Working with Immigrant Women: About the Authors

From: Working with Immigrant Women: Issues and Strategies for Mental Health Professionals

Diana Abraham , MSW, is an immigrant from Guyana and a former senior consultant with the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. At the ministry, her responsibilities included developing training programs for spoken language interpreters who assist women to access services for victims of domestic violence. She has been actively involved in the movement to advance the recognition of standards for the practice of community interpreters and is currently a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University

Paola Ardiles , MHSc., immigrated to Canada as a child from Latin America in the ’70s. Paola is a certified cultural interpreter and has facilitated support groups for new mothers and newcomers to Canada. Her research focuses on women’s health, with an emphasis on immigrant health issues. She is a co-investigator in a qualitative study examining the role of ethnocultural factors in postpartum depression (PPD). Paola has facilitated workshops across Ontario and co-produced a training video on PPD for health and social service providers working with diverse populations. She has a master’s degree in health promotion from the University of Toronto.

B. Khamisa Baya , MA, is currently doing a doctorate in development studies in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, where she is doing her thesis on Sudanese refugees. Khamisa was born in Sudan and is the co-founder of Ani-Sa’a: The Association of Sudanese Women in Research and Development. Her work has focused on immigrant women’s health and her interests are mainly in the areas of women’s health, gender, equity and refugees.

Silvana Bazet , Clinical Member, Ontario Society of Psychotherapists, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Toronto who specializes in issues related to sexual orientation, ethno-racial identity, migration and gender identity, working from anti-oppression and relational perspectives. Silvana is also an educator, developing and facilitating numerous workshops on these topics at conferences and community agencies. She is a Latin American lesbian who has been doing community and social justice work for more than 20 years.

Helene Berman , RN, PhD, is an associate professor of nursing at the University of Western Ontario and Scotiabank Chair for the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children. Her research focuses on the intersections of culture, health and violence in children’s lives. She has led several national studies on subtle and explicit forms of violence experienced by girls and young women. Helene is past chairperson of the Alliance of Canadian Research Centres on Violence and co-editor of In the Best Interests of the Girl Child , a report funded by Status of Women Canada.

Sarah Bukhari , MA, is co-founder of Ani-Sa’a: The Association of Sudanese Women in Research and Development and does volunteer community development work within the Sudanese community in Ontario. Currently director of program development at a non-profit organization, she is pursuing her interests in community development, literacy, race relations and social justice. Sarah holds a master’s in political science from the American University in Cairo.

Agatha Campbell , MSW, RSW, completed her secondary schooling in the Caribbean, where she grew up. She later immigrated to Canada and, while working full time, completed her undergraduate degree at York University. She then did her master’s at Wilfred Laurier University. Agatha currently works as a social worker in child welfare. She has a keen interest in attachment, separation and reunification resulting from personal and professional experiences.

Cindy-Lee Dennis , PhD, is an associate professor at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and holds a Canada Research Chair in Perinatal Community Health. She is the principal investigator of two large, multi-site randomized controlled trials related to the prevention and treatment of postpartum depression (PPD) and is a co-investigator on six other research projects. Cindy-Lee has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles on diverse maternal and infant health outcomes including the detection, prevention and treatment of PPD. She has also co-authored a bestselling book on postpartum depression and has completed five Cochrane systematic reviews on this topic.

Farzana Doctor , MSW, RSW, is a consultant and trainer specializing in diversity and clinical issues related to working with marginalized populations. She is also a psychotherapist in private practice, specializing in working with individuals and couples from an anti-oppression perspective. Farzana has co-authored books, book chapters and articles on working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual people with substance use and depression concerns, and on counselling lesbian and bisexual women of colour. She has been an instructor at the University of Toronto and Ryerson Faculties of Social Work. Farzana authored a novel, Stealing Nasreen (Inanna, 2007). She received her master’s from Carlton University in 1993.

Zorina Flaman , RN, MHS, CSPI, was born in the Caribbean and completed her initial nursing training in England. After doing her undergraduate degree at York University, Zorina undertook her master’s through Athabasca University while working full time. Presently, Zorina works at a pediatric hospital in Toronto as a certified poison information specialist and is associated with the Diversity in Action Initiative at the same hospital. Zorina is interested in working with immigrant women and their children, poison prevention, health promotion and diversity.

Diana L. Gustafson , RN, BA, M.Ed., PhD, has had an interest in social justice since her youth. Long before she had labels for feminism and anti-oppression, Diana was concerned about equity. That commitment infused her work as a nurse, clinical specialist and educator, and is a recurring theme in her research, teaching and community work. Diana brings her disciplinary roots in health, education, sociology and women studies to her current position as associate professor of social science and health with the Division of Community Health and Humanities at the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Ilene Hyman , PhD, has expertise in the area of health and its determinants for immigrant and racialized populations. She has been involved in several research studies examining intimate partner violence in newcomer communities including studies of prevalence, risk factors and help-seeking behaviour. Ilene is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto and is affiliated with CERIS—The Ontario Metropolis Centre.

Yasmin Jiwani ,, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University. Prior to moving to Montreal, she was the principal researcher and co-ordinator of the BC/Yukon Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children. She recently wrote Discourses of Denial: Mediations of Race, Gender and Violence (2006) and co-edited Girlhood: Redefining the Limits (2006). Her articles have been published in the International Journal of Violence Against Women, Critical Middle Eastern Studies, Social Justice , and the Canadian Journal of Communications.

Parvathy Kanthasamy , PhD, is a community mental health advocate at Community Resource Connections of Toronto. She has also been an instructor at the South Asia Studies Program at the University of Toronto; a research associate at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University; and a Senior Fulbright Fellow at Stanford University. As a community activist, she has worked extensively with abused and other high-risk women. Her research interests include gender and class construction in the Sri Lankan community. Parvathy is a founding member of Vasantham, a Tamil seniors’ wellness centre. She has won various awards including the City of Toronto’s  Status of Women award, recognizing contributions toward equitable treatment for women.

Robin A. Mason , M.Ed., PhD, is a research scientist in the Violence and Health Research Program at the Women’s College Research Institute and an assistant professor with the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the health effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) and the experience of IPV in ethnocultural communities. She also trains and educates health care professionals on these issues. Robin has been involved in developing policies and curricula on IPV locally, provincially and nationally. 

Farah N. Mawani , M.Sc., PhD Candidate, is completing her thesis in Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. Farah is committed to qualitative and quantitative research focused on improving immigrant mental health by influencing policy and program change. She is currently a fellow of the Statistics Canada Tom Symons Research Stipend Program and the Research in Addictions and Mental Health Policy & Services (RAMHPS) CIHR Strategic Training Program. She is past chair of the board of directors for Access Alliance Multicultural Community Health Centre and a member of the Expert Review and Advisory Committee of the Canadian Women’s Health Network.

Jairo Ortiz , MSW, RSW, is a social work practice leader in the Community Mental Health Program at Toronto Western Hospital. In 1998, he participated as a research associate in the Canadian Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, directed by Dr. Nico Trocme. Jairo is an adjunct practice professor at the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, where he did his master’s degree. He grew up in Colombia, where he did a degree in clinical psychology prior to immigrating to Canada in 1979.

Stella Rahman , MB, BS, works as a clinical services consultant at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health where she co-ordinates the Cultural Interpretation Services. She is also a physician from Bangladesh and an accredited Bengali freelance interpreter with the Ministry of the Attorney General. Stella addresses interpreters’ requests and helps clinicians work effectively and efficiently with interpreters. She believes that not bridging the language barrier can have tragic consequences, especially in a health care setting, where good communication is essential. Stella sits on many internal and external committees with the goal of establishing best practices in medical interpretation.

Lori E. Ross , PhD, is a research scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. Her main research interests are women’s mental health, pregnancy and the postpartum period, particularly among marginalized populations. Lori is also a lead investigator on research projects examining mental health problems in immigrant mothers and in co-parenting lesbian and bisexual women.

Edward Jason Santos , BScN, has completed a bachelor of science in nursing at Ryerson University and is interested continuing his studies at the graduate and post-graduate level. Edward has a particular interest in psychosocial and mental health nursing, with a focus in palliative care research for the geriatric population and in working with immigrant women. Edward has been involved in various research projects on intimate partner violence in the immigrant women community. 

Eva Saphir, MA, DTATI, has worked in the field of trauma since 1980, when she co-founded and co-coordinated Hospice Wellington for the terminally ill and their families. In 1988, she created the counselling program at Casey House Hospice in Toronto for people with hiv/aids. As an original member of Toronto Western Hospital’s team of Spanish-speaking therapists, she then spent 15 years working with refugees and immigrants from Latin America as a mental health clinician in their Community Mental Health Program. She also created and co-facilitated an art therapy group at the hospital for Latin people living with hiv. Eva was born in Argentina and is now in private practice in Toronto.

Yogendra B. Shakya , PhD, is the research and evaluation co-ordinator at Access Alliance Multicultural Community Health Centre. His research interests include social determinants of newcomer health, racialization of poverty and international development. Yogendra currently leads a number of community-based participatory research projects at Access Alliance focused on the health impacts of racism and racialized inequalities, refugee mental health and newcomer youth issues.

Laura Simich , PhD, is a cultural anthropologist, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Laura specializes in qualitative, community-based and policy-oriented research on social determinants of mental health among newcomers, particularly during refugee resettlement. Her research interests include community mental health and cultural diversity, immigrant family adaptation and contributions to children’s mental health, and experiences of social exclusion and mental well-being among non-status immigrants.

In Working with Immigrant Women: Issues and Strategies for Mental Health Professionals:

• Acknowledgments
• Preface  / PDF
• Introduction  / PDF
• Part 1: Understanding the Context of Immigrant Women’s Lives
• Part 2: Theoretical Perspectives
• Part 3: Current Realities for Immigrant Women and New Paradigms for Mental Health Practice  
• Part 4: Working with Specific Groups
• Part 5: Highlighting Critical Mental Health Concerns
• Part 6: Conclusion
• About the Editors  / PDF
• About the Authors  / PDF
• Testimonials

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