Impact & Outreach
In Spring 2022, we launched a new Life Skills Program Guide, summarizing over a decade of research into the key ingredients of immersive, away-from-home life skills programs for young people. The guide also showcases reflections from youth, parents and staff who have experienced these programs first-hand.
As KT co-lead for this flagship product, I couldn’t be more pleased to see it out in the world. To learn more, download the guide (it’s free!) from hollandbloorview.ca/RILSGuide or read a recent feature in the Toronto Star.
Folks, 2021 was a wild ride! I was part of some fabulous projects and exciting collaborations. We celebrated a new mulit-year CIHR project grant at Bloorview (stay tuned!), a long-awaited publication (open-access) from the IRSTE team, and Season Two of the Music for PhDs podcast 🎶
It goes without saying that the year was also one of staying apart, and staying safe. At best, it looked like this:
In 2020 I stepped into the role of guest scientist and co-host on Music for PhDs, an art project disguised as a podcast produced by the fascinating Sunita LeGallou. Check out the website to learn more about Season 1, see the paintings, and read the show notes! Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast fix!
In 2019 I received a scholarship from NSERC to be part of the Beakerhead Science Communication Residency, held at the beautiful Banff Centre for the Arts. Fabulous faculty included Jay Ingram, Mary Anne Moser, John Rennie, and Samantha Yammine (aka Science Sam).
In 2018 I stepped into the role of Knowledge Broker for the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Healthcare, a national organization that produces evidence-based guidelines to inform primary care. Stakeholder partnerships, guideline endorsements, and patient engagement in development were all part of this role.
I enjoy collaborating and engaging with partners working in the arts, education, healthcare, and family services sectors. I have been interviewed by media outlets including the Toronto Star and the CBC, and my work has been featured in the New York Times, the Pacific Standard, the CBC, and in several regional newspapers and personal blogs.
I have acted as a research consultant for numerous independent organizations, including nationwide research on behalf of Orchestras Canada, and for the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra’s hpoGO program. I am available through the Experts on Demand service at Virtual Researchers on Call, and my videos on YouTube have more than 25 000 views. They include a video abstract for a peer-reviewed publication, a TEDx talk, a public lecture, and my award-winning three-minute thesis (3MT).
Finally, I enjoy public outreach and speaking to members of the general public. I have given more than two dozen public lectures, including talks for new parents, university alumni, corporate employees, and residents in seniors homes.