WHO WE ARE

MEET OUR TEAM

Lori E. Ross, PhD

Dr. Lori Ross (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. She is the leader of the Re:searching for LGBTQ2S+ Health Team. Much of her research focuses on understanding the mental health and service needs of marginalized populations including lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) people, in order to improve access to services for these communities. Although she feels very privileged to have the opportunity to do this important work, Lori's most rewarding job is as Mom to her two kids.

Merrick Pilling, PhD

Merrick Pilling (he/him) is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Social and Behavioural Health Sciences Division of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto and a Contract Lecturer in the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University. His work employs intersectional, Mad Studies/Disability Studies approaches to understanding mental distress in marginalized groups, emphasizing the importance of centering mad/psychiatric survivor knowledge and the lived experience of marginalization. He has developed and delivered curriculum for adult learners with direct service backgrounds on the following topics: intersectional, anti-oppressive approaches to delivering mental health services, trauma-informed care, two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) cultural competence, anti-oppression and social justice, positive space, and trans and non-binary identities.

Jenna MacKay, MA, MSW, RSW

Jenna (she/her) holds a Master of Arts in applied Psychology and a Master of Social Work. She works in private practice as a registered social worker in Belleville, with a focus on trauma and providing 2SLGBTQ+ affirming support. She has over 12 years of diverse work experience in academic, non-profit, hospital and government contexts. Her work has focused on trauma, mental health, bisexuality, and service access. She loves her cat and struggles to keep her house plants healthy.

Michelle Tam, MA

Michelle Tam (she/her) is a PhD student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She holds a MA in Gender Studies from Queen's University. Her SSHRC-funded master's thesis research focused on understandings of sexuality that reflect on racism, citizenship, diaspora, and transnational politics of sexuality, specifically among Chinese Canadian LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people. Currently, her doctoral research is focused on reproductive justice and access for racialized LGBTQ2S+ folks. In addition to being a researcher, Michelle is a community organizer and works with non-profit organizations around the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and sexual health.

Olivia Taylor

Olivia Taylor (she/her) is a first year MPH Health Promotion student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Recently graduated from the University of Waterloo Health Sciences program, she has gained the knowledge and skills from various disciplines and has developed an interest in LGBTQ2S+ health. Through sexual health courses, co-op placements in student health services, guest speakers, and course projects in public health policy, Olivia has gained a greater understanding of LGBTQ2S+ health and the barriers in accessing competent healthcare among the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Giselle Gos, R.P., Ph.D.

Giselle Gos, (they/them) has been a psychotherapist in private practice in Toronto since 2016. They are a non-binary, transmasculine, queer, fat, white, settler, trauma survivor living with an invisible disability. Their therapy practice is anti-oppression informed, and integrates relational, psychodynamic and somatic psychotherapy. Since 2013, they have been working and volunteering in queer community health and research through various organizations, including Re:searching for LGBTQ2S+ Health, Planned Parenthood Toronto, Supporting Our Youth, and The 519 Volunteer Counselling Program and have published on LGBTQ health, mental health and identity. They have been interrogating the gender binary for as long as they can remember, and completed a Ph.D. on gender and subjectivity in literature in 2012. They have over a decade of teaching and facilitation experience. They sometimes describe their gender as "nerd" and enjoy spending their time watching sci-fi and reading and writing fanfiction.

Zafiro Andrade-Romo, MSc, MD

Zafiro (she/her) is a PhD student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She holds a MSc in Health Systems and is also a Medical Doctor. She worked at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico and has collaborated on research projects across Mexico, Brazil, and Nigeria, ranging from those focused-on HIV/AIDS in men who have sex with men, to research focused on sexual and reproductive health in women. Currently, her doctoral research is focused on the mental health of lesbian and bisexual women in Mexico. She loves eating and cooking Mexican and Japanese food with her wife and playing fetch with her kitten (yes, kitten ^‿^).

Jen Goldberg, RM, MPH

Jen (she/they) is a PhD student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, supervised by Dr Lori Ross, and has a Master of Public Health in Family and Community Medicine with a Collaborative Specialization in Indigenous Health from the same school. Jen joined the Re:searching for 2SLGBTQ+ Health team in 2018. Jen's interests include sexual and reproductive health equity for queer, trans and nonbinary people, and arts-based approaches to health professional education that build capacity to provide safe and celebratory midwifery and primary care to queer, trans and nonbinary people. Jen is the Primary Investigator on a research project to explore the attitudes of Ontario midwives towards sexual and gender minority people. Jen is also a Registered Midwife with 25 years of clinical experience and has been an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Ryerson University and a clinical preceptor in the Midwifery Education Programs at Ryerson, McMaster and Laurentian Universities. Jen is a Partner at Community Midwives of Toronto.