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 an undergraduate student studying International Relations and Psychology. Her interests span the areas of community engagement, and 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. |
 | Choi Shan Ng | MSW Practicum Student (UBC-V) | Choi Shan Ng is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Social Work at UBC as an international student. Her journey in social work began with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Hong Kong. As a Registered Social Worker in Hong Kong, she dedicated herself to working with children and families in preschool settings and non-profit social service organizations for almost 10 years. She is passionate about research, particularly exploring topics related to the welfare of children and families, alongside settlement issues. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 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. |
 | Kyle Turone | Graduate Research Assistant | Kyle Turone (he/him) is a graduate student at the UBC Vancouver School of Social Work. Kyle has several years of outreach and adjudication practice within the social service field as well as lived experience as a former youth in care. Kyle’s research interests include utilizing movement through sport and recreation as a framework for trauma-informed interventions for youth with in-care experience. Kyle has contributed significantly to policy recommendations on transition challenges faced by youth in care with the Child Welfare League of Canada and the Canadian Consortium on Child and Youth Trauma. |
 | Amanda Delane-Thomas | Undergraduate Research Assistant | Amanda Delane-Thomas is 4th year BSW undergrad student at UBC-Vancouver school of Social Work. Amanda has a combination of lived experience as a former youth-in-care and work experience as a youth worker. Amanda is driven towards helping youth in and from government care through adding an academic background by achieving her Bachelor of Social Work degree and aiding her knowledge through research geared towards child welfare. |
 | Trinity Symington | Undergraduate Volunteer | Trinity Symington is in her second year of an undergraduate degree in Psychology at the UBC Okanagan campus. She is a current volunteer for the 2024 Summer term. |
 | Kolbe Neva | Undergraduate Volunteer | Kolbe Neva (he/him) is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the UBC Okanagan Campus. He is currently majoring in Psychology and minoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. Kolbe has a broad range of research interests and a few of which are child and adolescent development as well as assistance and resources for low-income homes. He has work experience as a summer student working for BGC Canada (formerly Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada) daycares and youth summer camps. Kolbe plans to advance his studies in graduate school in the upcoming years to become a registered Clinical Psychologist. He is a current volunteer for the 2024W Academic year. |
(Last Update: August 7, 2024)