Ami Goulden, MA, MSW, PhD, RSW (she/her)
Director
Dr. Ami Goulden is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Memorial University and a Registered Social Worker. She holds an MSW with a specialization in children and families from the University of Toronto, a Master of Arts in Child and Youth Studies from Mount Saint Vincent University, and a PhD in Social Work from the University of Toronto.
With nearly 15 years of direct practice experience in various settings, including inpatient and ambulatory pediatric and adult healthcare settings and child welfare, Dr. Goulden’s practice experience strongly informs her research agenda. Her research explores topics such as sexual well-being and reproductive health among disabled populations, sex-positive social work, young parenting in the child welfare system, and universal design for learning. Dr. Goulden possesses advanced training in qualitative research and has received several grants as a Principal Investigator to support her research projects. These include the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2018, 2019), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship (2020-2022), the SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant (2023-2024), the Teaching Enhancement through Scholarly Inquiry (TESI) Grant (2022-2025), and the Public Engagement Accelerator Fund (2023-2024).
Rose C. B. Singh, MSW, PhD(c), RSW (she/they)
Research Assistant, PhD Candidate (Social Work, Memorial University)
Rose is a PhD candidate at Memorial University and a sessional lecturer at Dalhousie University. She teaches courses focusing on critical approaches to theory, practice, and policy. With over two decades of experience in the social services sector, Rose is also a practicing social worker. Her research and interests centre on critical social work education, social justice, disability justice, disabilities, mental health, online learning and teaching, and emerging technologies. Additionally, Rose is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellow (2023-2024) and the recipient of the Memorial University Dean’s Excellence Award (2023-2024).
Emily Howe, BSc, MSc, PhD(c) (she/her)
Research Assistant, PhD Candidate (Marine Institute, Memorial University)
Emily Howe is a PhD candidate in Public Safety at Memorial University of Newfoundland under the supervision of Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli. Holding a BSc in Health Sciences (Carleton University) and an MSc in Applied Psychological Science (Memorial University), Emily has engaged in multiple research roles including a placement with the Ottawa Police Service, Stella’s Circle, and as a research assistant on Canadian public safety personnel topics (CCWORK). Her current research aims to understand the occupational experiences of public safety communicators (e.g. 911 dispatch) as it relates to health and wellbeing. Overall, Emily strives to apply her knowledge in social determinants of health, occupational health, and psychology to benefit underserved populations.
Sean Fardy, BA, B.Ed, M.Ed (Counselling Psychology) (he/him)
Research Assistant, PhD Student (Education, Memorial University)
Sean is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. His proposed doctoral research looks to examine the accessibility policies at post-secondary institutions across Canada to identify how these policies can lead to barriers that may deter students with disabilities from pursuing accommodations. His primary research interests lie in inclusive education, Universal Design for Learning, disability studies, higher education, and research methodology. Sean is actively contributing to research projects focusing on these topics as he progresses through his PhD and is eager to pursue related research opportunities in the future.
Jordan Hollahan, BA, MA (he/him)
Research Assistant, PhD Student (Archaeology, Memorial University)
Jordan is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Archaeology at Memorial University (MUNL). Under the supervision of Dr. Barry Gaulton, he is researching the social, religious, and economic impacts of the sixteenth-century “Mansion House” at Ferryland, Newfoundland.
Jordan’s life-long disability (a mild-sloping to severe sensorineural hearing loss) has pushed him to advocate for and bring awareness to the struggles that disabled postsecondary students face. For his efforts, Jordan has been awarded the Community Advocacy Award (2017) through the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association The intersection of his love for archaeology and living with a disability has produced his passion for community/public archaeological research practices and accessible/inclusive education. As he progresses through his doctoral degree, Jordan hopes to become even more involved with initiatives that promote the use of UDL in classrooms and the community.
Sarah E. Norris, BA, BSW, MSW (she/her)
Research Assistant, PhD Student (Health, Dalhousie University)
Sarah holds an MSW, BSW, and BA, and is a PhD in Health student at Dalhousie University. With twenty years of experience working with children, students, and families, Sarah has actively contributed to research projects on women’s health, gender-based violence, trauma, disability, and climate justice.
Sarah’s Master of Social Work thesis explored the consequential impacts of ableism and exclusion in climate change policies and strategies. Sarah’s research highlights the urgent need to address the disproportionate harms that disabled people face in a changing climate, exacerbated by existing societal inequities. Her areas of interest include critical disability studies, social determinants of health, climate justice, and trauma-informed practice.
Tori Lewis, BA, BSW, RSW (she/her)
Research Assistant, PhD Student (Social Work, University of Windsor)
Tori is currently a Master of Social Work student at the University of Windsor in the MSW working professionals program. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Honours Bachelor of Social Work degrees from King’s University College at Western University. Tori describes herself as passionate about addressing violence against women, trauma, equitable access to healthcare, and enhancing social work knowledge and practice. Following her graduation from the MSW program, Tori will pursue a PhD in Social Work at the University of Windsor. If you would like to connect with Tori, feel free to reach out via email at vlewis8@uwo.ca.
Israt Lipa, BSS, MSS (she/her)
Research Assistant, PhD candidate (Folklore, Memorial University)
Israt Lipa is a PhD Candidate in the Dept. of Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). She did her BSS and MSS in Anthropology, and with ten years of active research experience, Israt has actively participated in research projects on road accidents, reproductive health and rights, socio-cultural aspects of disability, refugee crisis, trauma-informed research, grief and death studies.
Following her passion for limiting road accidents and ensuring road safety, in her PhD research, she is exploring the human elements of road accidents; where she researched folk beliefs about road accidents, material culture and road users’ performances in roadside shrines, and personal experience narratives of road accident survivors’ by documenting their lived experiences. She believes stories of lived experiences in terms of phenomenology can be an important medium for interpreting social research into effective actions. Her methodological interests are phenomenological research, place-valence approach, experience-centred approach, narrative study, and trauma-informed practice. She is growing her new research interest in mapping systems analysis to solve social problems through storytelling.
Kristen Hynes Brothers, BSW, MSW, RSW (she/her)
Research Assistant, PhD Student (Social Work, Memorial University)
Kristen Hynes Brothers is a doctoral student and instructor at Memorial University’s School of Social Work. She completed both her BSW and MSW at Memorial University and has been a registered social worker for 15 years. In both her clinical practice and her research, Kristen’s work centers around the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the people who love and support them. Her PhD research will explore the experiences of parents in Newfoundland whose children are transgender.
Kristen’s other research interests are in relation to the intersections between gender and disability and social work education. She was recently a co-investigator in a funded research project with a Teaching Enhancement Through Scholarly Inquiry (TESI) grant that explored student experiences in the social work classroom. She is currently contributing to other projects that seek to explore high impact teaching practices in social work education.
Jullye Ponsoni
Mitacs Globalink Research Intern, Psychology Student (Federal University of Paraná)
Jullye is a Brazilian student and is in the last year of a psychology degree at the Federal University of Paraná, located in the city of Curitiba in the southern region of Brazil. Jullye has been involved in numerous research projects and teaching assistantships since her first year of university. Jullye has experience working in healthcare settings with oncology and terminally ill patients and their families. In the clinical field, her focus is on supporting bereaved families, mainly bereaved mothers. Jullye also has experience working with disabled children, adolescents, and adults. Jullye is actively pursuing an academic career. Her field of interest is health psychology, which includes gender issues, public health, disability, thanatology, and palliative care.
Stephanie Evans (she/her)
Research Assistant, BSW
Stephanie Evans is a dedicated advocate for mental health and disability rights from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. A recent social work graduate, she plans to establish her own private practice. Stephanie actively serves as the disability representative for the Canadian Federation of Students Newfoundland and Labrador and works in partnership with Wavemakers to assist students nationwide. Additionally, she collaborates with Dawn Canada on research, policy, education, and advocacy focused on women and gender-diverse individuals with disabilities. As the chairperson of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), she supports students, staff, and board members.