Location, Location, Location 

Where you live has a great impact on your level of access to services. Prime school districts and proximity to transportation are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding how location, or geographies of opportunity, affect Canadians, particularly vulnerable populations.  

Dr. Mark Rosenberg, Canada Research Chair in Development Studies, and his team of graduate students and researchers work to analyze and address inequalities in access to services such as health care, social services, and housing to drive the development of public policy. His research has examined impacts on aging populations, women’s health, and Indigenous people’s access to health care and social services.  

Rosenberg’s recent project, Age-Friendly Communities: Friendly for Whom?, examines core housing needs and community supports of aging populations across Canada whose voices tend not to be heard in the development and planning of age-friendly communities. A collaborative project with researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Toronto, this research examines, in particular, impacts on aging Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrant, and low socioeconomic populations.  

Rosenberg’s impact on research also extends globally, including China, where he has worked with research teams to develop programs on geographical barriers and access to service. He and his research partners in China recently received a grant to analyze barriers for long-term care services and service coordination in China’s urban areas.  

An important aspect of Rosenberg’s program of research is to collaborate with graduate students on a wide range of topics. For example, a project that examines the challenges that families face when their children transition from teenagers to adults with severe disabilities, another explores older people’s access to health services in Ghana, while an additional project studies the challenges of providing residential care for older people, especially those with dementia.