NHP Graduate Award Program

Alexandra Auyeung is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research applies mixed methods approaches to better understand exposure to indoor air pollution across urban environments and its effect on human health. She aims to highlight disparities in exposure, cardiometabolic conditions, and cancer risk for those living in industrialized cities in Canada. Alexandra is supervised by Dr. Matthew Adams.  

Batool M. AlMousawi is an MSc student in Health Systems Research (specializing in artificial intelligence) at the University of Toronto's Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation. Her research employs ethnographic methods to explore community engagement in the design of a population-level diabetes risk prediction model deployed in the Peel region of Ontario. By centering her work on individuals at the intersections of systems of oppression, Batool contributes to the co-design strategy of a responsible, human-centered health innovation that promotes equity in urban environments. Batool is supervised by Dr. Jay Shaw. 

Ibrahim Ghanem is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography, Geomatics, and Environment at the University of Toronto Mississauga. His research focuses on exploring the relationship between neighbourhood-built environments and the health of racialized populations in Canada. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, Ghanem is investigating the pathways through which walkability influences residents’ mobility and health outcomes, with a focus on chronic diseases. Ghanem is supervised by Dr. Kathi Wilson.  

Jo-Ann Osei-Twum is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the link between data-driven approaches to population health management and health inequities. Jo-Ann will use  machine learning methods to predict the risk of kidney health outcomes in Ontario and assess the associated health equity implications. Jo-Ann is supervised by Dr. Laura Rosella.  

Madison Stringer is a PhD candidate in Health Services Research at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Her research focuses on the cost-effectiveness of postpartum diabetes prevention interventions for women with a history of gestational diabetes who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. She is examining how different delivery formats—in-person, virtual or digital—affect health outcomes and value for the healthcare system. Madison is supervised by Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe.  

Scarlett Rakowska is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research integrates multispectral satellite imagery, LiDAR, Google Street View, and public perception surveys to classify urban green space and examine its associations with health outcomes, particularly type 2 diabetes. Scarlett is supervised by Dr. Matthew Adams.

Ibrahim Ghanem is a PhD student in Human Geography at University of Toronto Mississauga, Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment. His research focuses on exploring the relationship between neighbourhood-built environment and health of immigrants in Canada. Utilizing quantitative methods and Geographic Information System (GIS), Ghanem will investigate how neighborhood walkability and food environments impact the health of Arab immigrants. Ghanem is supervised by Professor Kathi Wilson.

Ingrid Giesinger is a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her research explores novel ways to consider the combined effect of multiple social determinants of health on multimorbidity risk. Ingrid will utilize machine learning methods to develop a theoretically informed social exposure measure, and evaluate the effect of total social exposure on multimorbidity incidence in Ontario. Ingrid is working under the supervision of Professor Laura Rosella.

Sonya Grewal is a MSc student in Health Services Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Using qualitative methods, her research will explore the barriers and enablers to accessing and using cancer genetics services among racialized and ethnic communities in Ontario. By understanding the needs, priorities and concerns of populations experiencing these disparities, Sonya's work will contribute to the co-design of interventions integral to equitable clinical genetics service delivery and outcomes. Sonya is supervised by Dr. Yvonne Bombard.

Ijeoma Itanyi is a Ph.D. Candidate in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Her research aims to use machine learning and causal inference methods to examine and predict multimorbidity risk among adults in Ontario. Additionally, she will investigate disparities in multimorbidity risk across various population groups to inform health equity initiatives to improve population health. Ijeoma is co-supervised by Dr. Karen Tu and Dr. Laura Rosella.

Mary Anne Panoyan is a PhD Candidate in Anthropology with a specialization in Global Health at the Faculty of Arts and Science. Her research uses cross-disciplinary approaches to identify modifiable factors and biological markers that are associated with chronic disease to better understand disease etiology and prevention. Her current project focuses on determining the causal effect of cardiometabolic traits on Alzheimer’s Disease using large biobanks. Panoyan is co-supervised by Professor Esteban Parra and Assistant Professor Daniel Felsky. 

Scarlett Rakowska is a PhD student in the Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research focuses on using geospatial techniques to investigate the spatial associations of health diseases with exposure and accessibility to outdoor urban spaces. Her study aims to access noncommunicable diseases (e.g. type 2 diabetes) through a geospatial lens. Rakowska is supervised by Dr. Matthew Adams.