Adar Shire is a passionate advocate for social justice and harm reduction. She is a peer researcher with the Bridge Engagement Centre, where she actively supports the development and implementation of research projects. Formally a graduate of Algonquin College with a diploma in Community Justice Services, Adar is currently pursuing a degree in Social Work at Carleton University.

Johnathon Brizard

Smita Pakhale is a pulmonologist (respirologist) and a senior-scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, leading The Bridge Engagement Centre (The Bridge), a research centre conducting community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) projects under the auspices of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Her primary research focus and collaborations includes research on health inequities, lung diseases, tobacco and cannabis dependence, and Sickle Cell Disease, both locally and globally.

Brianna N. Tranby, MA is the Senior Research Program Coordinator in the Behavioral Health Research Program at Mayo Clinic – Rochester.  She received a Master of Arts from the University of Minnesota in Educational and Counseling Psychology and has been engaged in research and educational activities for over 15 years.  In her current role, Ms.

Dr.

Wyatt Pickner is an enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe (Hunkpati Dakota) in South Dakota. He received his undergraduate degree in American Indian Studies and Health Sciences from the University of South Dakota and earned an MPH in Community-Oriented Public Health Practice from the University of Washington.