The Team
Mark Skinner
Principal Co-investigator
Trent University, Canada
Mark Skinner is the Dean of Social Sciences at Trent University where he is a Professor of Geography and where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Rural Aging, Health and Social Care, and was founding Director of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society (2013-2018). His research examines how rural people and places are responding to the challenges and opportunities of population aging, particularly the evolving role of the voluntary sector and volunteers in supporting older people and sustaining aging communities.
Rachel Herron
Principal Co-investigator
Brandon University, Canada
Rachel Herron is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Brandon University where she holds the Canada Research Chair in Rural and Remote Mental Health. Her current research examines the vulnerability and complexity of care relationships, social inclusion and meaningful engagement for people with dementia, and the diversity of lived experiences of rural mental health.
Pia Kontos
Co-investigator
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Canada
Pia Kontos is a Senior Scientist at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute -University Health Network and an Associate Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the transformation of dementia care so it is more humanistic and socially just. This involves critical and qualitative exploration of the structural and relational dimensions of stigma, the creation of research-based dramas to effect personal and organizational change, and the use of the arts (e.g. dance, improvisational play) to enrich the lives of people living with dementia.
Verena Menec
Co-investigator
University of Manitoba, Canada
Verena Menec is a Professor of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests are healthy aging, determinants of healthy aging, age-friendly communities, and health care utilization among older adults, particularly at the end of life.
Rachel Bar
Research Coordinator
Canada's National Ballet School, Canada
Rachel Bar is a graduate of the Professional Ballet Program at Canada’s National Ballet School, where she is the Manager of Health and Research Initiatives. She is currently completing her PhD in psychology as a Vanier Scholar, at Ryerson University, in Toronto, Canada. Her research explores the benefits of dance for older adult populations and the utility of arts-based knowledge translation of health research.
An Kosurko
Research Associate
Trent University, Canada
An Kosurko is a Research Associate with the Rural Aging, Canada Research Chair Program, and the Trent Centre for Aging & Society at Trent University. She is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Helsinki in the Social Sciences Doctoral Program. Her areas of interest include aging, communications, technology, social inclusion and relations, sustainability, voluntarism, arts-based practices.
Alisa Grigorovich
Collaborator
Toronto Rehab Institute - University Health Network
Alisa Grigorovich is a CIHR Health System Impact Postdoctoral Fellow at Toronto Rehab Institute – UHN. Her research program is interdisciplinary and centers on critically exploring social, ethical, and policy issues related to health, aging, technology, and care. A central focus of her research concerns the use of the arts to challenge stigma associated with dementia and to improve health and social inclusion across community-based and institutional care environments.
For more information:
alisagrigorovich.com
Research Assistants
Heidi Burns
Trent University
Amber Colibaba
Trent University
Sylvia Dick
Trent University
Justin Sutton
Trent University
Stephan Warrener
Brandon University
Megan Wrathall
Brandon University