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I received my PhD in Public Health Sciences from the University of Toronto in 2006, an MA in Psychology from the University of Toronto in 1994, and a BA (hons.) from the University of Winnipeg in 1989. Prior to joining Laurier, I was a scientist and director of community-based research at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (2005-2008). I am an interdisciplinary public health researcher and I study how discrimination and other forms of marginalization affect health.
I research social exclusion as a social determinant of health and well-being for gender and sexual minorities in the Canadian context. I am the co-director of the Social Inclusion and Health Equity Research Group, at Laurier’s Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action. Current research foci include LGBTQ newcomers to Canada, LGBTQ youth, and transgender individuals. I work collaboratively with a number of talented researchers and community partners at the local, provincial, and national levels.
Academic Awards
New Investigator Award (HIV/AIDS Population Health/Health Services), Canadian Institutes of Health Research, $300,000 (2011-2016)
Research Funding
2019 – 2020 Southwestern Ontario Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men (GBTMSM) Assessment of HIV/AIDS Issues (SWOGAHI) Initiative: Assessing the current situation for GBTMSM outside of large metropolitan centres; Co-Investigator (PI: Todd Coleman); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Catalyst Grant)
2018 – 2019 Exploring the Experiences of Discrimination and Violence of Transgender People in the Region of Waterloo; Co-investigator (PI: Todd A. Coleman); Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
2018 – 2022 Trans PULSE Canada: A National Study of Transgender Health; Co-investigator (PIs: Greta R. Bauer and Ayden Scheim); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Project Grant)
2018 – 2019 Positive Wellbeing and Community Experiences Among LGBT Immigrants and Refugees in Waterloo Region, Ontario; Co-investigator (PI: Simon Coulombe); Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Partnership Engagement Grant)
2018 – 2019 OutLook GBTMSM Situational Assessment: Comprehensive Analyses and Targeted KTE; Co-PI (Nominated PI: Todd A. Coleman); The Ontario HIV Treatment Network (Community-Based Research Project Application Fund)
2018 – 2019 Shifting our OutLook: A Waterloo Region Symposium to Enhance the Health and Well-being of Gender and Sexual Minorities; Principal Investigator (Co-Investigators: Ruth Cameron, Sue Weare, Todd A. Coleman, Simon Coulombe, Ciann Wilson, Michael R. Woodford); CIHR Planning and Dissemination Grant- Institute Community Support
I have directed study, honours thesis, and research internship opportunities for undergraduate students interested in my particular area of work. Contact me for more information.
- Mathies, N., McKie, R. M., Coleman, T.A., Woodford, M.R., Renn, K., & Travers, R. (2019). How hearing the phrases “that’s so gay” and “no homo” influence academic engagement among LGB college students. Journal of LGBT Youth.
- Liboro, R., Travers, R., & Shankardass, K. (2019). Ontario’s Bill 13: A macrosystem-level intervention supporting Gay-Straight Alliances, LGBT-affirming initiatives, and LGBT youth mental health. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice.
- Munro, L., Travers, R.& Woodford, M.R. (2019). Overlooked and invisible: Everyday experiences of microaggressions for LGBTQ adolescents. Journal of Homosexuality, 66:10, 1439-1471
- Winberg, C., McKie, R. M., Coleman, T. A., Woodford, M.R., Renn, K., & Travers, R. Substance use outcomes among LGB college students who hear the phrases “that’s so gay” and “no homo”. (2019). Journal of Homosexuality.66:10, 1472-1494 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00918369.2018.1542208
- Syed, I., Marcotte, A. A., McKie, R. M., Wilson, C., Travers, R., & the ACBY team. (2018). More threatened than safe: What African, Caribbean, and Black youth living in Southern Ontario say about their interactions with law enforcement. Community Psychology in the Global Perspective. , 4(2), 101 -118.
- Scheim A.I., Bauer G. R., Travers R. (2017). HIV-related sexual risk among transgender men who are gay, bisexual, or have sex with men. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 74: e89-e96.
- Veale, J. F., Peter, T., Travers, R., & Saewyc, E. M. (2017). Enacted stigma, mental health, and protective factors among transgender youth in Canada. Transgender Health, 2(1), 207–216.
- Larkin, J., Flynn, S., Layne, C., Travers, R., Pole, J., & Guta, A. (2017). The Ontario Sexual Health Education Update: Perspectives from the Toronto Teen Survey (TTS) Youth. Canadian Journal of Education, 40(2), 1–21
Contact Info:
F: 519.746.7605
Office location: BA537
Office hours: Wednesday 9am - 11am
Languages spoken: English