Voices for Health Equity 2.0
February 26, 2026, 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
A UBC Health and Public Scholars Initiative event, presented by UBC Connects at Robson Square
Join us in person on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at UBC Robson Square, to explore how interdisciplinary approaches and collaborative partnerships are advancing health equity.
Register here!
The Voices for Health Equity is an in person event dedicated to showcasing the groundbreaking work of leading and emerging public scholars and innovators in the health equity space. This event aims to foster connections and dialogue among diverse partners in health, exploring how we can work together to advance health equity.
Through thought-provoking presentations, attendees will gain insight into innovative research and impactful initiatives driving change in health systems and communities. This event provides a platform to raise awareness about critical health equity issues, highlight interdisciplinary approaches, and inspire collaborative solutions for a more equitable future.
Following these presentations, stay with us for interactive conversation and networking designed to spark meaningful connections and shared learning. Whether you're deeply engaged in health equity work or simply curious to learn more, this event offers an opportunity to connect with others committed to building a healthier, more just future.
Stay tuned for speaker announcements and more event details!
Event Speakers
This event features diverse speakers who will capture the concept of health equity from their distinct disciplines and perspectives.
Opening Remarks by Derek Thompson
Biography coming soon.
Alexa Norton
Alexa Norton is a fifth-year doctoral candidate at UBC conducting research on the contextual forces that shape the present and future of safe and regulated drugs in BC ("safer supply"). Alexa was raised in Treaty 8 territory (Grande Prairie, AB) and moved to unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Coast Salish territories in 2010. She is a research associate at the First Nations Health Authority and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria.
Amin Adibi
Biography coming soon.
Chenoa Cassidy-Matthews
Biography coming soon.
Logan Burd
Logan Burd, MPH (she/her), is Métis and a proud Citizen of Métis Nation British Columbia. Logan is an uninvited guest on the traditional and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Peoples. Logan is a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies – Community Engagement, Social Change, and Equity program. Her doctoral research explores how Métis youth conceptualize life promotion and how Métis youths’ understandings can inform upstream youth suicide prevention. She is also a Graduate Fellow in the Equity Science Lab, co-directed by Dr. Sana Shahram and Dr. Katrina Plamondon and the Research Coordinator for the CLARITY Collaborative. Logan is grateful to be involved as a youth member on the Ooma La Michinn Youth Leadership Kinship circle, Atooshkayahk aansaamb chi kiikayhk (working together to heal) committee and the Métis Health and Wellness Experience circle hosted through Métis Nation British Columbia.
Rachel Stern and Katherine White
Rachel Stern
Rachel N. Stern (she/her) is a geographer and researcher, focused on extreme heat, housing justice, and aging. She is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Geography at UBC, co-supervised by Mohammed Rafi Arefin (Geography) and Leila Harris (IRES). Her research focuses on seniors’ experience of extreme heat in rental and co-operative housing in Vancouver, specifically using interviews, focus groups, and written methodologies to better understand the politics of indoor heat. Her work is community-engaged and she works closely with a number of organizations, including the South Vancouver Seniors Network. More broadly, Rachel is interested in the role of memory politics, storytelling, oral histories, and arts-based methodologies in understanding experiences of extreme heat and climate change. Her work is supported by the UBC Public Scholars Initiative, funding the “Sensing Heat” project, her collaboration with co-researcher and fellow Ph.D. Candidate, Katherine White.
Katherine White
Biography coming soon.
Zeba Khan
Zeba Khan is a proud Bangladeshi and PhD student based in Vancouver. Her doctoral research explores how youth navigate access to care for period pain. Zeba is also the founder of Free Periods Canada, a grassroots non-profit advancing menstrual equity through youth-led education, policy advocacy, and systems-level engagement.
She is passionate about community-driven research, with a focus on improving access to care for equity-deserving populations. Through both academic and community channels, Zeba is committed to reshaping how health systems respond to the needs of young people and those who menstruate. Zeba is an award-winning scholar and community advocate, and holds the prestigious Vanier and Killam doctoral scholarship.
Event Partners
This event is hosted by UBC Health and the Public Scholars Initiative, and presented by UBC Connects at Robson Square.
See highlights from the first event
Learn more about the Public Scholars Initiative Health Equity Stream!