PhD Candidate

As an Anishinaabe (Indigenous) Master’s student and entrepreneur, I am interested in exploring the roles that Indigenous social enterprise and Social Innovation can play in decolonization and reconciliation in Canada.

Since launching my company in 2013, I have met several successful Indigenous entrepreneurs that have contributed to decolonization and reconciliation through their Indigenous-inspired products and services that are aimed at educating the public about Indigenous culture.

To date, much of the literature has focused on Aboriginal Economic Development (AED) and negative stories associated with business relations in Indigenous communities (e.g., pollution and contamination due to resource extraction).

My aim is to tell ‘another story’ about Indigenous entrepreneurs who are helping to change the cultural landscape through their ability to be social innovators and progressive thought leaders through entrepreneurship.

M.A. Candidate, co-supervised by Dr. Kristan Aronson

Ph.D. Candidate, co-supervised by Dr. Michael Tschakovsky

People with inadequate income are unable to secure food without compromising other basic needs (e.g., housing). In Canada, older people are least likely to experience food insecurity, largely due to federal income supports. However, these benefits are under constant threat, and food security among older adults is largely unexplored.

The aim of my research is to examine the nature and extent of food security among older people in Canada. I will draw on data from the Canadian Community Health Survey to quantitatively explore social and geographic factors that lead to differences in food security within this population.

These findings are intended to contribute to policies and programs that support equitable opportunities for healthy aging into the later years.

SSHRC Post-doctoral Fellow 2015-2016

Broadly, my research interests straddle two fields in human geography —

1. urban geography
2. health geography.

Within urban geography, I am interested in housing and settlement patterns of immigrants within cities. Housing consumption choices and settlement patterns in cities are intricately linked to several outcomes including health and wellbeing, educational attainment, political/community participation, and labour market engagement among others.

Among immigrants, these outcomes to a large extent symbolise successful integration into the new society. The aim of this research is to further the understanding of immigrant integration by examining the impact of transnational behaviours on housing consumption.

Within health geography, I have interests in healthcare access inequalities and emerging health conundrums in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). My research on healthcare access examines the extent to which the recent introduction of a pro-poor national health insurance scheme in Ghana has succeeded in bridging the health care access gap between the rich and poor.

My interest in emerging health challenges focus on aging and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Ghana. Aging trends and projections in Africa suggest that starting from the next decade the continent will be home to an increasing number of older people — numbers that have never been observed on the continent.

These changes will have profound effects on several areas of research including healthcare systems, urban planning and transportation, and labour market strategies among others. My research in this area focuses on the increasing importance of NCDs as cause of morbidity and mortality in a context where infectious diseases still have an influence on population health (i.e. the double burden of disease).