EPIC Lab | Our Team

Scientist

Tim Ross, PhD, RPP, MCIP
Dr. Tim Ross is the Principal Investigator and Director of the EPIC Lab. See Dr. Ross’ full scientist profile.

EPIC Lab Staff

Emily Cox
Emily is a Research Assistant for the EPIC Lab. She recently completed a Master of Science degree in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Western University. Emily’s research interests lie at the intersection of children’s rehabilitation and critical disability studies, and she is committed to finding new and innovative ways for these fields to collaborate. Within the EPIC Lab, Emily is involved in a large project in collaboration with Reena that aims to better understand the housing experiences of people living with developmental disability.

Meaghan Walker
Meaghan is a Research Coordinator for the EPIC Lab. In completing a Master of Science degree in rehabilitation sciences at the University of Toronto, she researched the healthcare experiences of children with autism and obesity. Meaghan has also completed a Master of Science in occupational therapy at the University of Toronto and is a registered Occupational Therapist working in acute care. Meaghan has a vested interest in health promotion, disability, and inclusion. She contributes to many of the Lab’s research projects concerning inclusion, accessibility, and children’s healthcare. 

Zehra Kamani
Zehra is a Research Coordinator who works with both the EPIC Lab and Dr. Fiona Moola’s HEART Lab. Prior to joining the EPIC Lab, she completed a Master of Arts degree in psychology at York University and worked on numerous clinical research projects in pediatric health care settings. Zehra is playing a key role in the SANI research project, which aims to understand how racialized youth with disabilities and their families experience health care. She is also a freelance writer who writes passionately about topics such as mental health and disability awareness. She has been published by CBC and Today’s Parent magazine.

Doctoral Trainees

Élyse Comeau, MPl
Élyse is an urban planning PhD Student in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining the PhD program, she completed a Master of Planning degree at Ryerson University and gained invaluable private sector work experience as an urban planner. Her doctoral research explores how families living with childhood disability experience and navigate public transit stations in Toronto. She is also contributing to EPIC Lab research on accessible air travel and accessible taxi transport. 

Javaneh Abbaspourasadolah
Javaneh is an urban planning PhD student in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. She has a background in architecture with experience in biophilic architectural design for children. She obtained a Master’s degree in architecture from Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University in Tehran, Iran.  She is passionate about designing child-friendly cities, inclusive playgrounds, and sustainable transportation in cities. Javaneh’s doctoral research will look at the experiences and designs of inclusively designed playgrounds. 
 

Yixue Zhang
Yixue is an urban planning PhD student in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. She previously obtained a Master’s degree in urban planning from Peking University in Beijing, China. Her research interests include emerging transportation technology and its social impacts. Yixue has participated in several research projects concerning transport equity and travel behavior, and has extensive experience in data management, including data cleaning, data mining, and modeling. Yixue holds a Connaught International Scholarship. Her doctoral research explores the equity of accessible taxi travel patterns and experiences. 

Masters Trainees

Anna Pyrtchenkov
Anna is a graduate student researcher at the EPIC lab. She is currently a Master’s student in the Occupational Therapy program at the University of Toronto. Prior to her current studies, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in exceptionality in human learning and linguistics, also at the University of Toronto. Her current research interests are in exploring barriers that children with disabilities face in the air transport industry in order to create more accessible travel. 

Antonia Bellefleur
Antonia is Master’s student at the University of Toronto in Occupational Therapy. Antonia previously completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of British Columbia. Currently, her research interests include enabling occupational participation across various environments and the roles occupations play in peoples' sense of self. 

Marjan Fadaei
Marjan is an urban planning Master’s student at the University of Toronto. Prior to these studies, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in urban planning and design from the University of Guilan. She practiced as an Urban Designer for seven years during which she worked on various projects at different scales. Her research interests include inclusive planning for enhanced mobility (especially for children with disabilities) and the roles that neighborhoods and streets can play in promoting children’s play. 

Shalaine Sedres
Shalaine is a Master’s student in the Rehabilitation Science program at the University of Toronto. Prior to her current studies, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in community rehabilitation and disability studies at the University of Calgary. She is committed toward identifying, removing, and preventing barriers that marginalize or exclude people with disabilities through her research. Her current research engages questions about programming for accessible playgrounds.