Team

Lark Doolan (he/him), Senior Policy Advisor

Lark brings his background in K-12 education, professional trainings, research, group facilitation, and mental health services for SOGI diverse youth/adults/families forward in support of the REAFFIRM Collaborative’s purpose. With years of experience presenting and working with 2S/LGBTQIA+ youth, adults and families in the school setting, mental health field, in research and in policy development, Lark Doolan brings a diverse range of skills to the REAFFIRM Collaborative. He’s contributed in several research projects, including the publication “Authentic Truth at Work: A Case Study of the Lived Professional Experiences of a Transgender Educational Leader Through the Lens of the Synergistic Leadership Theory” which is an in-depth dissertation on his experience as a transgender school administrator. In his spare time, Lark likes to spend time with his family outdoors.

Milo is a PhD student on the team who does a bunch of research, knowledge mobilization, a little facilitation, and a sprinkle of design! Milo primarily works on MindMapBC and the UnACoRN Study. Milo is a PhD student in social epidemiology, dedicated to researching the health and well-being of the 2s/LGBTQ neurodivergent community. As an autistic, Métis, and Two-Spirit scholar, they are passionately decolonizing our understanding of neurodiversity, blending cultural wisdom with academic rigor to create a brighter, more inclusive future. In Milo’s free time, they like to have tea parties with their kids and cats, bang on the tambourine, and look at bugs.

Christina Lam, Undergraduate/honours student (alumnus)

Christina completed undergraduate studies in health sciences, with a focus on population and quantitative health. Through Christina’s honours research, Christina also gained some familiarity with using qualitative, participatory, and community-based research methods. Some of Christina’s professional/academic interests include equity, decolonization, culturally-grounded and intersectional approaches to health, social determinants of health, mental health, sexual and gender minority health, and Indigenous health.

Stuart Tait (he/him), Undergraduate student volunteer

Stuart is a BSc student in the Public Health and Data stream of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, with academic interests in health systems, social determinants of health, and queer health equity. As part of the REAFFIRM Collaborative, he has contributed to the CARE Study, examining SOGI-inclusive education policies across Western Canada and contributing to a survey developed for educators in the region. At the Health Initiative for Men, he supports research efforts through contributions to the Our Bodies, Our Health national survey in coordination with the CBRC, with a focus on improving queer health in British Columbia. He also assists in delivering frontline services through the Health Initiative for Men, including harm reduction supplies, testing, vaccinations, and health education for GBQ men across the Lower Mainland. In his spare time, he enjoys trying new food spots across the Lower Mainland, taking scenic walks along the Shoreline Trail in Port Moody or through the forests of Belcarra, and catching sunsets at Jericho or Kitsilano Beach. He’s also an avid indoor plant enthusiast; his collection has grown large enough that he suspects they’re quietly staging a takeover. When he’s not tending to the greenery, he enjoys playing guitar, listening to folk music, and the occasional Netflix binge.

Ren Lo, (they them), Master’s student (alumnus)

Ren is a Reaffirm lab alum who completed their Master of Public Health thesis, supervised by Dr. Salway, in 2023. Ren was also a Research Assistant with the lab and helped with the UnACoRN 2.0 survey development as well. Ren’s thesis focused on experiences of identity affirmation among sexual and gender minority people of colour, which used UnACoRN 1.0 data. Since graduating, Ren has been working with the Community-based Research Centre as a Social Epidemiologist and supports their analytical portfolio. They are interested in working with administrative health data, cancer surveillance, and quantitative analysis methods. In their spare time, Ren volunteers with the local cat shelter, takes care of a (small) indoor garden, enjoys a good RPG, and can be spotted hanging out with their partner around town 🙂

Samantha Yu (she/her), Undergraduate honour’s student (alumnus)

Samantha is an undergrad student (Honour/Directed research) with the team. She completed an Honours project supervised by Dr. Travis Salway, where we conduct descriptive analyses on transgender teens using the UnACoRN Survey. She is currently pursuing a BSc in Health Sciences and a minor in Molecular Biochemistry at SFU. Her experience includes working in wet lab settings and applying biostatistics and epidemiology, both of which she finds essential for effective communication in public health interventions. Over the past two years, she has had the valuable opportunity to work with the REAFFIRM team, focusing on SGM immigrants, transgender teens, public politics, and mental health in an exploratory approach. She is “secretly” a contemporary pole dancer and tattoo artist. She enjoys spinning like a fairy and drawing cute tattoos for her clients whenever time allows.