This month the Wellesley Junior Fellowship launches with the aim of developing the next generation of social policy researchers. The fellows will spend one year involved in intensive training and individual project work that bridges research, policy, and knowledge translation.
Rebecca Cheff, Bob Gardner Equity Fellow • @RebeccaCheff
As a new Junior Fellow at the Wellesley Institute, Rebecca is working with community health centres to understand and strengthen their advocacy capacity. She is driven to better understand and address the roots of health inequities through action-oriented research and advocacy, in partnership with communities, service providers, and policy makers. She has experience in community engagement and partnered research related to healthy communities, LGBTQ health, and newcomer income security through her work at Access Alliance, CAMH, the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St. Michael’s Hospital, and the Healthier Cities & Communities Hub at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Rebecca completed her MPH in Health Promotion at the University of Toronto.
Nadha Hassen, SAMI (Social Aetiology of Mental Illness) Fellow • @nadhassen
Nadha holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Toronto. She was a CIHR Fellow in Public Health Policy and also completed the Community Development Collaborative Program. For the last five years Nadha has worked in research at policy and community levels, including roles at Public Health Ontario, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and Africa’s Children-Africa’s Future (AC-AF). Having completed an undergraduate degree in Architectural Design and minoring in Environmental Science, she is interested in exploring the connections between the built environment and population health. She employs a health equity lens to identify populations and areas where there is a greater need for research and action.
Dhvani Katakia • @DhvaniKatakia
Dhvani is passionate about improving population health through public policies. Dhvani holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Toronto where she was also a CIHR Fellow in Public Health Policy. In the past, Dhvani has attained experience in research, policy, and community development. She has conducted mental health research within academia and policy analysis at federal and provincial public health departments. She has also facilitated various community health programs within local and international settings. Dhvani’s experiences and interests are in child and family health, healthy public policies, and action-oriented research. As a Wellesley Junior Fellow, Dhvani is interested in addressing the root causes of child health inequities in Toronto.
Juan Camilo Sanchez • @JCSR_1
Juan holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy jointly awarded by the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary and the University of York in York, United Kingdom. He has interned with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Costa Rica and Hungary where he developed an interest and understanding of global refugee issues. He has participated in various research projects in Canada and internationally. His main interest is the integration of refugees into the labour market and more generally in issues surrounding immigration policy.