Profiles

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Dr. Shivajan Sivapalan: Culturally appropriate mental health services for racialized immigrant families

As a tutor and music teacher for underprivileged youth in Scarborough, in the final year of his undergraduate studies in Toronto, Dr. Shivajan Sivapalan met many families— and was shocked to learn they were often misguided or ill-informed about mental health. Dr. Sivapalan met a child on the Autism spectrum, who was of Indian background. “The family wasn’t sure what Autism was or meant . . . The mother had never heard the word before. And the worst part was that she felt it was her fault that her child was on the spectrum.” This was a life-changing encounter for Dr.

Naresh Thevathasan: Mobilizing science and improving lives through mentorship

In the 1990s, while other agricultural scientists in Ontario were mostly planting crops in their research plots, agroforestry pioneers Andy Gordon and Naresh Thevathasan were instead planting trees—and turning heads.

Naresh and Andy at the Ontario Agricultural College were working to give producers a long-term income prospect and environmentally friendly alternative to monocultures, by intercropping lucrative hardwoods among rows of cash crops.

Gwen Chapman: The importance of India in internationalization and global engagement at the University of Guelph

In the post-pandemic world, international engagement and research collaboration may look quite different than in the past. We’ve learned how easy it can be to communicate with colleagues around the world in real time, without needing to travel. Well-attended international webinars, guest lectures by non-Canadian speakers, and virtual annual lectureships have prevailed.

So, can CIRCLE be a hub for such future research endeavours at Guelph?

Sharada Srinivasan: Getting to the root of understanding and changing gender norms

Many countries today make gender issues a priority. That's a testament to the impactful gains made by gender advocates the world over.

But deep-rooted issues remain – among them, the wage gaps between men and women, inequalities in land ownership and access to other resources, stagnant and declining women's labor force participation, and violence against women.

Andrea Paras: Towards interculturally competent humanitarianism

Heart-to-heart connections, an openness to differences, and busting myths are all part of being interculturally competent. Dr. Andrea Paras, Associate Professor at the University of Guelph, believes intercultural competence is learned, not instinctive. In other words, it must be taught…and she's committed to helping it flourish.

Mark Spagnolo: A performance halfway around the world

For travelers, India is a site of curiosity.

For international students, it's a destination likely to reveal new knowledge.

And for multi-instrumentalist Mark Spagnolo, India was the site of a gig that reverberated like no other.

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