Research Staff
Dominic A. Alaazi, MPhil, MA
Dominic A. Alaazi is a doctoral candidate at the School of Public Health, University of Alberta. He is also a research coordinator for the Health and Immigration Policies and Practices Research Program at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. As a research coordinator, Dominic has, for the last three years, been engaged in several research projects on immigrant health, including a study on parenting and mental health promotion practices of African immigrants. He has held several teaching and research assistantship positions at the University of Alberta, Athabasca University, and University of Ghana (Accra). He also spent six years at SNV Netherlands Development Organization (Ghana) as a Development Advisor, a position that offered him the opportunity to contribute to poverty reduction efforts across Ghana. Dominic holds a Master of Arts degree in Human Geography (University of Manitoba) and a Master of Philosophy degree in Environmental Science (University of Ghana, Legon). His research interest lies at the intersection of social inequalities and population health in a global context.
Michael T. Kariwo BA, MA, PhD
Dr. Michael Kariwo joined HIPP in 2019 as senior project coordinator. He has over ten years experience in research management. He was previously the research program manager for the Social Support Research Program at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. He has published in the area of mental health of African refugees in Canada. He has also worked on studies involving vulnerable populations, including low-income families and Aboriginal peoples. His research work with these groups addressed health issues related to asthma and allergies. In his new role at HIPP, he provides research administrative and mentorship support to the program research team and student researchers. His expertise is in qualitative methodologies.
Alleson Mason, B.Ed, M.Ed
Alleson Mason, B.Ed, M.Ed is pursuing a PhD in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta. She has been with HIPP since 2018. She is interested in how race, gender, nationality, class, religion, language and other social identities intersect and influence immigrants' experiences and integration in Canadian society, particularly in health and education.
Benjamin Denga, BSc, MBA
Benjamin Denga (BSc., PDM, MBA) is a doctoral student in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Alberta. His research interests orient toward understanding, explicating, and addressing the integration and everyday challenges navigated by vulnerable populations living on the margins of society: racialized and minoritized students/international students; immigrants; youth; and working, schooling and reentry older adults & seniors. He is involved in interrogating the equitability of mainstream policy for minoritized populations and unearthing/mapping the relationships or discrepancies between policy and ground-level experiences among them. His research is grounded in employing critical empirical frameworks and approaches to promote equity and social justice for these groups.
Folakemi Ojo, BSc, MPH
Folakemi Ojo is working with Dr. Bukola Salami as a research assistant on various HIPP projects. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Public Health from Concordia University in Edmonton. She also has graduate degrees (Master's level) in Public Health (Epidemiology) and Biochemistry from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She has over ten years experience in public health promotion. She is currently studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing at MacEwan University.
Higinio Fernandez-Sanchez, BScN, MN
Higinio recently joined the HIPP team as a Graduate Research Assistant. He is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. Higinio is a Mexican Registered Nurse, with an Associate degree in Science of Arts from Tyler Community College (USA), a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (Universidad Veracruzana), and a Master's degree in Nursing (Universidad Veracruzana). Higinio has over 7 years nursing experience in direct clinical practice, undergraduate nursing education, and nursing research. His doctoral research focuses on left-behind women in the context of transnational migration. Higinio is interested in exploring how gender intersections across transnational spaces contribute to women's mental health.
Mia Tulli, BA, MA
Mia Tulli recently completed a Master's of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Alberta. She joined the HIPP research team in 2017 as a Research Assistant. Her background is in Gender Studies and Political Science, with a current focus on settler colonialism and land claims. Her work with HIPP focuses on newcomer health, well-being, and access to services in Canada. She is a member of the Pathways to Prosperity Standing Committee on Student Engagement and is interested in immigration policy from an intersectional and transnational perspective.
Oluwakemi (Kemi) Amodu, BScN, MN
Oluwakemi (Kemi) Amodu is a PhD candidate with Dr. Bukola Salami. Kemi joined HIPP as a research assistant in January 2015. She became a collaborative member of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development in September 2015. Her doctoral work focuses on healthcare for women displaced by terrorism. She is a recipient of the Women and Children's Health Research Institute (WCHRI) Graduate Studentship Award funded through the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation (RAHF) and a holder of the International Development Research Center (IDRC) Doctoral Award.