PhD student, Simon Fraser University
Vanessa Fong, MSc., is a PhD student in the Experimental Developmental program at SFU. She received her BSc from the University of Toronto and completed her MSc at the University of London.
Vanessa Fong is a doctoral student supervised by Dr. Grace Iarocci in the Developmental Psychology program at Simon Fraser University. Her thesis adopts a community engaged approach to understanding quality of life and service navigation in culturally diverse families raising autistic children. Recently, her research has also focused on exploring the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and service needs of caregivers and families of individuals with developmental disabilities. She is also interested in evaluating programs to promote resilience and improve well-being in caregivers of children with developmental disabilities.
Throughout her graduate studies she has become deeply committed to community engagement and knowledge translation. She has experience collaborating with non-profit organizations, policymakers, and individuals and their families in finding potential solutions to improve policies that impact the autism community. She has received training from the BC SUPPORT (Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials) Unit, Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERI) at SFU, and the Kids Brain Health Network.
Research Interests: ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, executive functioning, quality of life, and evaluating interventions.
