My work is centred on my passion for improving child health and wellness with a particular focus on mental health and well-being and the social determinants of health. I am motivated by the understanding that health outcomes cannot be simply explained as a result of biomedical factors or individual choices, but are shaped by broader socio-structural factors such as income security, access to care, social support, and the environments in which young people grow and develop. SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being) is the foundation of my activities and career aspirations, especially as I engage in projects aiming to contribute to a future where all children and youth can flourish.

One area I am particularly interested in is how social determinants shape population-level mental health outcomes and inequities among children, adolescents, and young adults. In my first research studentship, I used nationally representative Canadian data to study the impacts of pandemic-related stressors on the mental health of young people in Canada. Our chief finding was that young women experienced not only higher rates of poor mental health, but also synergistic vulnerabilities when exposed to stressors emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as financial difficulties, loneliness, work stress, and barriers to accessing health care, which revealed how social and economic factors can compound risk.

Alongside my academic work, I am also passionate about leadership, public service and advocacy. As Co-President of the Children’s Health Advocates, I lead a team of over 450 student members dedicated to promoting child and youth health through fundraising, volunteering and advocacy. Through partnerships with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and other community organizations, our initiatives address issues such as youth mental health, nutrition, and access to care. I am also a co-founder of Humanity Auxilium Students, where I lead students in engaging in humanitarianism and advocacy for displaced populations, and serve as a board member with Stop Addicting Adolescents to Vapes and E-cigarettes, where we raise awareness about and advocate for policies that protect youth from nicotine addiction.

My motivation for this work is deeply personal. Growing up, my family experienced periods of financial strain that limited access to opportunities many children take for granted. Economic constraints often shaped decisions around education, extracurricular involvement, and financial stability, making clear to me that the promise of opportunity is not distributed equally. These experiences taught me early that potential alone is not enough; young people need supportive social and economic conditions to succeed. Still, I was privileged to enjoy the comforts afforded to me living in Canada. As a Filipino immigrant, I witnessed stark differences in access to health care, social support, and social conditions between communities in Canada and the Philippines. The social, economic and political conditions in Canada often lead to better health outcomes than in the Philippines, where there are deep concerns about persistent poverty, food insecurity, high income inequality, corruption, climate vulnerability, and threats to human rights. These moments solidified my belief that good health is not only about the absence of illness, but about whether children and youth are given the conditions to feel secure, supported, and hopeful about their future.