The presenters and their seminar titles are as follows, with time stamps to view their presentation directly:

• Tareq Khalaf – Exploring Programs Supporting Health and Wellbeing of Family Caregivers of Individuals on the Spectrum of Autism ()
• Joanne Ong –  Women’s Political Empowerment as a Determinant of Health and Health Equity ()
• Babatunde Odugbemi – Developing context and systems-informed evidence to bridge the One Health antimicrobial resistance governance gap ()
• Ana Carolina de Almeida Cardoso – Colonization of the Future at the United Nations: Climate False Solutions and Resistance on the ground(s) ()

Watch the full symposium:

The post Recap — Sixth Annual Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholars Symposium appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

Join us in advancing global health research and making a lasting impact!

Our Institute and DGHGS program are dedicated to promoting equity, excellence, and effectiveness in global health research, focusing on three core themes:planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting.

We are proud to support outstanding graduate researchers and innovative projects that are driving positive change around the world. Explore the inspiring work of our past recipients from 2023; 2024; and 2025.

This is your opportunity to become part of our dynamic community at �첥��Ƶ, where exceptional graduate students—both domestic and international—contribute to shaping the future of global health.

Scholarship Value: Ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 CAD.

For eligibility details and application instructions, visit our Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship page.

As Dahdaleh Graduate Global Health Scholars, DGHGS recipients will also gain access to:

• collaborative workspaces;
• support for research dissemination;
• invitations to exclusive Institute global health events;
• and many other professional development opportunities

Application Deadline: Friday, January 16, 2026, at noon p.m. ET

For questions or additional information, please contact us at dighr@yorku.ca

The post Announcement – Applications for 2026 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships Open! appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

"We are proud and elated to support seventeen exceptional graduate scholars whose research will advance impactful scholarly and real-world contributions to global health across a diverse range of faculties and programs at �첥��Ƶ," said Professor Mary Wiktorowicz, interim director of the Dahdaleh Institute. "Their inspiring research pursuits build momentum for the vision of the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research to enhance effectiveness, equity, and excellence in global health research through a critical problem-solving approach to 21st-century challenges."

Master's Level

Francis Kolawole

Afro-Centric Conceptualization of Frailty Among Older Adults in Sub Saharan Africa: A Mixed-Methods �첥��Ƶ.

Francis is an international student from Nigeria and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy from the University of Benin, Nigeria. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and Health Science at �첥��Ƶ. Under the supervision of Dr. Michael Kalu at �첥��Ƶ, Francis overarching research interest will focus on strengthening capacity for the care and management of frailty among older adults in Nigeria and SSA more broadly. His research aims to explore the conceptualization of frailty in Sub-Saharan Africa and how it intersects with mobility to shape the experiences and health outcomes of community-dwelling older adults. Through this work, he intends to inform policy and intervention strategies that enhance quality of life and promote healthy aging among older adults in the region. At the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, Francis will collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to advance global health research that emphasizes equity, resilience, and evidence-based care for older populations.

Doctoral Level

Ana Carolina de Almeida Cardoso

Fighting for Tomorrow: Colonization of the Future(s) and International Climate Politics at the End of the World(s).

Ana (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in environmental studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) at �첥��Ƶ, with a master’s degree in international relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC Rio) and a bachelor's degree in law from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV Direito Rio). Her research interests lie at the intersections between coloniality, modernity and "nature", with particular focus on alternatives to development, the Anthropocene and decolonial futures. Ana's doctoral research focuses on the concept of “colonization of the future”, the futuristic imaginaries of the climate crisis and their onto-epistemic implications. For this, she has been attending UNFCCC meetings since 2023 and engaging in negotiations with the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC), having also collaborated with Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) and Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN).

Babatunde Odugbemi

The AMR GAP: A comparative analysis of governance, contextual issues, strengths and limitations of implementing One Health national antimicrobial resistance action plans in high income (Canada) and low to middle-income country (Nigeria) settings.

Babatunde is a PhD student in Global Health and a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar at �첥��Ƶ. He is committed to advancing research that aims to enhance the global response to antimicrobial resistance using a One Health lens, with the guidance and mentorship of Professor Mary E. Wiktorowicz. Babatunde earned his MBBS degree from the University of Lagos, followed by a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Sheffield, and a Master of Science degree in Aging and Health from Queen’s University. His professional background encompasses working as a physician and strengthening the capacity of the health workforce as a public health expert in Nigeria. He has actively participated in collaborative research addressing infectious diseases and fortifying health system capacities.

Gaurav Bhardwaj

The transport, fate and impacts of microplastics in wastewater treatment systems.

Gaurav is a PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering at �첥��Ƶ whose research explores how microplastics behave in wastewater treatment systems and how this knowledge can inform safer, more resilient water infrastructures. As a Graduate Scholar in the Dahdaleh Institute’s Planetary Health program, he collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to translate laboratory findings into interventions that advance global water security.

Hillary Birch

The Governance of Surplus and Scarcity: Water quality and the possibilities of urban life in Lusaka, Zambia.

Hillary is a PhD student in Environmental Studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at �첥��Ƶ, supervised by Professor Roger Keil. She holds a master’s degree in urban governance from Sciences Po in Paris, France, where she studied the urban governance of Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia. She also holds a master’s degree in political science from McGill University. Hillary has worked in various roles in global health related to sexual and reproductive health and early child development. Her PhD explores how projects of global health intersect with processes of urbanization that shape flows of water in a city and change its quality. Hillary is a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar in Planetary Health, and her research is supported by a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship and an International Doctoral Research Award by the IDRC.

Joanne Ong

Contextualizing women’s health as a driver of population wellbeing.

Joanne's doctoral research explores how political empowerment—both at the individual and national levels—can reduce gender-based health inequalities and serve as a critical pathway toward global health equity. At the national level, she examines women’s access to political decision-making roles, legislative representation, and leadership positions. At the individual level, Joanne studies indicators such as social independence, domestic decision-making, and attitudes toward gender norms. This macro–micro approach allows her to investigate how women’s political empowerment can influence the development, implementation, and enforcement of health-related policies and gender norms, while also being shaped by national, regional, and international commitments to gender equality. Joanne's research is grounded in equity-driven and community-engaged approaches, with a continued focus on rural and Indigenous health contexts through partnerships with the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia and the Rural Doctors Network in Australia, advancing the broader goal of socially accountable global health research.

Michael Davies-Venn

Global Health and Environment Governance Regime Restructuring: Protecting Health and Environment Protection in a Transboundary Resource Setting.

Michael focuses research at the intersection global public health and environmental governance. Michael is also an environmental policy analyst and communication professional. He holds an MPP in policy analysis, an MA in communication, and was awarded BSc (Hons) in mass communication and rhetoric. He is the recipient of numerous academic awards from institutions in Europe and North America. Earlier he was Junior Fellow in Ethics of the Anthropocene, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is also a fellow, Earth System Governance Network. At �첥��Ƶ, Michael's project responds to epidemiological developments on certain diseases associated with climate change impacts. Considering climate change impacts as persistent stimuli to societies, an aim is to develop policy recommendations to reduce local vulnerability to impacts specifically linked to human health. Outputs will include, identification of factors to reduce health vulnerability and policy interventions relevant to local communities. Results will also inform recommendations for anticipatory actions to climate change impacts. Results will contribute to broadening scientific knowledge at the nexus of global environmental and public health governance.

Naeema Hassan

Reimagining Institutional Roles in Advancing Equitable Global Health Partnerships.

Naeema is a PhD student in Global Health and a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar. Her research focuses on institutional policies and practices that support more equitable global health partnerships. She is particularly interested in addressing systemic barriers faced by researchers across the Global South and North as global health systems continue to evolve. Through systems thinking and design thinking methodologies, Naeema aims to develop practical resources that help institutions build inclusive and collaborative research environments, especially in areas such as digital health and global research governance. With a background in policy and management consulting, Naeema supported cross-sector initiatives in digital health, artificial intelligence, and international health strategy. She brings these experiences into her academic work, using them to inform her research on inclusive policy development, stakeholder collaboration, and the reimagining of institutional approaches to global health research.

Nilanjana Ganguli

Transactional Sex as Climate Adaptation: Exploring its impacts on resilience, health and well-being on vulnerable communities in Malawi.

Nilanjana (Nell) is a Doctoral Candidate at �첥��Ƶ’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change and a Graduate Scholar at the Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research. Her research employs participatory and systems-thinking approaches to examine how climate-related shocks and stressors influence transactional sex dynamics in rural fishing communities in Malawi, with implications for sexual and reproductive health. She holds a Master’s in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology from �첥��Ƶ, and brings eight years of corporate experience in mining and executive search. Beyond her doctoral studies, Nell has contributed as a project manager, graduate research assistant, and grant writer with multiple Dahdaleh Institute teams focused on the intersections of climate change and health.

Romeo Joe Quintero

Building Liveable Futures in Camps: Everyday Placemaking Practices of Internally Displaced Persons in the Southern Philippines.

Romeo Joe is a PhD candidate and SSHRC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change. His dissertation examines the experiences of those living in resettlement and transitory sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the areas of the southern Philippines affected by armed conflicts.

Rupsha Mutsuddi

Designing Technologies Which Mitigate Social Isolation and Loneliness in Partnership with People Living with Dementia and those in their Care Circle.

Rupsha is a Doctoral Researcher at the School of Global Health at �첥��Ƶ and a Graduate Scholar at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, where her work focuses on Participatory Design Methodologies to improve experiences of loneliness and social isolation through technology in partnership with people living with dementia and those in their care circle in global communities. She is a recipient of the Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Program (CGS-D), one of Canada’s most prestigious and competitive doctoral awards, granted to top-ranked applicants across the country. She is also a Connected Minds Scholar, part of an interdisciplinary research initiative supporting innovative work at the intersection of technology, society, and equity. Her Master of Design thesis focused on building supportive technologies in augmented reality to help people living with dementia with their daily rituals. Rupsha has worked for a diverse array of clients in government, healthcare, non-profit, and clean beauty sectors, including The Detox Market, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region, and the Ontario Public Health Association. With an interdisciplinary approach and an empathetic mindset, she develops meaningful solutions and strives to shape a better future through design education, research, and practice.

Tareq Al Khalaf

Caregiving and Pathways to Resilience among Family Caregivers of Racialized and Minority Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Tareq is a PhD student in Health at �첥��Ƶ under supervision of Prof. Farah Ahmad. His research examines the lived experiences of family caregivers of racialized and minority children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Canada. His work focuses on how collaborative community-centered approaches, particularly those aligned with Social Prescribing (SRx) models, can enhance caregivers’ health and well-being through equitable partnerships between healthcare providers and community organizations. His study aims to facilitate knowledge translation that informs and strengthens systems of care in Canada, with broader applicability in glocal context. His research interests include social prescribing, autism, caregivers’ health, interprofessional collaboration, primary health care, and healthcare quality improvement.

Yuliya Chorna

Moral, Conceptual and Practical Considerations of Resource Allocation for the Global Tuberculosis Response.

Yuliya is a PhD candidate in social anthropology at �첥��Ƶ. Her research supervisor is Dr. Margaret MacDonald, a medical anthropologist and Associate professor in the Department of anthropology at �첥��Ƶ. Dr. Alexandra Widmer and Dr. Amrita Daftary serve on her dissertation committee as faculty members in anthropology and global health. Yuliya's PhD research is aimed to advance understanding on how the allocation of financial resources for the global Tuberculosis (TB) response is conceived, organized and delivered. She hopes that knowledge produced by the research can be applied for a better understanding and reforming global health philanthropy and international aid/development for the global TB response and global health. Yuliya has an academic background in social work, with a Master of Social Work degree from Syracuse University. She has extensive work experience in the field of global health policy and practice, including senior leadership positions for not-for-profit NGOs focused on social equity and rights in the fields of TB and HIV/AIDS. She has been serving as a contributor of the Social Science and Health Innovation for Tuberculosis (SSHIFTB) since its inception in 2020. During 2019-2023 she served on the WHO Civil Society Taskforce for TB.

Yvette Nkurunziza

Assessing the association between socioeconomic status, intersectionality and Tuberculosis treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in Rwanda.

Yvette is soon joining �첥��Ƶ as a PhD student in Global Health. Her research will assess the association between socioeconomic status, intersectionality and Tuberculosis treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in Rwanda. Yvette has a Masters in Global Health Delivery, Gender and Sexual Reproductive Health track from the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Warwick, in the United Kingdom. Her previous work involve clinical work in Rwanda, and served Rwanda Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance in areas of women cancer screening. Her prior research experience includes a research that explored socio-ecological factors that contribute to intimate partner violence among people living with HIV in Kayonza district, Rwanda, and another done with Partners In Health which assessed the effect of nurturing care intervention provided by expert mothers on maternal depression and parenting confidence in rural Rwanda.

Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships were also renewed for PhD students Alexandra Scott, Brian Waters, and Kathirvel Soundappan.

The Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship was created to attract exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate research students to the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. These scholarships will support graduate research and related scholarly and creative activities in line with the three themes of the Institute—planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting. The scholarship will be granted annually to graduate students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement in global health research. The scholarships will be granted to new or returning students based on research excellence or promise of excellence, and applications will be evaluated using the student’s past performance and potential in their graduate program.

Scholarship recipients will:

• be designated as “Dahdaleh Graduate Global Health Scholars” at the Dahdaleh Institute;
• attend and participate in the Dahdaleh Institute’s weekly global health graduate seminars;
• present their graduate work at least once per year, preferably at the Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholars Symposium, or at other suitable venues;
• receive occasional invitations to participate in workshops and special events at the Dahdaleh Institute; and
• have access to the Dahdaleh Institute open workspace.

For more information, please visit the Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship Program webpage.

The post Seventeen Exceptional Scholars Awarded 2025-2026 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

Join us in shaping the future of global health.

The Dahdaleh Institute and our scholarship program are dedicated to effectiveness, and to advancing equity and excellence in global health research across our three research themes: planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting.

We take pride in nurturing remarkable global health researchers and supporting groundbreaking projects through our scholarship program. Please see the inspiring work of recent recipients in 2023 and 2024.

The Dahdaleh Institute is a vibrant community at �첥��Ƶ, where exceptional graduate students—both domestic and international—make a significant impact in global health research.

Scholarships range from CAD $5,000 to $25,000. Scholarship recipients gain exclusive access to additional valuable resources, including:

• Collaborative workspaces;
• Support for conference travel for research dissemination;
• Invitations to exclusive Institute events;
• & many more opportunities.

For eligibility criteria and the application process, visit our Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship page here.

Submit your application by Friday, January 10, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

If you have any questions, please contact us at dighr@yorku.ca.

The post Now Accepting Applications for 2025 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships! appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

"We are proud and elated to support nineteen exceptional graduate scholars whose research will advance impactful scholarly and real-world contributions to global health across a diverse range of faculties and programs at �첥��Ƶ," said Professor Mary Wiktorowicz, associate director of the Dahdaleh Institute. "Their inspiring research pursuits build momentum for the vision of the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research to enhance effectiveness, equity, and excellence in global health research through a critical problem-solving approach to 21st-century challenges."

Master's Level

Jesse Sam

Examining Socioeconomic Factors and Health System Challenges as Obstacles to Accessing Perinatal Care Services in High-Risk Areas.

Jesse is pursuing research in health policy and equity in the graduate Health program under the mentorship of Dr. Farah Ahmed. His research examines the connection between socioeconomic determinants and health system factors. Specifically, Jesse will explore how these factors hinder access to perinatal care services in high-risk areas. Driven by his commitment to addressing healthcare disparities, Jesse’s research aims to provide valuable insights aimed at improving access and equity in maternal and child health services.

“The scholarship will ease my financial worries, enabling me to concentrate entirely on my research. Additionally, the resources available will offer crucial support, including access to experts and advanced technologies, enhancing the quality of my work. Moreover, being part of the Dahdaleh Institute community will provide ample networking opportunities, mentorship, and chances for professional growth. Interacting with fellow scholars will expand my horizons, nurture my intellect, and establish valuable connections in my field.”

Valerie Lawson

Healthcare Access: An Analysis of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Accra, Ghana.

Valerie is an international student from Ghana who holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from the University of Ghana. She is a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar and is currently pursuing an MA in development studies at �첥��Ƶ. Her research interest lies in healthcare where she seeks to examine healthcare access in Africa through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), using Ghana as a case study. Through this research, she focuses on the perceptions, experiences, and coping mechanisms of NHIS subscribers in response to out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare services covered by the scheme and examine the relationship between this phenomenon and the healthcare-seeking behaviour and financial well-being of subscribers.

“I was particularly drawn to this scholarship because of its emphasis on supporting graduate students with their research and other scholarly related activities. Conducting research in Ghana is costly; some expenses that have been incurred include travel expenses (airfare and local transportation), research materials, communication cost, etc. This scholarship will not only enable me to cover these costs and conduct this important research but will also empower me to contribute meaningfully to the discourse on global health and humanitarianism.”

Doctoral Level

Alexandra Frankel

Imagining Water Health: Industrial Pasts and Promises of Clean Water Futures.

Alexandra is a PhD candidate in sociocultural anthropology. Her research examines the social and material life of the term "water health" in the Milwaukee, WI, estuary. By tracing this term across efforts to remove lead laterals and legacy industrial contaminants from Milwaukee's waterways and to brand Milwaukee as a water-centric city, this research asks how imaginaries of health are being refashioned to include more-than-human entities, like water, in the context of reckonings with industrial pasts and contentious desired futures. Frankel was a research assistant with the Frictions in Futurity and Cure in Transplant Medicine research team at University Health Network, where she conducted arts-based sensory ethnographic research in transplant clinics and with transplant recipients to improve psychosocial supports for recipients and their kin.

“This graduate scholarship from the Dahdaleh Institute will provide important opportunities for me to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of work in global health. I look forward to learning from colleagues and faculty and to being more involved in the global health research community and scholarly activities. Financial support from the Dahdaleh Institute also enables me to dedicate more time and energy to developing my research.”

Alexandra Scott

Autonomous Weapon Systems, International Humanitarian Law, and the Myth of "Good Enough".

Alexandra is a graduate scholar in the thematic area of Global Health & Humanitarianism with a focus on international humanitarian law (IHL; also known as the laws of war) and autonomous weapon systems (AWS; more commonly known as "killer robots"). In her graduate research project, she will argue that fully autonomous AWS are fundamentally incompatible with customary IHL. More specifically, the lack of direct human responsibility for critical actions taken by fully autonomous AWS (which do not have a human either "in-" or "on-the-loop") is fundamentally incompatible with customary IHL, in which the exercise of moral judgment (and the assumption of the resulting moral responsibility) is a core requirement for an attack to be lawful. Alexandra will place her intervention to this debate within two historical contexts: that of the historical development of IHL and that of the historical pursuit for the ultimate "super weapon", of which AWS is but the latest iteration of such technology.

“A better question might be how the very generous graduate scholarship awarded to me and my involvement with the Dahdaleh Institute haven't supported my research activities and professional development. It has been an absolute pleasure to get to know and to work alongside everyone at the Institute, all of whom are not only incredibly smart and good at what they do but also incredibly kind and generous with their time and expertise. In particular, I am deeply thankful to have had the opportunity to work for Dr. James Orbinski as a graduate research assistant. His mentorship and seemingly unending supply of illuminating and incisive questions have been instrumental as I seek to make my own contribution to the field of global health and humanitarianism.”

Ana Carolina de Almeida Cardoso

(de)Colonizing the Future: Climate Struggles and Resistance in the Era of the Anthropocene.

Ana is pursuing a PhD in environmental studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) at �첥��Ƶ, having moved from Nheterõîa (Niterói), Pindorama (Brazil), where she grew up, to live in Tkaronto. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC Rio) and a bachelor's degree in law from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV Direito Rio). Her research interests lie at the intersections between coloniality, modernity and "nature", with particular focus on climate governance and politics, the Anthropocene, and decolonial futures. In the PhD, Ana's research explores the concept of “colonization of the future” and its onto-epistemic implications, framing the climate crisis as a site of struggles for future(s). She has been attending UNFCCC events since 2023, having participated at COP28 in Dubai and at the SB60, in Bonn.

“My time at the Dahdaleh has significantly improved my scholarly and professional development. Since January 2024, I was able to learn about the great diversity of research being carried out by the Dahdaleh research communities and to share information about my work. Having the Institute’s support means having financial stability as an international student living abroad and being able to dedicate myself to my research activities.

Thanks to the Dahdaleh's support, I was able to attend the 60th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB60) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Bonn, Germany, where I conducted exploratory fieldwork and followed the international negotiations on the various thematic areas of the climate agenda. There, I also supported the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) and the Children and Youth constituency (YOUNGO), as I profoundly share the Dahdaleh Institute’s perspective to produce scholarly research that not only supports but also is climate action.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that I have had so far, and I am looking forward to continuing to be part of the Dahdaleh research community in the next year.”

Babatunde Odugbemi

The AMR GAP: A comparative analysis of the implementation of national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Action Plans in High Income and Low to Middle Income Countries.

Babatunde is a member of the pioneer cohort of students in the PhD Global Health program at �첥��Ƶ and a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar. He holds an MB;BS degree from the University of Lagos, MPH from the University of Sheffield and MSc in Aging and Health from Queen’s University. He has a good understanding of contextual issues affecting the health of populations in LMICs. Having worked as a physician and public health professional in Nigeria, he has also been part of teams conducting research on infectious diseases and improving the capacity of health systems. He seeks to conduct research aimed at improving global response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with the guidance of Professor Mary Wiktorowicz.

“I am excited and appreciative to be a recipient of the Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship. The opportunity to be a member of the Dahdaleh Institute means exposure to a reputable and collaborative platform which works towards solving real-world global health problems. The scholarship will enable me to focus more time on my research thereby making it easier to achieve my academic goals.”

Brian Waters

Seasonal Variation of Water Security within the Informal Settlements of Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Brian is a PhD candidate in the Geography department at �첥��Ƶ and a SSHRC doctoral fellow. He holds two master's degrees from the University of Illinois, one in Agricultural Economics and another in Urban Planning. For the last four years, Brian has been working in Freetown on decentralized water infrastructure, specializing in community-engaged and mixed-methods research. Brian's research explores how seasonality is a core component of water security. He aims to demonstrate how measurements and engagements at different points of the year yield varying results. In addition, by following households and individuals throughout the year, Brian aims to understand directly how the changing "waterscape" of a community affects accessibility for water gatherers and water managers. His work, grounded in feminist geography and political ecology, investigating the intersections of water access, research methodology, and community resilience in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

“This graduate scholarship and my involvement with the Dahdaleh Institute will greatly support my research and professional growth. The scholarship will provide the financial resources I need to focus more on my fieldwork in Sierra Leone, studying how seasonality affects water security. The Dahdaleh Institute's focus on global health and humanitarianism aligns with my research, giving me access to expert mentors and opportunities to share my findings. The Institute's emphasis on innovative and sustainable solutions will also help me improve my skills in community-engaged research and mixed methods, aiding my development as a researcher and professional in water security and global development.”

Caroline Duncan

Optimizing Drinking Water Safety in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut using Participatory System Dynamics.

Caroline is a PhD candidate in civil engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering with a focus on optimizing drinking water in the Arctic using participatory approaches to system dynamics modelling. Under the guidance of Prof. Stephanie Gora, her research seeks to understand the complex factors that affect the quality and accessibility of drinking water in the Arctic using an interdisciplinary approach. Through her research, Caroline has been working closely with the Municipality of Cambridge Bay, and collaborating with community members, government, and NGO stakeholders involved with drinking water from source to tap. Through this collaboration, a model will be developed to test treatment and policy interventions to optimize drinking water safety.

“Financial support will allow me more time to focus on my studies and provide the flexibility to be in the field when required. The Institute has a wealth of experts in different disciplines for mentorship as well as a diverse group of researchers to foster collaborative learning, innovative thinking and knowledge exchange which I believe will only enhance my research activities and open up opportunities for further networking and skill development.”

Haniehalsadat Aboutorabifard

Upholding Foreign Investors Responsible for Protecting the Human Rights of Living in a Healthy Environment.

Hanie’s academic journey has been marked by extensive research on environmental issues, providing me with valuable insights into the practical implementation and challenges associated with environmental policies, particularly within the financial sector. The amalgamation of her LLB and Environmental Studies has not only deepened her understanding of the world but has also aligned seamlessly with Hanie’s dual passions for law and the environment. Motivated by this synergy, she is currently pursuing a PhD at Osgoode Hall Law School and becoming a graduate research fellow at Dahdaleh Institute where she aims to explore a pivotal question: how can environmental regulations compel foreign investors to be environmentally accountable at the international level? This research endeavor represents the culmination of Hanie’s academic trajectory, merging her legal background with a keen dedication to addressing global environmental challenges.

“Joining the Dahdaleh Institute as a graduate research fellow has been transformative. Not only has it provided crucial financial support for my PhD studies, but it has also presented me with invaluable opportunities to collaborate with esteemed academics and explore long-desired research areas. This financial backing has enabled me to fully focus on my studies, especially during the final semesters of my PhD program. Moreover, the supportive research environment at the Institute has facilitated connections with peers and faculty members who share my research interests. I am eager to deepen my engagement with the Dahdaleh community to enhance my research skills and experiences.”

Hillary Birch

More than Access: Global Health and the Urban Governance of Water Quality in Lusaka.

Hillary is a PhD candidate in Environmental Studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at �첥��Ƶ, supervised by Professor Roger Keil. She holds a master’s degree in urban governance from Sciences Po in Paris, France, where she studied the urban governance of Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia. She also holds a master’s degree in political science from McGill University. Hillary has worked in various roles in global health related to sexual and reproductive health and early child development. Her research explores how projects of global health intersect with processes of urbanization, shaping flows of water in a city and changing its quality. Her doctoral project focuses on the complexities and contradictions of efforts by global health actors to improve water quality in Lusaka, Zambia, where rapid urbanization and climate change leave many urban residents facing serious health consequences associated with poor sanitary conditions. Her research aims to inform how global health projects in water and sanitation can contribute to more sustainable urban futures by better supporting disease outbreak preparedness and the delivery of good quality drinking water for all. Hillary is a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar in Planetary Health, and she holds a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. Her research in Lusaka is supported by an IDRC International Doctoral Research Award.

“Receiving this graduate scholarship has supported my research activities by allowing me the freedom to focus on my studies, the institutional support to take risks and explore new initiatives, as well as the access to an impressive network of engaged and committed researchers to collaborate with and learn from. Importantly, the financial support from this scholarship has provided me with ideal conditions as a PhD student, ensuring that I can make efficient progress in meeting my PhD program milestones so that I can set myself up for success during my fieldwork in Lusaka and as I prepare to write my dissertation when I return to Canada.”

Joanne Ong

Trust and Rural Health

Joanne is a PhD student at �첥��Ƶ in the Department of Global Health. She holds a BA and MA from �첥��Ƶ in sociology. She is passionate about how the social determinants of health, the political determinants of health and the commercial determinants of health shape health and health inequalities across scales. Following her work with Professor Cary Wu, she investigates how trust is among those complex social and structural factors that shape health, especially the health of vulnerable populations. Specifically, she investigates how trust is a critical determinant of health in rural and remote contexts. Her research targets a need to investigate trust in rural and remote contexts and a need to develop measures of trust in rural and remote Canada in the interest of health equity. Against this backdrop, she is also interested in contributing to the literature concerning One Health, which recognizes that the health of people, animals, and the environment are interconnected. Specifically, she is interested in investigating the opportunity to integrate Indigenous ways of living, being, and knowing in the One Health approach. Likewise, she is interested in the implications of One Health interventions for rural and remote peoples. To this end, her research investigates cultural safety, defined as understanding what wellness means for those under consideration as well as the social and historical contexts and structural inequities that shape their experiences and outcomes, in One health interventions.

“This honour not only affords me the opportunity to commit to and pursue my research interests without abandon, it also connects me to other scholars from whom I can learn and with whom I can develop friendships that will help me progress in my degree. I am grateful to the Institute for this honour because being awarded a DI scholarship is not only monetary, it is infinitely about collaboration, synergy and connection, that is, connections to others and their knowledge and research but also their wisdom.”

Kathirvel Soundappan

Influence of- and Practical Approaches Related to Interdisciplinary Areas in the Prevention and Control of AMR (with special focus anti-fungal resistance).

Kathirvel, MBBS, MD (Community Medicine) is an Associate Professor at the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, India. He is an alumnus of the WHO Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT IT) and the Summer School of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon (France). He provides clinical services to vulnerable and marginalized populations in northern India in addition to teaching MD, MPH, BPH and PhD scholars. His area of research is Primary/Rural healthcare, Implementation/operational research, AMR, NCDs (Diabetes, Hypertension, Chronic Respiratory Diseases, and Cancer) and the Internet of Things in Healthcare. With Professor Mary Wiktorowicz as his graduate supervisor, he seeks to explore the following research questions beyond the burden of AMR, namely, a) What is the role of interdisciplinary areas (environmental sciences, animal health, plant health, engineering, law, and politics) in the prevention and control of AMR (with special focus on anti-fungal resistance); b) What are the practical political and regulatory approaches available in the control and prevention of AMR in a LMIC context; and c) How will developing an international treaty and or monitoring framework improve political commitment and integration within a national action plan to control AMR in a LMIC context?

“Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate scholarship has already ensured a peaceful working/research environment and connections beyond the grant. The learning from peers has been ensured already which I am excited to experience. My proposed graduate work is a mixture of desk work and some primary data collection that might be primarily supported by this scholarship. Notably, I foresee a change in the approaches in my professional life, i.e., more systematic, comprehensive and pragmatic after my PhD at Dahdaleh Institute.”

Liam Michaud

A Multi-sited Ethnography of Ontario Drug Law in the Context of Overdose.

Liam is a PhD candidate in Socio-Legal Studies at �첥��Ƶ. Informed by critical legal studies and policy studies, and drawing on ethnographic and community-based participatory methods, his research examines the tensions and convergences between medico-therapeutic and criminal-legal approaches in global and local health governance. His work has been supported by a SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship and by the Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security at York. He has published work on the barriers to health and healthcare faced by people who use drugs as a result of legal and policy environments in Social & Legal Studies, International Journal of Drug Policy, Policing & Society, among other journals. He has conducted research and written on health inequalities in the context of prison-based needle exchange, surveillance practices in healthcare settings, experiences of police discretion and drug law enforcement at overdose events, and is currently focusing on a project on overdose-related manslaughter prosecutions. He brings 15 years’ experience working in community-based healthcare settings with people in conflict with law.

“The Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship will provide me with an opportunity to deepen my engagement with global health research, and further engage in health and drug policy dialogue on themes of drug liberalization and structural drivers of overdose and health disparities transnationally. The learning community at the Dahdaleh Institute will enable me to deepen collaborative networks with scholars working across global settings and facilitate knowledge mobilization related to my research and support its potential policy impact.”

Michael De Santi

Optimizing Water Safety in Humanitarian Response Settings using Machine Learning and Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment.

Michael is a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering. Michael works as a researcher on the Safe Water Optimization Tool (SWOT) project at the Dahdaleh Institute, where he is developing new modelling tools to predict water quality and waterborne illness risk in refugee and internally displaced person settlements. Prior to joining the SWOT team, Michael obtained a BASc in civil engineering from the University of Toronto and worked for several years as a water design specialist. His current research focuses on developing holistic tools for assessing water safety risk in humanitarian response settings.

“This scholarship is so helpful for my research - it lets me dedicate 100% of my time to my research and it also makes me a part of the Dahdaleh community. This is a wonderful group of scholars who look at these research themes from such a broad range of perspectives that it really helps open my eyes to other ways of coming at my own research!”

Nawang Yanga

TB in Tibetan Refugee Settlements: A Critical, Social Science Gaze.

Nawang is a PhD candidate in Health Policy and Equity. Her proposed dissertation will focus on the experience of Tibetan refugees with Tuberculosis (TB) in India through a critical ethnographic lens. Nawang is interested in refugee health, intersectionality and health, equity in academia, and much more.

“I am so extremely thankful to the DIGHR for their continued support and involvement in my research endeavours. This scholarship funds my travel and accommodation to and from India, which is extremely important for me in building rapport with the community I wish to do research on. It will also support any learning and development of my technical skills in language, analysis and so forth. It will allow me to focus on my research endeavours without the constant worry of finances. I will forever be thankful to the people at DIGHR! The DIGHR is an extremely inviting and open space where I hope to foster and build relationships with other scholars in global health!”

Nilanjana Ganguli

Modelling Health Impacts of Climate Change.

Nilanjana (Nell), a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change at �첥��Ƶ, brings a unique blend of skills in biotechnology and environmental studies to her doctoral research. Her research takes an intersectional system thinking approach to modelling the gendered health impacts of climate change in Malawi's capture fisheries. Nell worked in the mining sector for six years in West Africa, where she was involved in multiple facets of the business, including HR, communications, and corporate social responsibility. While working in the mining industry, she recognized a need for better integration of health into corporate social responsibility plans, which inspired her to return to academia to learn about the intricate relationships between the environment and human health. She was the project manager for the Dahdaleh Institute project, Complex Adaptive Modelling of the Health Impacts of Climate Change in Malawi, from 2022 to 2024. She is now working as a Graduate Research Assistant (Grant Writing) for the Malawi team and volunteers as a Grant Manager for the Leadership for Environment & Development, Southern and Eastern Africa.

“Through this scholarship program, I have been able to form close relationships with several Dahdaleh Institute community members, which has been invaluable to me in staying on track with my PhD and feeling a sense of belonging in the academic setting. The seminars have been a great way to learn about cutting-edge and innovative research. I am an active member of the Dahdaleh Institute’s community and hope to continue supporting its mission to become leaders in addressing global health challenges through critical problem solving.

DI has supported multiple PD opportunities in the past, which I am very grateful for, and hope to continue seeking out this year. I have received invaluable mentorship from a number of DI scholars, which has continuously been a source of learning and improving my personal skills in research and networking.”

Romeo Joe Quintero

Building Liveable Futures in Camps: Everyday Placemaking Practices of Internally Displaced Women in the Southern Philippines.

Romeo is a PhD candidate and SSHRC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change. He is a research associate at the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) and York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR). Romeo holds an MA in Women's and Gender Studies at Carleton University and a BSocSci Honours in International Development and Globalization at the University of Ottawa. His doctoral project will examine the experiences of those living in resettlement and transitory sites for internally displaced persons in the southern Philippines affected by armed conflicts.

“The financial support from the Dahdaleh Institute will support my fieldwork in the southern Philippines, where I plan to conduct 12 months of ethnographic research to understand how internally displaced persons affected by armed conflicts construct their livelihoods, homes, and sense of belonging through collective action.”

Rupsha Mutsuddi

Enhancing Systems of Assistive Interventions for Community Dwelling Older Adults Living with Dementia: A Global Health Approach through Human-Centered Design Methodologies.

Rupsha is a PhD student in the Global Health Program. Her research focus is at the intersection of design, everyday health management, and accessibility. Her Master of Design thesis work was focused around community dwelling older adults living with dementia and understanding daily rituals embedded in technologies. Supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Grant, Rupsha worked with community dwelling older adults living with dementia and their care partners to identify these rituals and the insights were utilized to create prototypes using augmented reality to support these rituals in everyday life. Rupsha's PhD focuses on an intersectional approach with disciplines of human-centered design (HCD), gerontology, and global health and will culminate in novel approaches to understanding the experience of people with dementia in different cultural contexts. In support of her PhD studies. Rupsha is also an award-winning emerging designer who has worked with clients such as Detox Market Canada, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region, and the Ontario Public Health Association. She sits on the board of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers and represents emerging designers nation-wide and is the co-chair of the RGD's Provisional and Education Committees. Rupsha is also the Vice President of the Canadian Association on Gerontology–Student Connection and a Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) with AGE-WELL Canada's Technology and Aging Network.

“This graduate scholarship allows me to continue to build strong networks with different community centres and organizations focused on enriching the lives of older adults living with dementia in community settings. Collaboration with community partners will be an important tenet of my research practice. I will also continue to explore different human-centered methodologies such as co-design through the creation of co-design tools. In terms of professional development, I will also be presenting at conferences, submitting to peer-reviewed journals, and continuing to mentor emerging designers and researchers in the field of design and aging sector.”

Yuliya Chorna

Moral, conceptual and practical considerations of funding and financing of the global Tuberculosis response

Yuliya is a doctoral student in York's Graduate Program in social anthropology. Professor Margaret MacDonald is a supervisor of Yuliya's PhD project. Yuliya has an academic background in social work, with a Master of Social Work degree from Syracuse University. She has extensive work experience in the field of global health policy and practice, including senior leadership positions for not-for-profit NGOs focused on social equity and rights in the fields of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. Yuliya a member of the Social Science and Health Innovations Network for Tuberculosis (SSHIFTB) at the Dahdaleh Institute since its inception in 2020. During 2019-2023 she served on the WHO Civil Society Taskforce for TB. Yuliya’s research problematizes how TB is being addressed, on a global level, using critical methods and lenses of social anthropology. She is particularly interested in the anthropology of global health policymaking, funding and financing. Her research is supported by the dissertation committee members - Dr. Margaret MacDonald, Dr. Alexandra Widmer and Dr. Amrita Daftary.

“Engagement with the Dahdaleh Institute's activities and scholars enriches my professional development and global health networks. Funding helps me to pursue my research objectives. I appreciate learning opportunities and ongoing support from the Dahdaleh Institute's staff!”

The Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship was created to attract exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate research students to the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. These scholarships will support graduate research and related scholarly and creative activities in line with the three themes of the Institute—planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting. The scholarship will be granted annually to graduate students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement in global health research. The scholarships will be granted to new or returning students based on research excellence or promise of excellence, and applications will be evaluated using the student’s past performance and potential in their graduate program.

Based on the availability of funds and the excellence and needs of applicants, annual scholarships for individual students will range from $5,000 to $25,000 CAD. Scholarship recipients will:

• be designated as “Dahdaleh Graduate Global Health Scholars” at the Dahdaleh Institute;
• attend and participate in the Dahdaleh Institute’s weekly global health graduate seminars;
• present their work once in the Fall and once in the Winter term as part of the Dahdaleh Institute’s Current Global Health Research at the Dahdaleh Institute Seminar Series
• receive occasional invitations to participate in workshops and special events at the Dahdaleh Institute; and
• have access to the Dahdaleh Institute open workspace.

For more information, please visit the Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship Program webpage.

The post Nineteen Exceptional Scholars Awarded 2024-2025 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

One participant stated, "Congrats to all the students! Really wonderful to see the breadth (and depth) of your projects and interests. Wishing you all the best."

Watch the full symposium below:

• [3:03] Alexandra Scott – The Myth of “Good Enough”: Law, Engineering, and Autonomous Weapons Systems
• [12:26] Caroline Duncan – An Insight Into Water Quality Data in Cambridge Bay, Gaps and Future Steps
• [26:55] Eyram Agbe – Digital Deprivation: COVID-19, Education, and Teacher Health in Ghana
• [39:35] Nawang Yanga – TB in Tibetan Refugee Settlements in India: What We Know and What Is Missing

The post 2023 Graduate Research Spotlighted at Annual Dahdaleh Graduate Symposium appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

The Dahdaleh Institute is committed to achieving equity, excellence, and effectiveness in global health research in the following three themes of the Institute: planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting. Therefore, we encourage applications from exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate students who also wish to further �첥��Ƶ’s growing global health research community.

The annual scholarships for each individual student will range from CAD $5,000 to $25,000 based on the availability of funds and both the strength and needs of applicants. In addition to the monetary value, award recipients will gain access to Dahdaleh Institute resource support such as, collegial work and meeting space, research dissemination support, invitation to Institute events, and the opportunity to lead a Dahdaleh Institute seminar.

The Dahdaleh Institute is proud to have supported a number of outstanding global health researchers and leading, critical research projects through this scholarship program. Read about our past recipients and their work here: 2021 recipients; 2022 recipients; 2023 recipients. 

The deadline for applications is Friday, January 12, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

To learn more about the eligibility criteria and application process, please visit our scholarships page here: /dighr/scholarship/.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at dighr@yorku.ca

The post Applications for 2024 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships Open! appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

Master's level

Eyram Agbe

Digital deprivation: ICT education and social vulnerability in Ghana

Eyram is a masters student in the development studies program. Her research seeks to understand the diverse psychosocial impacts of Covid-19 on basic school teachers in Accra, and how these factors affect their ability to support new curriculum implementation as schools have returned to in-person classes. This study seeks to centre the critical role that social vulnerability plays in education, specifically how teachers’ health outcomes are situated within contentions over techno-political visions by stakeholders.

Sukriti Singh

Building a Model of Global Mental Health Governance to Support the Mental Health of Health Professionals

Sukriti is a medical doctor interested in mental health and its governance issues among health professionals. Her work is aimed at better understanding the dynamic and potent interaction of mental health and policy. She hopes to advance the capacity of global organizations like the World Health Organization, the World NCD Federation, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, and �첥��Ƶ to create meaningful impact with an understanding of feasibility and implementation issues.

Doctoral level

Alexandra Scott, BSc (Eng), JD, LLM

The Myth of “Good Enough”: Law, Engineering, and Autonomous Weapons Systems

Alexandra is a PhD student, Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar, and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow at the Osgoode Hall Law School at �첥��Ƶ. Alexandra's work explores the development and deployment of autonomous weapon systems (also known as "killer robots") under international law and the role that engineers play in both.

Beyond providing me with the financial means to pursue my PhD studies, my involvement with the Dahdaleh Institute has already allowed me to not only collaborate with, and learn from esteemed academics, but become involved with research areas I had long hoped to delve into, but could never quite figure out how. The Dahdaleh Institute has already opened several doors to me and I am thankful to be part of such a welcoming and supportive program.

Caroline Duncan, BSc (Hons), MSc

Optimizing Water Safety in Cambridge Bay using Participatory System Dynamics

Caroline is a PhD candidate in civil engineering with a strong focus on optimizing drinking water in the Arctic using participatory approaches to system dynamics modelling. As part of the Lassonde School of Engineering, and under the guidance of Professor Stephanie Gora, her research seeks to understand the complex factors that affect the quality and accessibility of drinking water in the Arctic using an interdisciplinary and participatory approach. Through her research, Caroline will work closely with the Municipality of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, collaborating with community members, government, and NGO stakeholders involved with drinking water from source to tap. Through this collaboration, a model will be developed to test treatment and policy interventions to optimize drinking water safety.

Hillary Birch, MA, MSc

More than Access: The urban governance of water quality in Lusaka, Zambia

Hillary is a PhD candidate in environmental studies in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at �첥��Ƶ, where she is a SSHRC doctoral fellow. She holds a master’s degree in urban governance from Sciences Po in Paris, France where she studied the urban governance of Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia. She also holds a master’s degree in political science from McGill University where she studied social movements and health policy. Hillary has worked in various roles in global health concerning sexual and reproductive health and early child development and she has also worked in knowledge mobilization, connecting researchers and practitioners around questions of social innovation, urban planning, and child well-being.

Hillary's PhD explores how projects of global health intersect with processes of urbanization in Lusaka, Zambia, specifically how water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions shape flows of water in the city and change its quality. Through her research she aims to support the execution of WASH projects that both improve immediate health outcomes and deliver safe WASH services for all by better contributing to urban water management. This includes ensuring WASH interventions support plans, institutions, and infrastructures that promote climate resilience in Lusaka.

My first year as a graduate scholar at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research was a pleasure and I can say with confidence that my time at the Institute has added great depth to my experience as a PhD student. The financial support from the Institute has provided me with a unique chance to focus on my studies in a way that would not be possible if I had to look elsewhere for funding. Receiving this scholarship again for the coming school year I look forward to continuing to build collaborations across the Institute. I hope to be able to share more of my work on the urban governance of water quality as I further develop my early theorizing and as I begin to make more concrete the plan for my dissertation in terms of methodology and case selection. I have begun to build connections with my graduate student peers and other research fellows and faculty members at the Institute and I know that engaging with the Dahdaleh community will continue to greatly benefit my work.

Michael De Santi, BASc, MASc, EIT

Improving Water Safety in Humanitarian Response with a Novel AI-Enabled Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment Model

Michael is a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering. Michael works as a researcher on the Safe Water Optimization Tool (SWOT) project at DIGHR where he develops new modelling tools to predict water quality in refugee and internally displaced person settlements. Prior to joining the SWOT team, Michael obtained a BASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto and worked for several years as a water design specialist. His current research focuses on developing tools for holistically assessing water safety risk in humanitarian response settings.

Nawang Yanga, BSc (Hons), MA

Tuberculosis in Tibetan Refugee Settlements in India: Insights into Lived Experiences

Nawang is going into the second year of her Ph.D. at �첥��Ƶ in Health Policy and Equity. Nawang's dissertation will focus on the lived experiences of Tibetan refugees with TB in Indian settlements. This is greatly motivated by her own experiences with TB, particularly as a family member, relative and friend to many people who have had TB or know someone who had TB. It is also motivated by the sheer lack of literature in this community, despite having some of the highest TB incidence rates globally. The aim of her project is to introduce a social perspective to TB discourse by highlighting the connections between social conditions and TB that are unique to Tibetan refugees in India. Nawang will be a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar for the second year in a row.

Nilanjana Ganguli, MES

Assessing community resilience to the gendered health impacts of climate change in Malawi's Lake Chilwa Basin.

Nilanjana (Nell) Ganguli is a PhD student at �첥��Ƶ's Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change. Her dissertation research applies a critical lens to studying gendered health implications of climate change in Malawi's Lake Chilwa basin by employing participatory methods informed by the concepts of critical systems thinking and intersectionality. Nell graduated from �첥��Ƶ with a master's degree in environmental studies and a bachelor's degree in biotechnology. She also attended Seneca College for three years and received training as a biotechnology technologist.

Nell worked in the mining industry in West Africa for six years, where she was involved in many aspects of the firm, including human resources, communications, and corporate social responsibility. While working in the mining business, she recognised a need for improved integration of environmental health into environmental impact assessments, which motivated her to return to academia to learn about ecohealth. Since March 2022, Nell has been working as the project manager for the Dahdaleh Institute's project, Complex Adaptive Modelling of Climate Change's Health Impacts in Malawi led by Dr. Orbinski.

Nell has lived in India and Tanzania before settling in Toronto for her post-secondary education. She speaks Bengali and Hindi fluently and has basic knowledge of Kiswahili.

Raphael Aguiar, MSc

Urban Political Ecologies of AMR and other interdependent threats

With over a decade of experience in the field in Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, Raphael started working in international development as a project manager for the international NGO Humanity and Inclusion (Handicap International). There, he led projects in both humanitarian and development settings. Working with rights-based and field-based approaches, he advanced health and disability equity through primary healthcare delivery as well as adoption and implementation of international conventions and national policies.

Raphael then joined the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, where he led units focused on knowledge and information management of serious crimes, human rights violations, and administrative issues. Most recently, he worked in crisis risk management at the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordination Office in Cameroon.

Raphael has a bachelor's degree in physiotherapy from Brazil and an MSc with honours in social and cultural anthropology from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Health Policy and Equity program at �첥��Ƶ. His interests revolve around the design and management of global health programs and interventions, and the global health impact of recent patterns of urbanization, the climate crisis, and accelerated human activity. His current research focuses on deploying an urban political ecology lens to inform governance of antimicrobial resistance and other emerging One Health threats.

Yuliya Chorna, MSW

Anthropology of global health policy-making and financing of Tuberculosis response

Yuliya is a doctoral student in York's Graduate Program in social anthropology. Professor Margaret MacDonald is a supervisor of Yuliya's PhD project. Yuliya has an academic background in social work, with a Master of Social Work degree from Syracuse University. She has extensive work experience in the field of global health policy and practice, including senior leadership positions for not-for-profit NGOs focused on social equity and rights in the fields of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. Yuliya is a member of the Social Science and Health Innovations Network for Tuberculosis (SSHIFTB) at the Dahdaleh Institute since its inception in 2020. Yuliya’s research problematizes how TB is being addressed, on a global level, using critical methods and lenses of social anthropology. She is particularly interested in the anthropology of global health policymaking, funding and financing. Her research is supported by the dissertation committee members - Professor Margaret MacDonald, Professor Alexandra Widmer and Professor Amrita Daftary.

The Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship was created to attract exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate research students to the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. These scholarships will support graduate research and related scholarly and creative activities in line with the three themes of the Institute—planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting. The scholarship will be granted annually to graduate students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement in global health research. The scholarships will be granted to new or returning students based on research excellence or promise of excellence, and applications will be evaluated using the student’s past performance and potential in their graduate program.

Based on the availability of funds and the excellence and needs of applicants, annual scholarships for individual students will range from $5,000 to $25,000 CAD. Scholarship recipients will:

• be designated as “Dahdaleh Graduate Global Health Scholars” at the Dahdaleh Institute;
• attend and participate in the Dahdaleh Institute’s weekly global health graduate seminars;
• present their work once in the Fall and once in the Winter term as part of the Dahdaleh Institute’s Current Global Health Research at the Dahdaleh Institute Seminar Series
• receive occasional invitations to participate in workshops and special events at the Dahdaleh Institute; and
• have access to the Dahdaleh Institute open workspace.

For more information, please visit the Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship Program webpage.

The post Ten Exceptional Scholars Awarded 2023-2024 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

Please tune in below to learn more:

• Eric Asempah (9:50) – Imperatives for a nationwide HPV vaccination program: A foremost approach to cervical cancer prevention in Ghana
• Hillary Birch (23:45) – Using quality to see the body and health in urban political ecology
• Yuliya Chorna (25:10)– Global tuberculosis response in the context of the 2023 United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on TB
• Nilanjana Ganguli (49:05) – Modelling gendered impacts of climate change in the Lake Chilwa Basin, Malawi

Reminder - the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research invites applications for the 2023 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship program. We are seeking applications from exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate students who wish to contribute to �첥��Ƶ’s growing global health research community. Specifically, we invite applications from students aiming to conduct research and related scholarly and creative activities in line with the three themes of the Institute: planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting. Read more here: yorku.ca/dighr/scholarship/

The post Recap – Fall 2022 Graduate Research by Dahdaleh Global Health Scholars appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.

We are seeking applications from exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate students who wish to contribute to �첥��Ƶ’s growing global health research community. Specifically, we invite applications from students aiming to conduct research and related scholarly and creative activities in line with the three themes of the Institute: planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting. 

Based on the availability of funds and both the excellence and needs of applicants, annual scholarships for individual students will range from CAD $5,000 to $25,000. In addition to the monetary value, award recipients will enjoy access to the Dahdaleh Institute open workspace and will have the opportunity to present and lead seminars with members of the Institute’s research community.

The Dahdaleh Institute is proud to have supported a number of outstanding global health researchers and leading-edge, critical research projects through this scholarship program. Read about our past recipients here: 2021 recipients; 2022 recipients. To learn more about the eligibility criteria and application process, please visit our scholarship page here: /dighr/scholarship/. 

The deadline for applications is Friday, January 13, 2023. Please contact Theresa Dinh, dighr@yorku.ca, with any questions about the application process.

The post Applications Now Open for 2023 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships appeared first on Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research.