WHO ARE WE?
The British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Dr. Mariana Brussoni
Dr. Mariana Brussoni is Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. She is an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the British Columbia Injury Research & Prevention Unit. Mariana is a founding member and on the board of Outdoor Play Canada.
Mariana is a developmental psychologist whose award-winning research investigates child injury prevention and children’s risky play, focusing on parent and caregiver perceptions of risk, and design of outdoor play-friendly environments – with a special focus on promoting equitable access to outdoor play. After years spent examining child injury statistics and researching injury prevention, Mariana became interested in the intersection between injury prevention, risk taking and outdoor play, concerned that well-meaning attempts to keep children safe were putting too many limits on children’s play despite the fact that serious injuries are rare. She partners with practitioners and policy makers in early childhood education, schooling, municipal planning and recreation provision, with the aim of creating environments where all children thrive in healthy societies. She has published her research extensively and has been widely featured in international media.
Websites:
Advisory Roles:
Book Dr. Brussoni and Play Outside UBC Lab members as Speakers
Dr. Brussoni and Play Outside UBC Lab members are available for speaking engagement. Please provide a minimum of two months notice prior to your event.
Christina Han
Research Coordinator
Christina Han is a social science researcher working with Dr. Brussoni as Research Coordinator and Lab Manager. She oversees the implementation, coordination and data analyses of several research studies as well as the management of the Play Outside UBC lab. She has 15+ years of qualitative and mixed-methods research experiences, and authored over 25 peer-refereed articles (ResearchGate).
Dawn Mount
Research Coordinator
Dawn Mount is coordinating the PROmoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO) study in partnership with the YMCA. She has over 10 years of experience working in pediatric research, focusing on prevention and clinical practice improvements. Dawn’s background is in early childhood education and psychology. She is passionate about community-oriented initiatives that empower children and families to live their best lives.
Rachel Ramsden
Research Coordinator
Rachel is a Research Coordinator at the Play Outside Lab and a PhD student in the School of Population and Public Health. Rachel’s research examines outdoor environments and children’s outdoor play using mixed-methods, participatory-planning approaches with children. Rachel previously worked in community planning and child care design, and holds a Masters degree in Public Health (2016) and a Bachelors of Kinesiology (2013). In her free time, Rachel enjoys running with her dog and playing on her community soccer team.
Mehdi Shirmaleki
Biostatistician
Mehdi Shirmaleki is an experienced data scientist skilled in statistical analysis, machine learning, and data visualization. With a Master’s degree in Statistics and a minor in Computer Science, he transforms complex data into actionable insights. Proficient in Python, R, SQL, SAS, Tableau, and Power BI; he has worked in healthcare and enjoys interdisciplinary collaboration.
Dalia Vukmirovich
Research Assistant
Dalia Vukmirovich is a research assistant with Dr. Brussoni at the Human Early Learning Partnership (University of British Columbia) and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dalia completed her MA degree (Sociology) at Simon Fraser University, and has worked on Health and Social Science research at UBC, SFU, University of Victoria and City of Vancouver. She has also worked in tourism and marine transportation sectors, non-profit arts and the film industry.
Emily Fox
Research Assistant
Emily Fox recently graduated from the University of British Columbia with her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology. She is also a Research Assistant for the PRO-ECO study. Emily is interested in how reframing risk in outdoor play influences children’s self-efficacy and risk-taking behaviours.
Lauren Wong
Research Assistant
Lauren Wong is a research assistant with the PRO-ECO study, specializing in ArcGIS and spatial analysis. She is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto’s Health Studies program, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems. She is passionate about combining her population health background and her data analysis skills to investigate the root causes of health problems, and hopes to pursue a career in epidemiology. In her free time, Lauren enjoys trying new food, reading science fiction/fantasy books, and mending clothes.
Chelsea Williams
Research Assistant
Chelsea Williams recently completed her undergraduate degree in Microbiology & Immunology at the University of British Columbia. Chelsea’s keen interest in the Brussoni Lab’s research stems from her previous experience working with children in various educational and sports-based settings. Currently, she assists the team with the PRO-ECO study. With her interests in pediatric and women’s reproductive health, Chelsea hopes to pursue a career in medicine in the future.
Hebah Hussaina
Graduate Student
Hebah Hussaina is an MSc. student at the University of British Columbia, in the Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences Program. She has a strong background in pediatric health sciences research in a variety of settings. Hebah assists with multiple research studies across the lab, and is passionate about supporting healthy child development through community action and empowerment.
Megan Zeni
Graduate Student
Megan Zeni is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at UBC. Her research interests include developing professional learning communities with in-service teachers to bridge emerging theories with teaching practices that include unstructured outdoor play as a pedagogical approach. Megan has over 25 years of experiences as a professional educator, and currently teaches in a public school outdoor and garden classroom. To learn more about her work, visit: www.meganzeni.com.
Breann Corcoran
Graduate Student
Breann Corcoran is a PhD student in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. She has 15 years of experience working with local health authorities in BC in community development and community engagement roles. She currently works part-time with BC Cancer’s Screening & Prevention team and is particularly interested in neighbourhood design to support healthy child development. More recently Breann’s work has focused on the use of shade as a design tool for skin cancer prevention in early childhood settings.
Julia Lukacs
Graduate Student
Julia Lukacs is a Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at Simon Fraser University. She obtained her M.Sc. from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in Developmental Psychopathology, and has worked in five countries in public/mental health research and psychology. Julia is currently working on her dissertation project on how caregivers of children with anxiety or ADHD diagnoses perceive risk-taking and risky outdoor play.
Emma Raaflaub
Graduate Student
Emma Raaflaub is a MPH student at UBC and holds her MEd in curriculum development. Emma has six years of education experience exploring how outdoor play can be integrated further in curriculum and is interested in ways children learn and grow in outdoor spaces. She is involved with the BE OUT study, providing intervention tools for elementary school teacher to promote outdoor play and learning.
Tasfiyah Kabir
Work Learn Student
Tasfiyah Kabir is a B.Sc+MM Dual-Degree student studying Physiology, Pharmacology, Global Health Policy and Business Management at UBC. Her passion for working with and advocating for children’s rights led her to work with the Play Outside UBC Lab as a Research Assistant. She assists with multiple projects in the lab and is interested in child development and pediatric research. She currently works part-time with Fraser Health and UNICEF Canada. Tasfiyah hopes to pursue a career in pediatrics in the future.
Viann Chan
Volunteer
Viann Chan recently graduated from University College London with a BSc in Psychology and Language Science. She is working on knowledge mobilization and website revamping with the Play Outside Lab. Viann is interested in mixed methods research on developmental populations, particularly in the intersection between creative expression and mental health. She currently works part-time as a behaviour interventionist and is studying full-time at UBC for a Postgraduate Diploma in Special Education.
Past Team Members
Allison Ezzat
Graduate Student
Physical Activity Participation and Health-Related Outcomes in Adolescent Females following Sport-Related Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Mixed Methods Study
Amalie Lambert
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Amy Schneeberg
Graduate Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Anchal Kataria
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Andrew Wilson
Research Assistant
Playability Study (PLAY)
Aygun Ibrahimova
Volunteer
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Erica Zallen
Research Assistant
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Fritha Munday
Graduate Student
Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)
Genevieve Creighton
Graduate Student
Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)
George Ko
Medical Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Grace Chan
Medical Student
Child Home Safety Study and Mothers’ Risk Engagement and Protection Study (REPS)
Hannah Coo
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Hannah Zimmering
Volunteer
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Ivana Lexa-French
Graduate Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Janae Vlaar
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Jaspreet Dhillon
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY) and Go Play Outside Study (GPO)
Jessica Flores
Graduate Student
The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and ED Injuries’ Psychological Dimensions Study
Julia Zhu
Research Assistant
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Juliana Lane
Volunteer
Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play
Kathryn Soo
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY), Go Play Outside Study (GPO), Early Childhood Outside (ECO), and Early Childhood Outside RCT (ECO-RCT)
Keeva Lupton
Medical Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Kendra Wong
Work Learn Student
Child Home Safety Study, Fathers’ Risks Engagement and Protection Study (REPS), and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Kerry Walker
Medical Student
Validity and Reliability of the EQ5D among a Paediatric Injury Population Study and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Linlin Wang
Work Learn Student
PRO-ECO Study
Lise Olsen
Graduate Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI) & Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)
Mathilde Duflos
Postdoctoral Fellow
Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play
Matthew Hanna
Work Learn Student
Aging Road Warriors: An Emerging Public Health Concern
Michelle O’Kane
Graduate Student
Playability study (PLAY)
Morgan Yates
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Muhammah Assad
Volunteer
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Nelson Luk
Volunteer
Burden of Injury Study (BOI) and Fathers on Child’s Play Masculinities in Rural and Urban Canada
Ricky Zhang
Volunteer
Examining Childhood Risk Appraisal Measurements using Electroencephalography
Sami Kruse
Research Coordinator
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Sara Brunelle
Graduate Student
Play worth remembering I
Sarah Foster
Medical Student
Urban Versus Rural Fathers’ Ideas of Risk and Risk Prevention
Stacey Sholter
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Tak Ishikawa
Graduate Student
Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)
Tina Cheng
Volunteer
Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)
Vincent Li
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Varun Nair
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Yingyi Lin
Research Assistant
Playability Study (PLAY) & Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)
Willow Leahy
Volunteer
Literature review outdoor risky play for children with exceptionalities
Become a Graduate Student
Dr. Brussoni supervises graduate students through the UBC School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) and the Women’s and Children’s Health Sciences (WACH) Program. If you are interested in pursuing graduate studies, you can check program requirements through SPPH or WACH.
Become a Work Study Student or Volunteer
Work/Learn is a program at the University of British Columbia that provides students with opportunities to gain professional skills. At the Play Outside UBC lab, we place a strong emphasis on students’ learning experience. Many students have had the opportunity to gain research experience through working or volunteering in the lab.
If you would like to work or volunteer at the Play Outside UBC lab, please contact the research coordinator at playoutside@bcchr.ca, visit the Work/Learn program website, and/or apply for a position in UBC Career Services Online.