Lucyna M. Lach, MSW, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, McGill University
Dr. Lucyna Lach is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at McGill University. Her program of research has two main streams. The first focuses on documenting social determinants of living a life of quality among children, youth and young adults with neurodisabilities and their families. The second focuses on the co-construction of systems of care that promote navigation of—and access to—supports and services needed by these individuals and their families.
Projects addressing social determinants have documented caregiver health, parenting, income trajectories, educational outcomes, and utilization of health services by children and their primary caregivers. Funded by KBHN and using administrative and clinical databases, this work has revealed the heightened challenges faced by this population in the Canadian context.
Collaborating with Dr. David Nicholas (University of Calgary), Dr. Lach has increased capacity across and within government and non-government organizations to create transparent and more efficient pathways of care. Organizations that families must navigate access to have come together in Vancouver, Edmonton, Watson Lake (Yukon), and Montreal, to collaborate and innovate through program development and training.
Dr. Lach is also a co-principal investigator on a randomized control trial entitled Parents Empowering Neurodiverse Kids—a project that is part of CHILDBRIGHT. This project is evaluating a web-based parenting program, combining group coaching and educational modules with parent-to-parent support for parents whose children have brain-based development disorders such as Autism Spectrum or Intellectual Disability, and a mental health challenge. She is also a peer reviewer for numerous journals and funding bodies.
Holding various administrative positions, both within and outside of McGill University, Dr. Lach has provided academic leadership addressing student success and wellbeing. In the community, she sits on the Board of Directors at the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest, Dans La Rue, and is a member of the Board of Governors at Centre Miriam. Through her research and community engagement, she is committed to improving the lives of neurodivergent children, youth, and young adults and their families.
