Michelle Phoenix, Assistant Professor, McMaster University, CanChild
Dr. Phoenix is an Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University and a CanChild Scientist. She is an Adjunct Scientist at KidsAbility, where she worked clinically as a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Michelle is a Mom to 3 incredible children who fill her with joy and inspiration. She is the principal investigator at the MCARES: McMaster Children Accessing Rehabilitation and Engaging in Services lab. MCARES includes interdisciplinary undergraduate, Master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral students who focus their research on developing, implementing and evaluation models of pediatric service delivery that improve access and quality of care. Michelle’s research includes: critically examining family-centred care, supporting parents’ mental-health, telerehabilitation, bias in clinical training, cultural adaptation of services, and design and delivery of universal resources. MCARES is particularly interested in decreasing barriers to care via innovation in service delivery, organizational structural change, and policy development.
Michelle works closely with a variety of partners that include disabled children and youth, caregivers, clinicians, organizational leaders, policy makers, and interdisciplinary researchers to conduct research that aligns with community priorities. We have examined how to work in partnerships that authentically engage people and contribute to meaningful research experiences and outcomes. For example, Michelle currently holds a SSHRC Insight Development Grant to examine how often-excluded populations can be engaged in childhood disability research. We recognize the lack of diversity in people that are typically invited to partner in research and we work to overcome exclusion through the development of guidance and training that support meaningful inclusion of historically under-represented populations.
Michelle is co-lead of the McMaster Equity-Based Co-Creation Hub, co-chair of the School of Rehabilitation Science Anti-Racism, Anti-Bias, Anti-Oppression Committee, and recognized as an ‘Equity-Diversity-Inclusion(EDI) and Indigenous-Reconciliation Lead’ with McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences. She provides EDI mentorship through the ENRICH network, teaches about embedding Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice in family-engaged research via the Kids Brain Health Network Leadership Academy and trainee days symposium. She is currently leading the co-design of the Canadian Neurodevelopmental Research Training Platform curriculum with diverse community engagement.
