Dr Harvey Skinner is Professor Emeritus of Psychology & Global Health; a Senior
Fellow at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research; and Founding Dean (2006-
2016) of the Faculty of Health, York University. He is a Registered Psychologist (retired) in Ontario and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Harvey is placed in the Top 2% World Scientists by the Stanford University worldwide analysis with respect to research citations and impact metrics. Four of his instruments are widely used internationally for the assessment of drug problems (DAST: Drug Abuse Screening Test), alcohol dependence (ADS: Alcohol Dependence Scale), family functioning (FAM: Family Assessment Measure), and eHealth literacy (eHEALS). He was one of the first to focus on linking behavior change, organizational improvement and information technology (e-health), summarized in his 2002 book Promoting Health Through Organizational Change. Harvey has a longstanding interest in peacebuilding and global health for all.

Currently, Harvey co-leads with his partner Susan Harris the Wellness Impact Lab (WIL)
at the Dahdaleh Institute, which promotes integrated health and wellness practices. A
key focus is addressing climate distress to action. Also, he leads online Qi Gong (Tai
Chi) sessions open to students, staff/faculty and the community (https://stressbusting.info.yorku.ca/). At a personal level, Harvey maintains a wellness
practice of Mindfulness Meditation and Qi Gong. He has 5 children and 9 grandchildren.
His passion is ‘healing ourselves, healing our world’.

Susan Harris MSW (pronouns: she/her) is a social worker who worked with issues of mental health, abuse, and trauma for over 40 years at various levels from front-line to directorship. Susan completed the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification training program led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. She also finished the Community Dharma Teacher Training with True North Insight.

Susan co-developed the Mindfulness Based Trauma Counselling Group Program for people who have experienced abuse and trauma. She has been cultivating her meditation practice for over 25 years through retreats, daily practice, and study.  As white bodied person, Susan has a particular interest in combatting white supremacy and actively engages in the inner work of racial healing.  Susan is also keen to explore bringing the teachings on mindfulness and compassion to meeting the distress caused by environmental disruption and climate crisis.

Shamim Samadi is an undergraduate Kinesiology and Health Science student at York University. She is passionate about global health research, primarily focusing on health policies that affect populations and universal approaches to health priorities. As a pre-dental student, Shamim integrates her passions into projects and events on behalf of Bright Future Dentists, a community she has co-founded that offers education, networking, and mentorship to pre-dental students in pursuit of their goals.

Shamim hopes to expand her learning opportunities related to global health with her current research on the relationship between hosting sports mega-events and the policing of populations through anti-trafficking policies and measures. She strongly believes that exploring the concept of health beyond the confines of disease prevention is crucial for promoting healthcare approaches that cater to an individual’s physical, mental, and social well-being while fostering resilience.

Laura Rosa is an undergraduate student at York University, specializing in Global Health Policy, Management and Systems. Growing up as an immigrant, she developed a strong passion for the universal right to health, sparking her interest in global health research. Now, as a Global Health Intern at the Wellness Impact Lab, Laura aims to investigate the intersection between the health of our planet and that of our populations while exploring how the One Health approach can be applied to policy-making to foster sustainability and resilience within communities. She is committed to promoting health equity through her work and wishes to pursue graduate studies in the field of epidemiology.

Jennifer Corriero has been a social innovator for over 20 years who has a commitment to meaningful community engagement. She is the Executive Director of TakingITGlobal, an organization she co-founded in 1999 that co-designs and delivers youth engagement programs that leverage the power of technology and creativity. She has led microgrants programs supporting community-led initiatives since 2004; and since 2015, TakingITGlobal has grown the Connected North program to offer virtual interactive learning experiences for classrooms based in remote, Indigenous communities. Jennifer holds a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University and has served as Adjunct Professor for the Faculty of Health at York University between 2011-2016 where she helped to launch the Agents of Change course. Currently, Jennifer is a Community Fellow working with the Wellness Impact Lab (WIL), Dahdaleh Institute at York University.

Katherine Newman, a cognitive neuroscientist, specializes in advancing brain stimulation for mental health.  She develops personalized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocols to modulate functional brain networks, enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing side effects for both healthy individuals and those with neurological disorders.  Her work is at the forefront of personalized medicine, aiming to customize treatments to each individual’s unique neural patterns.

Ms. Newman’s research, also addressing the growing issue of eco-anxiety, focuses on resilience and mental well-being in response to the climate crisis.  Her interdisciplinary approach underscores her commitment to both human health and planetary sustainability.  Driven by a passion for unraveling the complexities of the brain and for improving mental health outcomes, Ms. Newman’s efforts position her at the forefront of neuroscience and environmental wellness.

Currently, at the Wellness Impact Lab at the Institute, Christy is supporting trainees on projects reviewing evidence for climate distress interventions and the recent use of the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST).

Christy earned her B.Sc and M.Sc from the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon. She then completed her doctoral studies in Epidemiology from York University, Toronto (2018) and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Ottawa (2019). Christy’s research interests include non-communicable disease epidemiology, global health, aging, and women’s health. Major projects that she continues to lead examine the intersection between reproductive, cardiovascular, and brain health using large data from the U.S and Canada, as well as systematic reviews in those areas. She is also interested in longitudinal data analysis, program evaluation, knowledge synthesis and translation.

Cameron Norman is a behavioural scientist, professional designer, evaluator, and educator whose work focuses on the interplay of evidence and action through strategic design and evaluation. His research and consulting practice has centred on human services innovation, behaviour change, and well-being.

Cameron’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic included supporting public health units in Ontario to transition out from their emergency response to integrate the innovations and lessons learned into ongoing practice. He also founded the Design Loft initiative, a training program for professional evaluators on using design-driven methods for creativity and innovation. Cameron has served on the faculty of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, as a member of the health innovation staff at the Ivey School of Business (Western University), and recently as a faculty member in the Design and Health program at OCAD University.

Dr. Norman co-developed the concept of eHealth literacy and the eHealth Literacy Scale (with Dr. Harvey Skinner) and has continued to promote the role of skills development and learning in the use of information technology for health promotion. He has published widely on health behaviour change, systems thinking, health promotion, and design.

Cameron holds a Ph.D. in Behavioural and Social Science from the University of Toronto, a Masters degree in Psychology (Wilfrid Laurier University) and Strategic Foresight and Innovation (OCAD University), and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology (University of Regina). He is the founder, President and Principal of Cense Ltd., a strategic design firm, and Vice-President of Evidence Generation with Blueprint, a Toronto-based non-profit consultancy.