Academic Partner

Dr. Hasina Samji is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and a Senior Scientist in Population Mental Wellbeing in the Prevention and Health Promotion Division at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. She completed her PhD in infectious disease epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has expertise in the design and implementation of observational cohort studies and analysis of large administrative health datasets.Dr. Samji leads the Youth Development Instrument (YDI), an interdisciplinary study measuring predictors of positive youth well-being, mental health, and development in high school students. The YDI elucidates upstream skill-development and structural supports for mental illness prevention and promotion of positive trajectories for young people. Youth engagement and collaborative, intersectoral design is core to the YDI’s mission and success. In her public health role, she is working to articulate a “public mental health” system in BC that promotes positive mental health and well-being at the population level in addition to monitoring and addressing mental illness. She also examines how public health and education systems can better intersect to support young people’s well-being.

Website: www.chartlab.ca