Project Leads

Ashleigh Domingo, PhD

Ashleigh Domingo, PhD 
Assistant Professor, Department of Human Health Sciences,
University of Guelph

As an applied health researcher, I am deeply involved in initiatives that aim to strengthen the capacity for community-led actions on food security as a pathway to health and well-being. Our work is community-based, partner-centred, and applied. Projects have a broad emphasis on health promotion and address community health challenges at the intersection of food, nutrition, and the environment. Using participatory approaches and implementation science, we aim to mobilize knowledge to support evidence-informed decision-making to improve health and promote health equity.  The funding sources of our work include Tri-Agency grants (e.g., New Frontiers and Research Fund, CIHR) and other initiatives under the Governments of Canada and Ontario, such as the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund and the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative.

Kerry-Ann Charles 

​Kerry-Ann Charles 
Executive Director, Ne’ikaanigaana Inc
Environment Partnership Coordinator, Cambrian Professional Services 
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I am a member of Georgina Island First Nation and the Founder and Executive Director of Ne’ikaanigaana Inc (a recently incorporated Indigenous owned and operated non-profit). I proudly served my Community for more than 17 years, including a term as Councillor. I continue to work with First Nations with a focus on working within my home territory and with all Williams Treaties First Nations, leading initiatives on climate change, food security and food sovereignty. Additionally, I have dedicated myself to the reconciliation journey and lead Indigenous awareness training for organizations wanting to build respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous Peoples. I have received global recognition for my passion and work in regard to Indigenous perspectives on environmental issues, presenting recently at the 27th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) as the Indigenous Lead for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

Meet Our Students

Maria Ramirez Prieto

Maria holds a PhD in Public Health Sciences from the University of Waterloo, with a specialization in Global Health. Over the last five years, she has conducted community-driven research on food security and food sovereignty with Inuvialuit communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. She also has evaluation experience, having been a national finalist in the Canadian Evaluation Society’s Student Case Competition and leading an evaluation of the Region of Waterloo’s We All Belong campaign. Maria will work on the Minwanjigewin, Food is Medicine, and Food Uniting Neighbours projects, leading and supporting the synthesis of results, including through Western-Indigenous knowledge co-creation. 
 
Field of Study: Post-Doctoral Fellow - Human Health Sciences 
 
Fun Fact: Maria enjoys sewing and mending clothes, as well as spending time with her two dogs.  

Jennifer Ethier

Jen is a first-year PhD student in the Joint Rural Studies and Human Health Sciences program at the University of Guelph. She is a faculty member at Georgian College, where she teaches in the areas of health systems, health informatics, and math. Her doctoral research explores rural health inequities through a social determinants of health lens, with a particular focus on food security, health equity, and the unique challenges facing rural communities in Ontario. Drawing on her background in nutrition research and health systems she is interested in identifying pathways to improve health outcomes and strengthen community resilience in underserved populations.
 
Field of Study: PhD – Rural Studies and Human Health Sciences
 
Fun Fact: Outside of teaching and research, Jen enjoys running, camping, and spending time exploring Ontario's trails, forests, and natural spaces

Sohalia ​Isaqzai

Sohaila is a Postdoctoral Scholar with the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute at the University of Guelph. She holds a PhD and MSc in Educational Leadership and Policy from Florida State University. With over a decade of applied research experience, she works at the intersection of education, wellbeing, and social justice, focusing on the lived experiences of marginalized groups. She uses participatory approaches so that participants’ voices directly shape her work to help make a practical difference in policy and people’s lives. 
 
Field of Study: Postdoctoral Fellow – Community Engaged Scholarship Institute
 
Fun Fact: Sohaila’s educational journey has been a mini global tour. She completed her K–12 schooling in Iran, undergraduate studies in Afghanistan, teacher training in India, graduate studies in the U.S., and postdoctoral training in Canada.  

Ekta Amarnani

Ekta is a first year PhD student, President and Board Chair of the Primary Care Dietitians' Association, and Registered Dietitian. Her doctoral research will use community-based participatory approaches to assist in the co-design of ‘food is medicine’ interventions with First Nations communities in Ontario. She has a Master's degree from the McGill Institute for Global Food Security, and has since led initiatives to improve equitable access to nutrition.

Field of study: PhD - Human Health Sciences 

Fun fact: Ekta is a dedicated fiber crafter and spends much of her free time crocheting, knitting, sewing, tie-dying, weaving, and cross-stitching. She takes weekend classes at George Brown College in garment construction and sews many of her own clothes!

Susanna Redekop

​Susanna is a PhD student, and Research Assistant for an OMAFA-funded project on Co-producing Actionable Knowledge for Food and Farm Co-operatives in Ontario.  Using community based participatory action research methodology, her doctoral research will further knowledge mobilization and critical analysis of the co-operative model for food and farm initiatives to improve support for community-led approaches to food production, distribution, and consumption.  Susanna holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University, and is a Co-Founder of Freedom Dreams Co-operative Education. 
 
Field of study: PhD - Rural Studies at the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development 

Fun fact: Susanna is a mother to 3 children, including a set of twins, and they enjoy growing their own food in their backyard and cooking together.  

Julianna Acosta

Julianna is pursuing a Master of Science in Human Health Sciences. She is excited to engage in community-based health and address health inequities by supporting the Food is Medicine project. One aim of her research is to better understand the roles and perspectives within Indigenous communities and the significance of culture and tradition, to support actions towards food security and holistic wellness. In the future, she hopes to become a physician and use her growing knowledge on holistic health to better support her patients.

Field of Study: Human Health Sciences MSc Program
 
Fun fact: In her spare time, Julianna enjoys sculpting  trinkets out of clay and gifting them to her friends and family. She is currently working on a collection of keychains!

Ruth Girma

Ruth is a 1st-year Master’s student in the Human Health Sciences program. She is passionate about creating equitable food systems and supporting community-driven solutions to address food insecurity. She is currently supporting an evaluation of one of the interventions of the Food Uniting Neighbours (f.u.n.) initiative. In the future, she hopes to become a physician and use her growing knowledge of food access and nutrition to better support and understand her patients.​

Field of Study: Human Health Sciences MSc Program
 
Fun Fact: Ruth enjoys going for walks, trying new food spots, and watching reality tv.

Teresa Copeland

Teresa is a proud member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and holds a Master of Science in Human Health Sciences. She continues to support the advancement of initiatives in her home community with a focus on food security and sustainability. Her work is grounded in the Seven Generations Teaching, which teaches us that the actions we take today will shape the well-being of the seven generations to come.
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Field of Study: Human Health Sciences MSc graduate
 
Fun Fact: Teresa is passionate about wellness and values quality time with her family. On Sundays, they do hot-cold therapy together and then share a meal. It is a time for her to reset, recharge, and connect with her family before the week begins.

Isha Rajbhandari

​Isha is a graduate from the Human Health Sciences program. During her studies, she supported an evaluation of a Produce Prescription (PRx) program on community health, food accessibility and food literacy. Through community based strategies, nutrition education, and implementation science, her work aimed to identify ways to support food literacy and accessibility to support chronic disease prevention and health promotion in underserved communities.

​Field of Study: Human Health Sciences MSc graduate

Fun Fact: Isha's love for cooking inspired her to create a social media page dedicated to sharing easy and budget friendly recipes tailored to University students, ultimately making cooking feel more accessible and less intimidating!​

Madison Fach

Madison is a graduate from the Master of Public Health program at the University of Guelph. During her studies, Madison helped complete an evaluation of a Produce Prescription (PRx) program to understand the barriers and facilitators to program implementation in a community health setting. Madison is passionate about health equity for marginalized populations, and is particularly interested in how health promotion strategies can positively influence holistic health outcomes.
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​Field of Study: Population Medicine MSc graduate

​Fun Fact: Madison recently camped on top of a dormant volcano in Guatemala! ​

Abbey Robertson

Abbey is Metis from Red River and has Anishinaabe ancestry. She is completing her final year of an Honours Bachelor of Science in biomedical science with a minor in One Health. She is passionate about building community-based approaches to address public health issues with a holistic perspective. Abbey is happy to be supporting the Food is Medicine project, which aims to develop novel programs that promote the health of Indigenous groups.

Field of Study: ​Biomedical Science Undergraduate Program 

Fun fact: Abbey grew up dedicated to dance and she continued to keep up with this hobby by taking dance classes at the University.

Rose Houb

Rose was a 4th year undergraduate student studying Applied Human Nutrition. By combining her passion for dietetics and public health programs, she has working on a program evaluation of a Produce Prescription Program at a Toronto Community Health Centre. Rose is continuing her journey to become a registered dietician by starting a Masters of Nutrition Education at Toronto Metropolitan University in January 2026.

Field of Study: Bachelors of Applied Human Nutrition ​

Fun Fact: Rose enjoys cooking, spending time with pets and getting outside to hike and explore.

​​Max Wakegijig

Max is a proud member of Wiikwemkong First Nation and a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Science. He is passionate about improving human health and well-being, especially for those who often experience societal barriers to achieving a healthy lifestyle. He is the recipient of the NSERC Undergraduate Research Student Award and currently works on the Minwanjigewin project, supporting the planning of a community gathering, ongoing data analysis, and report writing. 
 
Field of Study: Biomedical Science Undergraduate Program
 
Fun Fact: Max enjoys collecting antiques, especially ephemera and old books. He enjoys seeing how different yet the same people and life are between then and now.