Dr. Flora I. Matheson, Ph.D. is a medical sociologist and mental health and addictions specialist. She is particularly interested in how gender inequities and other social determinants of health affect people experiencing problem gambling and substance use, mental illness, poverty, homelessness and imprisonment. She has particular expertise in integrated knowledge translation approaches with community-based partners and with people with lived experience of addictions, mental health concerns and homelessness. She is a Scientist at the Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital; Scientist in the Mental Health and Addictions Program at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences; and, Associate Professor with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto.
Arthur is a postdoctoral fellow at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto and the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. He holds a PhD in Sociology from McMaster University.
As a sociologist who studies diverse social worlds—drug subcultures, seminaries, barbershops, refugee reception contexts, service agencies, addiction and reintegration programs—the moral order of everyday life has been a central theme that informs and integrates his research.
Arthur works with Dr. Matheson at MAP, where they are pursuing two streams of research: (1) problem gambling, poverty, and homelessness and (2) incarceration, traumatic brain injury, and comorbidities. This work is focused on developing evidence-based, stakeholder-informed mobile applications as an eHealth approach to reaching marginalized populations, providing them with tools for self-managing gambling, in the case of the former stream, and breaking the cycle of incarceration and enhancing the experience of reintegration, in the case of the latter stream. These projects represent one way Arthur has been extending beyond the academy to critically engage social issues in a public forum.
Arthur’s research has been published in multiple venues–such as Social Forces, Sociological Theory, Canadian Ethnic Studies, and Refuge—and received recognition from the Society for the Study of Social Problems and the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction.
Catherine is a Research Associate with Dr. Matheson in the C-UHs. She holds an MSc in Speech Language Pathology from the State University of New York, College at Buffalo, and PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Toronto. Catherine is an assistant clinical professor (adjunct) in the department of speech language pathology, Institute for Applied Health Sciences at McMaster University, and an affiliate scientist at KITE-UHN Toronto Rehab Institute.
She has devoted her career toward a better understanding of the factors impacting recovery from traumatic brain injury, as well as developing interventions to support positive outcomes and quality of life. She has a specific interest in vulnerable populations with TBI, particularly those who intersect with the criminal justice system. At C-UHS, Catherine is co-leading two studies with Dr. Matheson; ‘Developing and implementing training on TBI and best practices for the John Howard Society of Toronto’, and, ‘Examining cognitive and social-communication challenges experienced by individuals with TBI in the criminal justice system’.
She is the recipient of several awards for Graduate Teaching Excellence, Mentorship, (University of Toronto) and Outstanding Community Service (East York).
Kevin is a Graphic Designer in the Justice and Equity Lab at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. His work is spearheaded by the research of Dr. Matheson. He has completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design at OCAD (Ontario college of Art and Design) University. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Design for Health at OCAD as well.
Kevin devotes his time studying graphic design and the fine arts. He is currently working on new research content to develop an app that focuses on Traumatic Brain Injuries. His studious passion and expertise in the skill set of graphic design aided him in becoming a productive team member. In his work, Kevin illustrated and wrote knowledge translation materials including pamphlets about gambling for distribution in Ontario shelters and a whiteboard video about gambling for youth.
Prior to his work experience at St. Michael’s hospital, Kevin was an art workshop assistant at the Working Women’s Community Centre. He was also an ambassador at the pre-auction event of Division Gallery, and in 2015, he received an award in international recognition for donating his artwork for charity to the Herzog Children’s Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel.
Madison is a Research Coordinator in the Justice and Equity Research Lab. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University and a Master’s of Public Health from Lund University.
Madison is interested in the field of addiction, specifically problem gambling. As a research coordinator, she is currently managing various projects, including a self-management app for people experiencing problem gambling with a focus on those experiencing homelessness, and supporting individuals with traumatic brain injury in the Ontario criminal justice system.
During her last semester at Lund University, she conducted a thesis project on the association between problem gambling and comorbid physical conditions, mental health problems, problematic substance use, and behavioural addictions with the goal of finding new opportunities for pathways to treatment. Prior to her role at St. Michael’s Hospital, Madison was a Research Assistant at the McGill Group for Suicide Studies, where she assisted with a scoping review investigating a wide variety of risk factors for suicide.
Charles brings a unique cross-sectoral experience in research and consultations across public sector, academic, community, and non-profit settings. He has a strong commitment to health equity, uplifting the health and life outcomes of marginalized and racialized communities, especially communities of African descent. He has an MSc. in Health: Science, Technology and Policy and is avid about cohesive and thriving communities, art, and the intersection of society, science, and technology.
Monique is the Administrative Assistant to Scientists Dr. Matheson and Dr. O’Campo in the Justice and Equity Research Program at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. She provides assistance with coordination of various activities, tracking requirements and scheduling meetings for both teams of the principal investigators. She also provides assistance on a number of funded projects and grant applications.
Prior to her position at LKSI she served as Senior Legal Assistant to the head of the Legal Department for a major securities company in Toronto and completed her education at Seneca College as a Court and Tribunal Agent.
Parisa is a Master of Science student at Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto. She is currently focusing on her thesis to identify the needs of people experiencing traumatic brain injury (TBI) when re-entering the community after incarceration.
She is a medical doctor who worked as the Provincial Medical Officer in Iran for over 12 years. With a specialization in community medicine, she has a passion for public health research and believes that identifying and improving the determinants of health will have a great impact on communities.
She completed the Immigrant Insight Scholar fellowship program with Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services where she worked on a refugee maternal health research project. She coordinates a number of research projects at Justice and Equity Lab pertaining to problem gambling, homelessness, poverty and health equity.
Penny Dowedoff is a Research Coordinator in the Justice and Equity Lab. She holds a PhD in Sociology from York University, Toronto, Ontario. Penny specializes in global health, gender and health equity and qualitative methodologies. Her current work focuses on service improvement for individuals with mental health and substance use needs, experience-based co-design, and bringing a population health and intersectionality lens to explore the diversity of health service needs and preferences.
