC doctoral student in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. He is a settler of Greek ancestry who was born and raised in what is now referred to as East Vancouver on the traditional, occupied territories of the Xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ Peoples. Andreas has nearly a decade of frontline experience working as a housing support worker both in and outside of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This work has informed Andreas’s commitment to addressing the health and service gaps that many women and gender diverse people experience, and especially among people who use drugs.At UBC, Andreas research focuses on the treatment of experiences of adolescents and young adults who use opioids. Andreas also serves as a Research Coordinator with the Indigenous Health program at Vancouver Coastal Health conducting health systems research to improve the healthcare experiences and outcomes among Indigenous peoples in the region. He is @A_Pilarinos on Twitter

Emma Stirling-Cameron (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Emma Stirling-Cameron (she/they) is a PhD student and Killam Fellow in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. Emma’s dissertation work is nested within the Maternal and Infant Health Among Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Women (MIHRA) Project, led by Dr. Shira Goldenberg at San Diego State University. Her dissertation is examining the impact that the criminalization of migration (e.g., militarized borders, immigration detention, deterrence-based immigration policy) is having on the sexual and reproductive health of refugee and asylum-seeking women and their children. She is also supervised by Dr. Andrea Krüsi and Dr. Mark Gilbert and is funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research. Emma’s other work is centred around reproductive justice and access to healthcare, particularly perinatal and abortion care, for populations who have been marginalized, including migrants, people of African descent, and 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. Emma is also a Research Scholar with the Contraception and Abortion Research Team and a part-time lecturer at the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. She is a member of the #WelcometoCanada consortium, which is an advocacy organization, led by Amnesty International, seeking to end immigration detention in Canada.

Chelsey Perry (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Andreas Pilarinos (he/him)

UBC PhD Student

Emma Stirling-Cameron (she/they)

UBC PhD Student

Esteban Valencia (they/them)

UBC PhD Student

Esteban Valencia (they/them) is a CGSHE Trainee and a geospatial research assistant for the Dr. Kathleen Deering and Dr. Shira Goldenberg in the UBC Department of Medicine working on the AESHA and SHAWNA projects. Esteban is a PhD student in Population and Public Health at UBC. Their research examines how criminal-legal processes (e.g., policing, incarceration, etc.) affect population health and health disparities. Esteban earned their MPH in epidemiology, with a focus on maternal/child health and demography, from the University of Washington.