Our research team
INTERACT is recruiting students!
INTERACT is recruiting students to join our local teams. We offer graduate students and postdoctoral fellows advanced training opportunities in population health intervention research and opportunities for collaboration with leading researchers and policy makers across Canada. The program trains highly qualified personnel in GIS, GPS, accelerometry, epidemiology, statistics and qualitative and mixed methods, all of which are essential for urban intervention research.
Principal Investigators
Yan Kestens, PhD
Université de Montréal / CRCHUM
Yan Kestens, CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in Urban Interventions and Population Health and associate professor at Ecole de Santé Publique de l’Université de Montréal is a Principal Investigator on INTERACT. His research focuses on improving our understanding of how urban changes influences population health, considering converging objectives of sustainability, improved quality of life and reduced health inequalities. Yan develops new tools to collect and analyse spatial data and processes, including wearable sensors, and map-based online questionnaires. Offline, Yan turns to his other projects involving brewing, french sausage, and kids!
Meghan Winters, PhD
Simon Fraser University
Meghan Winters is a Principal Investigator on INTERACT, and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. Her research focuses on ways that cities and their infrastructure can play a role in promoting healthy and safe transportation, for people of all ages and abilities. She is happiest when working in close collaboration with cities and stakeholders to conduct research and create tools that address real-world challenges. Meghan is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and a core investigator at the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility. Meghan has a PhD from the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. Out of the office, Meghan aims to spend the maximum time outside, biking, camping, picnicking and exploring with her family in tow.
Daniel Fuller, PhD
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Daniel Fuller is a Principal Investigator on the INTERACT team and Canada Research Chair in Population Physical Activity in the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial University. His research is focused on using wearable technologies to study physical activity, transportation interventions, and equity in urban spaces. Dan has an MSc in Kinesiology from the University of Saskatchewan, a PhD in Public Health from Université de Montréal. Dan is the Neighbourhood Factors Team co-lead of the Canadian Urban Environmental Health (CANUE) Research Consortium. He spends free time chasing his two rambunctious kids, and relives his youth playing recreational basketball on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Co-Investigators and Collaborators
Kevin Stanley, PhD
University of Saskatchewan
Computer science – Machine learning – Tool development
Sébastien Lord, PhD
Université de Montréal
Urban planning – Consultation process – Mixed methods
Michael Cantinotti, PhD
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Mixed Methods – Mental Health – Psychology of Tech and Privacy
Catherine Morency, PhD
Polytechnique Montréal
Mobility – Active Transportation – Transit Planning
Scott Bell, PhD
University of Saskatchewan
ON LEAVE
Spatial Cognition – GIScience – Health Geography
Joanie Sims-Gould, PhD
University of British Columbia
Sex and Gender Champion
Active aging – Qualitative Methods – Knowledge Translation
Geetanjali Datta, PhD
Université de Montréal / CRCHUM
Methods – Cancer prevention – Physical Activity
Paul Lewis, PhD
Université de Montréal
Planning policy – Transportation – Urban Design
Heather McKay, PhD
University of British Columbia
Active aging – Implementation – Mobility
Nazeem Muhajarine, PhD
University of Saskatchewan
Intervention research – Maternal and Child Health – Neighbourhoods and Health
Trisalyn Nelson, PhD
Arizona State University
Active Transportation – Cycling Infrastructure – Spatial Analysis
Ehab Diab, PhD
University of Saskatchewan
Land Use and Transportation – Perceptions of Transit Users – GIScience
Henry Luan, PhD
University of Oregon
Collaborator
Spatio-temporal Analysis – GISscience – Health Geography
Lise Gauvin, PhD
Université de Montréal / CRCHUM
Collaborator
Physical Activity – Health Equity – Built Environment
Martine Shareck, PhD
University of Toronto - Banting Fellow
Equity Champion
Health Equity – Social Epidemiology – Health Geography
Rania Wasfi, PhD
Université de Montréal / CRCHUM - Postdoctoral Fellow
Collaborator
Active transport – Methods – Geo-social determinants of health
Callista Ottoni, MAP
University of British Columbia
Collaborator
Qualitative methods – Knowledge translation – Active aging
Students and Trainees
Sarah Bree
University of Saskatchewan
Maîtrise Géographie
Gabrielle Rancourt
Université de Montréal
PhD Public Health
Stella Zhou
University of British Columbia
Master of Community and Regional Planning University of British Columbia
Jaimy Fischer
Simon Fraser University
MSc Health Sciences
Melissa Ann Tobin
Memorial University of Newfoundland
MSc Kinesiology
Meridith Sones
Simon Fraser University
PhD Population Health
Kole Phillips
University of Saskatchewan
BA Computer Science
Kate Hosford
Simon Fraser University
PhD Health Sciences
Antoine Nzeyimana
University of Oregon
PhD Geography
Luana Fragoso
University of Saskatchewan
MSc Computer Science
Rui Zhang
University of Saskatchewan
MSc Computer Science
Avipsa Roy
Arizona State University
PhD Geography
Vanessa Brum-Bastos, PhD
Arizona State University
Postdoctoral Fellow
Nicolas Parenteau
Université de Montréal
MSc Public Health
Research Staff
Zoé Poirier Stephens, M.Urb
Montreal Research Coordinator/ National Research Coordinator
Zoé brings together key people, resources, and data to advance and promote our research. She’s worked in political communications and research, before becoming a community organizer, where she focused on urban revitalization and ageing. She holds a Master’s of Urban Planning from McGill University. Zoé organizes her free time around food, transit, and friends.
Meridith Sones, MPH
Manager of Knowledge Mobilization
Meridith is a knowledge translation and communications strategist with a passion for mobilizing evidence and people around bold solutions to public health challenges. Meridith has spent the past ten years leading knowledge translation and evaluation strategies for health organizations aspiring for greater reach and impact. Her work has spanned multiple disciplines and settings, from government agencies in Canada to community organizations in Brazil and Botswana. Meridith spends most weekends playing in the mountains around Vancouver and park-hopping with her sushi-loving kids and mischievous yellow lab Kona.
Karen Laberee, MSc
Project Coordinator Victoria
Karen Laberee is the Project Coordinator in Victoria. She is also the Executive Director of BikeMaps.org. Karen has enjoyed drawing upon her experience in developing creative approaches for promoting BikeMaps.org to recruit participants in Victoria for Team Interact. When she’s not talking about biking, Karen can be found running the spectacular trails that are found just outside of Victoria.
Caitlin Pugh, MSc
Project Coordinator Vancouver
Caitlin is the Project Coordinator in Vancouver, working out of the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility. She also works with the Active Aging Research team, where she coordinates research projects that share a common goal to identify factors which can prolong active and independent living. Caitlin completed her MSc degree at Simon Fraser University in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and in her spare time she enjoys volunteering as a fitness administrator at her local senior’s centre, and cycling across Vancouver’s wonderful avenues.
Margot Gough, MPH
Project Coordinator Saskatoon
Margot is the Project Coordinator in Saskatoon. She also works on other projects at the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit. Margot is happy to bring her passion for health promotion and coordination to the INTERACT team. Margot enjoys working alongside engaged community stakeholders and participants, and is energized by the richness of working on a natural experiment. She has a Master’s of Community Health from the Université de Montréal. She is a year-round cyclist and in her spare time can be found sharing food with friends and family, and volunteering at the local bike co-op and on various committees.
Jeff Smith, PhD
Developper
Dr. Jefferson Smith is a semi-retired computer scientist and entrepreneur who couldn’t decide what he wanted to be when he grew up: a technology specialist helping socially relevant research programs deal with the complexity of software and data landscapes, or a science-fiction and fantasy author creating darkly humorous adventure landscapes in a style he calls ‘grindark.’ But then he realized that both jobs were too much fun to choose just one. So these days, Jeff spends half his week designing and implementing INTERACT’s data management pipeline, and the other half chasing imaginary people through the corridors of his mind.
Benoit Thierry
GIS Specialist
Benoit is principally responsible for managing the spatial data collected as part of INTERACT. The rest of the time, he contributes to the work of the team by developing innovative spatial analysis techniques and geographic information systems related to population health. He also implements solutions for research and clinical interventions using multi-sensors combining GPS and accelerometers. Firmly claiming a generalist profile, he holds a telecommunications engineering degree (France) and a master’s degree in geomatics (Université Laval, Québec). From time to time, satiated with bits and bytes, he uproots himself to southern latitudes.
Knowledge Users
Ville de Montréal
Natasha Beauchesne
City of Saskatoon
Lesley Anderson
Chris Schulz
City of Vancouver
Dale Bracewell
Maggie Buttle
Megan Fitzgerald
City of Victoria
Sarah Webb
Canadian Urban Institute
Glenn Miller
Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Éric Robitaille
Conseil régional de l’environnement Montréal
Coralie Deny
Direction régionale de santé publique
Louis Drouin
Join the team!
Apply to the INTERACT Trainee Program
