Our Team
Let’s nourish connections that foster growth in our community!
Rosanra (rosie) Yoon PhD, NP
Assistant Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, TMU
Rosanra (Rosie) Yoon's (she/her) research area focuses on health services evaluation with a particular focus in integrated care for people experiencing structural vulnerabilities, substance use and mental health challenges. Through community based participatory research methods she leads integrated collaborative initiatives through the Better Together Research Hub. As a nurse practitioner, her clinical area of expertise is in the areas of substance use, concurrent mental health conditions, trauma and gender-informed care. Bridging between community-based grassroots programs and larger systems -- to collaboratively meet the needs of people and communities -- is a core value that guides her clinical and research work. Her firm belief is that health is achieved through our communities where we all work, live, play and belong.
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Dr. Jelena Atanackovic
Senior Research Associate on Team Grant Supporting the Psychological Safety of the LTC Workforce
Jelena Atanackovic (PhD) is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Ottawa and a member of Canadian Health Workforce Network (CHWN). She obtained her PhD in Sociology from McMaster University. Her research interests focus primarily on health and healthcare policy, aging, gender and immigration. Jelena has over 15 years of experience in conducting and coordinating academic research, including the projects related to psychological health and safety and long-term care.
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Beauty F. H. Umana
Senior Research Associate for Canadian Cancer Society Health Equity Proposal Initiative
Beauty is an interdisciplinary scholar drawing on sociolinguistics and global health. Her current research endeavour illuminates how language commonly associated with TB prevention and treatment may be a vehicle for its implicit stigmatization. Her primary scholarly interest aims to reveal how language is utilized to manufacture social and normative experiences, feelings, and public health responses. Beauty has a PhD in Sociolinguistics from University of Cape Town, South Africa, and an MA in Health Policy & Equity from York University, Canada. Her broader research interests include women’s health, TB stigma and vulnerability, cervical and breast cancer and other disease-related stigma.
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Dr. Melissa Corrente
Senior Research Associate on Team Grant Supporting the Psychological Safety of the LTC Workforce
Melissa Corrente is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Ottawa and a part-time faculty member at Nipissing University. She is currently involved in a research study focusing on health care worker burnout. She is passionate about infusing mental well-being into a variety of workplaces recognizing the importance of system and organizational change. Melissa is the mother of two school-aged children.
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Yemisi Onilude
PhD Candidate, Urban Health PhD, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University
Research Assistant: Trauma-informed Organizational & Leadership Capacities Rapid Evidence Synthesis Project & Supporting Psychological Safety of LTC Workforce Team
Yemisi holds a Master of Applied Science with specialization in Health from Toronto Metropolitan University. In addition, she obtained a Master of Arts in Health Policy and Equity, and a Bachelor of Health Studies in Health Management from York University Toronto. Yemisi has seven years’ experience in health care research. Her research interests include health policy and equity, social determinants of health, environmental health, healthcare management, qualitative and quantitative health research. Her proposed PhD research is on long term care homes and equity promoting gender responses to leadership/organizational priorities in Toronto.
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Nivashi Arulventh
Undergraduate Student Trainee/Hub Member - Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University
Summer Research Hub Trainee
Nivashi Arulventh is an undergraduate nursing student with a deep commitment to culturally appropriate mental health care, particularly within South Asian immigrant communities. She combines her interests in perinatal mental health, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and health equity to address pressing issues in these areas. Guided by mentors like Dr. Rosanra Yoon, Dr. Sepali Guruge, and Dr. Farooq Naeem, Nivashi's research focuses on the effectiveness of culturally adaptive CBT and the challenges of social isolation among older immigrant adults.. As she prepares to apply to medical school, Nivashi aims to leverage her research and experiences to become a psychiatrist dedicated to overcoming the stigma surrounding mental health in South Asian populations.
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Anushiya Kuhanathan
Masters of Occupational and Public Health Student, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University
Research Coordinator: Broadview Integrated Model Team & Supporting Psychological Safety of LTC Workforce Team.
Anushiya is pursuing her thesis based master’s in the field of public health. Her thesis focuses on providing a voice to pharmacy staff who administered the COVID-19 vaccines during the height of the pandemic and to learn from their perspectives and experiences for future public health emergencies. Anushiya has and continues to work under the supervision of Dr. Yoon as a graduate research assistant and research coordinator on various projects. Her research interests include mental health, social determinants of health, epidemiology, and women’s health.
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Ambrose Jing
Community member/research trainee
University of Toronto Scarborough, HBSc in Psychology (2015 - 2020). Humber College, Post-graduate certificate in Addiction and mental health (2023 - 2024)
Ambrose (they/them) is a dedicated community member passionate about developing expertise in crisis prevention, intervention, and aftercare. Currently, they work as a crisis responder and mental health worker while actively engaging in research and continuous learning. With an honors bachelor's degree in psychology and a postgraduate certificate in addiction and mental health, Ambrose is committed to centering their career on crisis care, resilience, and trauma-informed mental health care.
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Maria Zuluaga
Research Intern - Broadview Integrated Model Team, Toronto Metropolitan University
Undergraduate Foreign Languages student, Universidad de AntioquiaMaria is a critical thinker mastering fresh communication practices, passionate about languages, backpacking, and worldwide cosmogonies. Her research experience and interests are focused on qualitative approaches on gender studies, decoloniality and interculturality. Alongside her academic background in pedagogy, she has performed as a project manager in the marketing area for 3 years being a team player ruled by the integration of rationality, intuition, and dialectic. Maria is energized by creating genuine human connections and values profoundly intercultural sharing of ways of being and feeling, perceiving diversity as richness. As sign of her creative input, she put together this website.
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Alice (Allie) Qiu
Undergraduate Student Trainee/Hub Member - Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University
Alice is an undergraduate student with a multifaceted career, making significant strides in critical care, early childhood education, and city service management. She leverages her nursing background and health service management minor to advance her expertise in these diverse fields. Alice’s research centers on East Asian health contexts, with a particular focus on mental health, women’s health, and health equity. Guided by Dr. Rosanra Yoon, her interdisciplinary approach synthesizes insights from critical care, education, and urban health to address complex health issues and promote systemic improvements. By pursuing advanced studies and a career in education, Alice aspires to drive advancements in both teaching and health, striving to create a more informed and equitable society through innovative educational practices and research-driven solutions.
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Anoushka, Anoushka
Undergraduate Student Trainee, Collaborative Nursing Degree Program, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University
Bridging Divides Undergraduate Research Intern- TRS 1.8 Project
Anoushka is deeply passionate about nursing, particularly with a focus on children's and women's health, and their intersections with immigrant health and equity based healthcare. As a research assistant intern at Bridging Divides, she benefits from the mentorship of Dr. Rosanara Yoon and Dr. Josephine Wong. Alongside her role at Bridging Divides, Anoushka is also working on a personal rapid review project under Dr. Yoon’s guidance. Her research experiences have refined her skills in scoping reviews, manuscript writing, team management, and organization. As she completes her undergraduate studies, Anoushka is preparing to pursue a master’s in nursing, with a thesis focused on her key areas of interest.
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Michael Butac
PhD Candidate, Urban Health PhD, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University
Research Assistant: Trauma-informed Organizational & Leadership Capacities Rapid Evidence Synthesis Project & Supporting Psychological Safety of LTC Workforce Team
Michael has a diverse academic background in psychology, early childhood studies, and addictions and mental health, which has allowed him to combine his passions of research and frontline community work. Michael has worked at several non-profit organizations, primarily supporting 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness and people living with HIV. His area of research is focused on health equity, particularly with the 2SLGBTQ+ racialized community.
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Caitlin Morissey
Research Intern - Broadview Integrated Model Team, Undergraduate Student - BSc Psychology, Durham University
Caitlin is actively pursuing her passion for research through the MITACS summer research internship, building on her current work experience as a welfare officer and research assistant at Durham University's Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. There, she has honed her interests in mental health and clinical psychology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Rosanra Yoon, Caitlin has broadened her research scope in health service evaluation, gaining specific expertise in trauma and gender-informed approaches to substance use during the preliminary stages of her career. She will apply her experience in conducting focus groups and her training in scoping reviews during the final year of her undergraduate psychology degree, culminating in a dissertation on the effect of self-compassion on procrastination in the student population.