Dr. Christine Wekerle is an Associate Professor, Pediatrics, and Associate Member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She is Editor-in-Chief of the premier international journal, Child Abuse & Neglect, and founding editor of the open-access journal, International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience (www.in-car.ca). Her new book with colleagues, Child Maltreatment (2nd Edition), is targeted to those whose practice engages them in the issues of child maltreatment (https://us.hogrefe.com/shop/childhood-maltreatment-87461.html). Her research focuses on youth who have had adverse childhood experiences and their current mental health and resilience. The
Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathways (MAP) Research Study partnered with Canada’s largest child welfare agencies to track youth outcomes across adolescence, and the research-to-action video was runner up in the CIHR IHDCYH Video Talks competition. Her current team grant focuses on the impact of sexual violence victimization among male youth and young adults, seeking to understand components of resilience and developing intervention innovations.  The #CIHRTeamSV research-to-action video won a special commendation prize in the CIHR Video Talks contest for 2017. Dr. Wekerle and team have developed a ResilienceInYouth App to support day-to-day resilient functioning.

Savanah Smith is the Research Coordinator for Dr. Christine Wekerle’s research projects in the Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University. She graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Research Specialist Stream) and is currently a Masters Candidate in the Psychotherapy Program at McMaster University. Her research interests include child maltreatment, youth mental health, and resilience in youth.

Katherine Kim is a Research Assistant for Dr. Christine Wekerle’s team in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. She graduated from the Bachelor of Health Sciences program at McMaster University in 2020. Along with her research interests in child maltreatment and resilience, she hopes to pursue a medical career in Pediatrics.

Ronald Chung graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. To further pursue his interest in this field, he began to assist Dr. Christine Wekerle in her Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathways (MAP) Study as a Research Assistant.  He has been working part-time on Dr. Wekerle’s various research projects since 2009. Through this work, he was able to gain experience in various aspects of research, opening doors to other opportunities. Ronald is also currently working full-time as an Accounts Payable Manager.

Jane Park is an undergraduate student at McMaster, studying Health Sciences (class of 2022). She is working as a research assistant for Dr. Christine Wekerle and her research interests lie in pediatric psychology and emergency medicine, as well as health policy.

Kahontiyoha – Denise McQueen, is a Mohawk Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Denise is a mother of 4 children and her passions include Indigenous Health and Languages. She holds a BA Indigenous Languages (Mohawk Stream) from Six Nations Polytech and a Hons BA Indigenous Studies from McMaster University where she is currently working towards her MSc Global Health.

When she’s not spending quality time with her family, you will find her working on language projects or the water Kayaking with friends.

Carson Braun is the Communications and Social Media Assistant for the CIHRTeamSV accounts (Twitter: @ResilienceInYouth, @JoyPop_app, @Resilience_Team; Facebook: @JoyPopApp; & Instagram: @JoyPop.app, @resilienceinyouth). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from McMaster University in 2019. His interests include video games, reading, media, and sports.

Danielle Wekerle is the Communications and Social Media Intern for the CIHRTeamSV accounts (Twitter: @ResilienceInYouth, @JoyPop_app, @Resilience_Team), (Facebook: @JoyPopApp) & (Instagram: @Joypop.app, @resilienceinyouth). She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Marketing at Western University in 2020.