Areas of Interest

My research interests straddle the fields of population health and healthy community planning. My multi-disciplinary background allows me to draw from a range of disciplines in my work, including health policy, epidemiology, health geography, and urban planning. I typically employ mixed-methods research designs and a social determinants of health lens informs my work. I am especially driven by my interests in the opportunities and challenges to reducing health inequities at the local level. To that end, most of my research focuses on how to improve the upstream, non-medical determinants of health and well-being in communities. I am open to supervising undergraduate and graduate students on a range of different topics that relate to my interests. Prospective students are also encouraged to check out my Opportunities for Students page for a current list of specific research projects for which I am seeking student support.

Current Research as Principal Investigator

• School Streets & Play Streets. Levelling the Playing Fields: Evaluating the effects of School Streets and Play Streets on outdoor free play, independent mobility, and active transportation among young children in Kingston and Montreal. CIHR Grant funded project, 2021-2023. Co-Principal Investigator: Kate Frohlich. Co-Investigators: Mariana Brussoni, Sarah Fraser, Stephanie Alexander, Ian Janssen, et al. See Opportunities for Students page.
• School Closures. Communities left behind? A timely examination of school closure controversies for justice-informed decision-making on the fate of public schools in Ontario. SSHRC Insight Grant funded project, 2018-2022. Co-Investigators: Jennifer Dean, Bill Irwin, Jeffrey Masuda, Mark Seasons, Wayne Caldwell. See Opportunities for Students page.
• Playground Deserts. Examining playground deserts in Kingston Ontario. Unfunded. Co-Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Masuda. See Opportunities for Students page.

Current Research as Co-Investigator

• Food Insecurity. Best practices for Canadian municipalities to promote the right to food for all. SSHRC Insight Grant funded project, 2016-2018. Research team: Elaine Power (PI), Patricia Collins, Margaret Little, Jeffrey Hoch, Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai, Sharon Kirkpatrick, Sarah Wakefield.
• Electric Bicycles. Towards healthy mid-sized cities: Assessing the potential for electric bicycles to facilitate transportation reform using big data. CIHR Planning Grant funded project, 2018-2019. Research team: Jennifer Dean (PI), Patricia Collins, Sara Edge, Alexander Crizzle, Jeff Casello, Lukasz Golab, Jane Law, Leia Minaker, Tor Oiamo, Keshav Srinivasan.

Completed Research Projects

Please see the Publications page for an overview of previous research projects.