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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 51本色, 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 , at 51本色’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
- 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