WHO ARE WE?
The British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Dr. Mariana Brussoni
Dr. Mariana Brussoni is Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. She is an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the British Columbia Injury Research & Prevention Unit. Mariana is a founding member and on the leadership group of Outdoor Play Canada.
Mariana is a developmental psychologist whose award-winning research investigates child injury prevention and children’s risky play, focusing on parent and caregiver perceptions of risk, and design of outdoor play-friendly environments – with a special focus on promoting equitable access to outdoor play. After years spent examining child injury statistics and researching injury prevention, Mariana became interested in the intersection between injury prevention, risk taking and outdoor play, concerned that well-meaning attempts to keep children safe were putting excessive limitations on children’s play despite the fact that serious injuries are rare. She partners with practitioners and policy makers in early childhood education, schooling, municipal planning and recreation provision, with the aim of creating environments where all children thrive in healthy societies. She has published her research extensively and has been widely featured in international media.
Mariana spends her free time playing outside with her family.
Websites:
Advisory Roles:
Dr. Brussoni is available for speaking engagements such as plenary presentations, lectures, workshops, conferences, interviews, and podcasts. Please provide a minimum of two months notice prior to your event.
Christina Han
Research Coordinator
Christina Han is a social science researcher working with Dr. Brussoni as Research Coordinator. She oversees the implementation, management, and data analyses of several research studies in the Brussoni lab. Christina has 10+ years of qualitative research experience and authored over 20 peer-refereed articles (link). She is currently interested in the role of children’s sense of agency and autonomy in their development and well-being.
Dawn Mount
Research Coordinator
Dawn Mount is coordinating the PROmoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO) project in partnership with the YMCA. She has over 10 years of experience working in pediatric research, focusing on prevention and clinical practice improvements. Dawn’s background is in early childhood education and psychology. She is passionate about community-oriented initiatives that empower children and families to live their best lives.
Rachel Ramsden
Research Coordinator
Rachel Ramsden is a public health researcher working with Dr. Brussoni as a Research Coordinator. She oversees the management of several research studies and provides methodology and statistical support to projects across the lab. Rachel’s PhD research investigates children’s movements and perspectives in outdoor child care environments using a mixed-methods approach. Rachel completed a Masters degree in Public Health in 2016 and a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree in 2013, both at UBC.
Dalia Vukmirovich
Research Assistant
Dalia Vukmirovich is a research assistant with Dr. Brussoni at the Human Early Learning Partnership (University of British Columbia) and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dalia completed her MA degree (Sociology) at Simon Fraser University, and has worked on Health and Social Science research at UBC, SFU, University of Victoria and City of Vancouver. She has also worked in tourism and marine transportation sectors, non-profit arts and the film industry.
Emily Fox
Research Assistant
Emily Fox recently graduated from the University of British Columbia with her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology. She is also a Research Assistant for the PRO-ECO project. Emily is interested in how reframing risk in outdoor play influences children’s self-efficacy and risk-taking behaviours.
Hebah Hussaina
Research Assistant
Hebah Hussaina is an incoming MSc. student at the University of British Columbia, having a background in children’s health sciences research in a variety of settings. She is primarily a Research Assistant on the PRO-ECO project. Hebah’s interests lie in supporting early childhood development, especially through understanding adult perspectives to further promote healthy child development.
Julia Zhu
Research Assistant
Julia Zhu is a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia, with a BA degree in Human Geography and a minor in Urban Studies. She also has a background in Communication Design and a passion for Urban Design. She is currently involved with the PRO-ECO project and is interested in studying how children interact with the outdoor space and environment, as well as ways to facilitate and enhance such interactions.
Mathilde Duflos
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mathilde Duflos is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the grandparent-grandchild relationship and on emotional closeness.
Dr. Duflos is involved in the Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play study where she interviews grandparents about outdoor play with their grandchildren.
Megan Zeni
Graduate Student
Megan Zeni is a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at UBC. Her research interests include developing professional learning communities with in-service teachers to bridge emerging theories with teaching practices that include unstructured outdoor play as a pedagogical approach. Megan has over 20 years of experiences as a professional educator, and currently teaches in a public school outdoor and garden classroom. To learn more about her work, visit: www.meganzeni.com.
Ivana Lexa-French
Graduate Student
Ivana Lexa-French is a graduate student at UBC’s Department of Landscape Architecture. Raised by American artists in Denmark, she grew up valuing multiculturalism and creativity. She completed her undergraduate degree in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, and thereafter spent ten years teaching in Laos before moving to Vancouver. Ivana’s current focus is on playscapes and designing with Indigenous ways of knowing.
Breann Corcoran
Graduate Student
Breann Corcoran is a PhD student in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. She has 15 years of experience working with local health authorities in BC in community development and community engagement roles. She currently works part-time with BC Cancer’s Screening & Prevention team and is particularly interested in neighbourhood design to support healthy child development. More recently Breann’s work has focused on the use of shade as a design tool for skin cancer prevention in early childhood settings.
Anchal Kataria
Work Learn Student
Anchal Kataria is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Chemistry, Life Science, and Earth Science at UBC. She is currently a work learn student at the Brussoni Lab and working on the Pro-ECO project. She is interested in studying the development of pediatric populations and pursuing a career in pediatric healthcare.
Hannah Coo
Work Learn Student
Hannah Coo is a M.Sc. student at the University of British Columbia with the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences. She is involved with the PRO-ECO project. She is interested in researching early childhood educators’ and parental attitudes towards outdoor risky play for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Juliana Lane
Volunteer
Juliana Lane is in her final year at the University of British Columbia, completing a BA degree in Psychology with a Minor in Education. She will be working with Dr. Mathilde Duflos on the Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play study. Currently, she works part-time as an Education Assistant in the West Vancouver School District. She has a particular interest in the development of resilience in children and is passionate about educating parents on how to foster resilience in their children.
Emma Raaflaub
Graduate Student
Emma Raaflaub is a MPH student at UBC and holds her MEd in curriculum development. Emma has six years of education experience exploring how outdoor play can be integrated further in curriculum and is interested in ways children learn and grow in outdoor spaces. She is involved with the FUN 2 project, providing intervention tools for families to support children’s agency in outdoor play.
Varun Nair
Volunteer
Varun Nair is a final-year undergraduate student studying Genetics and Global Health through the Integrated Sciences program at the University of British Columbia. His desire to explore the intersection between research and health policy in improving the lives of children worldwide drew him to the Brussoni Lab, where he is a Research Assistant with the PRO-ECO project. Beyond his undergraduate studies, Varun aims for a career in pediatrics as a clinician-researcher.
Past Team Members
Allison Ezzat
Graduate Student
Physical Activity Participation and Health-Related Outcomes in Adolescent Females following Sport-Related Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Mixed Methods Study
Amalie Lambert
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Amy Schneeberg
Graduate Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Andrew Wilson
Research Assistant
Playability Study (PLAY)
Erica Zallen
Research Assistant
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Fritha Munday
Graduate Student
Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)
Genevieve Creighton
Graduate Student
Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)
George Ko
Medical Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Grace Chan
Medical Student
Child Home Safety Study and Mothers’ Risk Engagement and Protection Study (REPS)
Hannah Zimmering
Volunteer
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Janae Vlaar
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Jaspreet Dhillon
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY) and Go Play Outside Study (GPO)
Jessica Flores
Graduate Student
The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and ED Injuries’ Psychological Dimensions Study
Kathryn Soo
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY), Go Play Outside Study (GPO), Early Childhood Outside (ECO), and Early Childhood Outside RCT (ECO-RCT)
Keeva Lupton
Medical Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Kendra Wong
Work Learn Student
Child Home Safety Study, Fathers’ Risks Engagement and Protection Study (REPS), and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Kerry Walker
Medical Student
Validity and Reliability of the EQ5D among a Paediatric Injury Population Study and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Linlin Wang
Work Learn Student
PRO-ECO Study
Lise Olsen
Graduate Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI) & Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)
Matthew Hanna
Work Learn Student
Aging Road Warriors: An Emerging Public Health Concern
Michelle O’Kane
Graduate Student
Playability study (PLAY)
Morgan Yates
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Nelson Luk
Volunteer
Burden of Injury Study (BOI) and Fathers on Child’s Play Masculinities in Rural and Urban Canada
Ricky Zhang
Volunteer
Examining Childhood Risk Appraisal Measurements using Electroencephalography
Sami Kruse
Research Coordinator
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Sara Brunelle
Graduate Student
Play worth remembering I
Sarah Foster
Medical Student
Urban Versus Rural Fathers’ Ideas of Risk and Risk Prevention
Tak Ishikawa
Graduate Student
Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)
Tina Cheng
Volunteer
Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)
Vincent Li
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Yingyi Lin
Research Assistant
Playability Study (PLAY) & Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)
Willow Leahy
Volunteer
Literature review outdoor risky play for children with exceptionalities
Become a Graduate Student
Dr. Brussoni supervises graduate students through the UBC School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) and the Experimental Medicine Program. If you are interested in pursuing graduate studies, you can check program requirements through SPPH or Experimental Medicine.
Become a Work Study Student or Volunteer
Work/Learn is a program at the University of British Columbia that provides students with opportunities to gain professional skills. At the Brussoni lab, Dr. Brussoni and the research team place a strong emphasis on students’ learning experience. Many students have had the opportunity to gain research experience through working or volunteering in the Brussoni lab.
If you would like to work or volunteer at the Brussoni lab, please contact the research coordinator at playoutside@bcchr.ca, visit the Work/Learn program website, and/or apply for a position in UBC Career Services Online.