CSSCF Staff
| CSSCF Staff Member | Name | Position | About |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Michelle O'Kane | Research Coordinator (UBC-V) | Michelle O'Kane is a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver) and a Registered Social Worker. Her research focuses on child protection systems, judgement and decision making, supervisory neglect as a maltreatment classification, and children in public space. |
 | Cathy Jiu | Knowledge Translation Assistant (UBC-V) | Cathy (she/her) is a sixth-year undergraduate student studying International Relations and Psychology. Her interests span the areas of community engagement, and health advocacy, equity and policy. As Knowledge Translation Assistant, she is most interested in exploring the facets of knowledge exchange and innovative dissemination methods, and how they can further facilitate the application of research to inform policymaking and social welfare programming. Upon graduation, she hopes to pursue further studies in public health. |
CSSCF Okanagan Project Team Members
| CSSCF Okanagan Team Member | Name | About |
|---|---|---|
 | Alex Narayan | Alex Narayan is currently a MSW student in the UBCO School of Social Work |
 | Jennifer Hoffmeister | Jennifer Hoffmeister is currently a MSW student in the UBCO School of Social Work. |
 | Lauren Colborne | Lauren Colborne is currently a MSW student in the UBCO School of Social Work. |
 | Sawlat Tirtha | Sawlat Tirtha is currently a MSW student in the UBCO School of Social Work. |
CSSCF Vancouver Project Team Members
| CSSCF Vancouver Team Member | Name | Position | About |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Marko Berrak-Tinaz | Graduate Research Assistant | Marko is a second-year graduate student at UBC studying a Master of Arts in Human Development, Learning and Culture. Marko is a former youth-from-care and adoptee from Toronto. He has had the honour and privilege of serving many child welfare organizations across Canada. Marko brings his lived, professional and academic expertise to his work. When not working, he enjoys spending time outdoors or at a local cafe/ restaurant with close friends and loved ones. |
 | Connie Bird | Graduate Research Assistant | Connie Bird (she/her) is a doctoral student at UBC-Vancouver School of Social Work. After 20 years of professional practice she decided to pursue doctoral studies to follow her passion for improving the outcomes of children and youth in government care. |
 | Kaan Göncü | Graduate Research Assistant | Kaan Göncü is a PhD student at UBC, School of Social Work. They earned a master's degree in Social Policy and Social Services from Istanbul University in 2018. Kaan has actively supported queer organizations and served as a Turkish Sign Language interpreter for the deaf queer community in Turkey. At UBC, they've been part of research projects on peer support among trans and gender diverse communities, social work practices and access to health services among trans and gender diverse people, and medical assistance in dying in Canada with a focus on disability justice. They've also contributed as a graduate research assistant with the REAFFIRM team, writing policy briefs on reproductive health rights for trans and queer people and access to gender affirming care to help mapping 2S/LGBTQ+ affirming policies across Canada. Kaan has also been awarded a CIHR training fellowship to support their ongoing learning and development in the area of 2S/LGBTQ+ health equity.” They work at UBC equity and inclusion office as a research assistant in the CRC Connections & Mentorship Program and the Preferential Hiring project. Their current PhD research explores the lived-experiences of trans and gender diverse people with disabilities in accessing gender-affirming care in Canada. |
 | Elie Haddad | Graduate Research Assistant | Elie Ghassan Haddad (he/him) is a recent graduate of UBC’s MSW program as well as a Registered Social Worker within the Province of British Columbia. Elie’s career as a social worker first began in 2013 in Edmonton, Alberta. Some of his interests include international and community development, at-risk and high-risk youth work and the intersection between social policy and research. In the future, Elie’s hopes to complete a PhD in Social Work and conduct research on the lived-in experiences of newcomers to Canada who have been displaced by armed conflict and geo-political unrest. |
 | Olive Huang | Undergraduate Research Assistant | Olive is a fourth-year psychology student interested in the impact of early life experiences on future coping of stressful events and savouring of positive events, as well as childhood disorders, especially ADHD and autism. She hopes to pursue graduate studies and conduct research to inform policy change and social welfare program development. Outside research, she loves to dance and cook! |
 | Min Kim | Undergraduate Research Assistant | Min Kim (she/they) was born in Seoul, Korea and immigrated to the lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, or so-called Vancouver, when she was 10 years old. She is going into her fourth year of the Bachelor of Social Work program and holds a previous degree in Global Health with a Minor in Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies from UBC. She has worked with Korean diasporic communities to provide one-on-one support, to organize for tenants’ rights movements and liaise with legal aid, and to empower political engagement. As an emerging social worker, she is interested in continuing to work with diasporic communities in the realm of wellbeing, community development, and political empowerment. |
 | Halina Faqirzada | Undergraduate Volunteer | Halina Faqirzada is a third-year undergraduate student completing her Bachelor Of Social Work at University of British Columbia situated on the ancestral and stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people. Halina, an Afghan refugee, arrived to Turtle Island in the year 2000 with the intention of returning to her ancestral lands to empower communities through accessible education and the establishment of child welfare programs. Halina has worked as a Youth Worker and Women’s Support Worker at various social service programs in the Downtown Eastside for almost a decade. Her interests include decolonizing stolen lands, confronting the fundamental white supremacy present in Canadian systems, advancing equity in all spheres of life, and increasing awareness about the detrimental effects of childhood trauma, and imperialism, including armed conflict. |
(Last update: January 27, 2024)