The Conference Team
Matty completed a Bachelor of Psychology and a Master in Psychotherapy. She moved to Victoria, BC in September 2018 to work with Dr. Andre Smith and Dr. Debra Sheets on their Intergenerational Choir for caregivers and older people with memory lost. Her work focused on older people and mental health. The Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) have awarded her with a scholarship.
Carol Bilson - Indigenous-Latinx (Maupuche/Quiche/Spanish) pronouns are she/her/hers : Currently working on her Ph.D.at the program of Social Dimensions of Health. In addition, Carol is the Education Coordinator for the Victoria Women's Transition House Society where she trains staff, volunteers and community members on Intimate Partner Violence, Trauma Informed Practice, and Violence Prevention. Carol has over 10 years experience in anti-oppressive facilitation and has developed multiple workshops on colonization, anti-racism and gender based violence, including a support group for men who are interested in working on challenging gender-based violence and dominant constructions of masculinity at the University of Victoria.
Stephanie completed her BA in anthropology in 2016, and an MA in Globalization Studies with a focus in feminist political theory at McMaster University in 2017. She started the SDH program in September 2018, to work under Dr. Karen Urbanoski and Dr. Lisa Mitchell. Her project draws on ethnography and arts-based methods to understand the experience of using drugs as a street-involved youth in Hamilton ON. Her interests include seizing the means of production, restoring the ecological equilibrium, abolishing prisons and smashing the patriarchy.
Daniel Gudino is an international PhD student for the Social Dimensions of Health program at Uvic. Originally from Ecuador, he holds undergrad and master studies in International Relations, both obtained in his home country. Before moving to Canada, he was Project Director for Drug Policy Reform and International Politics for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) an international German non-profit organization for 7 years. His research interests are directed towards international drug policy, substance use, harm reduction practices and a rights-based approach for health policies.
Olvie completed her BSc in Nursing and worked as a Community Health Nurse in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. After years of unanswered questions as a frontline healthcare provider, she decided to move to Victoria, BC, in 2018 to pursue her Master in Social Dimensions of Health under the mentorship of Dr. Charlotte Loppie and Dr. Jo-Anne Lee. Her research interests are focused on the self-determination of Indigenous children and youth and their connections to sexuality, human relationships, and relationships with the land, language, community and self.