Research

Featured Project: Transforming the Lives of Black Children and Youth.

Black children and youth in Canada continue to face systemic barriers, including poorer health outcomes, higher rates of poverty, and disproportionate involvement in the child welfare and justice systems. They also experience challenges in education and settlement. This project responds to a United Nations call to address anti‑Black racism and improve outcomes for Black children, youth, and families.

Working in partnership with Black communities, policymakers, service providers, researchers, and trainees, the project aims to:

• Build leadership and research skills among Black youth and emerging scholars
• Mobilize evidence to strengthen community capacity and improve well‑being
• Share knowledge that supports better health, education, and social outcomes
• Advance community‑driven      solutions to systemic racism.

Through an interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and bilingual network and knowledge hub, the project supports Black youth and early‑career researchers as they transition into academic and non‑academic careers. The work also informs interventions that address overrepresentation in child welfare and justice systems, educational inequities, and settlement challenges.

Featured Project: African Child and Youth Migration and Well Being.

This project examines the health, well being, and everyday experiences of African migrant and displaced children and youth living across different countries. Many of these young people face trauma, poverty, discrimination, and limited access to essential services such as healthcare and education.

Using a collaborative, transnational, and intersectional approach, the project brings together partners from multiple countries and disciplines to understand how these children navigate their lives and what supports help them thrive.

The project also builds an international network of researchers focused on African migrant child well being. Its findings aim to inform programs, services, and policies at national and global levels, contributing to meaningful improvements in the lives of African migrant and displaced children.

Featured Project: Nutrition and Precision Health of Black People.

This project explores how nutrition and sedentary behaviour among Black Canadians are connected to social and demographic factors such as age, income, education, language, employment status, immigrant status and gender. By examining these patterns, the project helps build a clearer understanding of nutrition, metabolic health, and lifestyle behaviours within Black communities.

The work contributes to a growing body of knowledge on Black People’s health in Canada, including completing a comprehensive review of existing research and evidence gaps. The findings will support the development of culturally informed interventions (in terms of disease susceptibility, progression, resilience, reversibility), prevention programs, and treatment strategies for diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect Black Canadians.

Featured Project: Mental Health of Black Children in Alberta.

This project will examine the mental health of Black children in the Province of Alberta, who often experience significant racial and ethnic health disparities. Alberta has one of the fastest growing populations of Black people in the country, and their communities represent 16.1% of Canada’s racialized population, face persistent barriers in accessing and receiving equitable mental healthcare.

Working in partnership with Black parents and children, Black community organizations, and healthcare professionals, the project investigates disparities in healthcare access, service use, and mental health outcomes. The goal is to develop culturally informed mental health promotion strategies that address these inequities and support the mental well being of Black children in the Province of Alberta.

Featured Project: Health Services Use and Health Outcomes of Black People.

This project will explore the factors that shape the health of Black people in Canada, including their access to healthcare, patterns of healthcare use, and the social determinants that influence health outcomes and explore the perspectives of Black communities in Canada. By identifying how these factors interact, the project builds a clearer understanding of the barriers and inequities Black communities face within the healthcare system.

The findings will support knowledge mobilization efforts and inform the development of programs and policies that improve healthcare access, service utilization, and overall health outcomes for Black Canadians.

Featured Project: Breast Cancer Screening Among Black People in Alberta: Canadian Cancer Society.

This project examines the experiences of Black women in Alberta as they navigate breast cancer screening. It aims to highlight both the barriers that make screening difficult and the factors that help support timely and effective screening. By centering the voices of Black women, the project seeks to better understand the unique challenges they face within the healthcare system.

Working in partnership with unscreened Black women, Black communities, spouses and family members, and religious leaders, the project aims to:

• Share knowledge that addresses screening challenges and strengthens cancer prevention support

• Develop tailored interventions and co create knowledge mobilization tools for each group involved

• Co develop, deliver, and evaluate actions that improve breast cancer screening uptake

• Provide support to participants throughout their cancer related journeys

The project ultimately seeks to improve breast cancer screening rates and ensure that Black women receive equitable, culturally responsive care.

Featured Project: Climate Justice and Mobility Justice.

This project explores how environmental change and migration related mobility injustices affect the health and well being of Black and other racialized communities.

These communities often face disproportionate exposure to environmental risks, limited mobility, and structural barriers that shape their health outcomes. Through a comprehensive review and community collaboration, the project will co-develops a research agenda to address environmental and mobility related health inequities.