Michael Adia is a registered social worker in Ontario. He is the HIV/LGBTQI2SA Social Worker at the St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team.
He is one of the recipients of the IPBR small grant with his research entitled “Pathways to Mental Health Among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals” that aim to explore the unique mental health challenges of this population during the pandemic. He has participated in different advisory boards in community research related to HIV and LGBTQI2SA mental health. His recent contribution is for the Asian Community AIDS Services’ research on U=U awareness among East and Southeast Asian MSM. He is also a team member of Project Youth Affirm in Canada. Affirm is a manualized intervention that integrates identity formation and CBT to help LGBTQ+ youth and adults manage stress, reduce symptoms of depression, and improve sexual self-efficacy.
Before joining St. Michael’s Hospital, Michael has worked in the community supporting ethno-specific nonprofit organization and mental health center with work focusing on the psychosocial well-being of those who are racialized, living with and affected by HIV, and those who identify as LGBTQI2SA.