About Us

Outside Play UBC Lab

Outside Play UBC Lab is a team of researchers dedicated to studying children’s outdoor risky play and injury prevention. The lab is led by Dr. Mariana Brussoni. We are based at the University of British Columbia and the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. Mariana Brussoni

Dr. Mariana Brussoni is a Professor at the University of British Columbia, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), and a founding member of Outdoor Play Canada. As a developmental psychologist, she recognizes the intersection between injury prevention, risk taking, and outdoor play, focusing on designing outdoor play-friendly spaces that promote equitable access. With considerable experience working with practitioners and policymakers, she is dedicated to fostering environments that contribute to the health and development of children, and her significant research has been extensively published and recognized in international media.

Dr. Brussoni's work contributed to the recent Position Statement by the Canadian Paediatric Society on the importance of outdoor risky play. A timeline and an overview of Dr. Brussoni's work on risky play was recently included in a February 2024 Special Feature of HELP Reads, put together by Michele Wiens (available here - pp. 12-15).

To view Dr. Mariana Brussoni’s scientific publications, please visit her Google Scholar page.

Current Team Members

Christina Han

Research Lab Manager

Christina Han is a dedicated social science researcher and lab manager, specializing in qualitative research on childhood development and outdoor play under Dr. Brussoni. With a focus on children's autonomy, she has contributed to over 30 peer-refereed articles.

Dawn Mount

Research Coordinator

Dawn Mount leverages over a decade of pediatric research experience, coordinating PRO-ECO studies and advancing prevention and clinical practices through her childhood education and psychology background.

Rachel Ramsden

Research Coordinator

Rachel, a Public Health and Kinesiology expert, applies her community planning and childcare design knowledge to guide children's outdoor play studies as a PhD candidate and Research Coordinator.

Amy Jessa

Research Assistant

Amy Jessa has a background in law and teaching, including 10 years of experience working directly with children as a professional educator. Amy is excited to participate in work that drives and impacts social & health policy decisions for the benefit of children and youth.

Angela Lee

Research Assistant

Angela Lee recently completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Early Childhood Education, at the University of British Columbia. She currently assists the team with the MECO and Playability studies.

Dalia Vukmirovich

Research Mobilizer

Dalia Vukmirovich completed an MA in Sociology and has worked in Health and Social Science research, as well as in the marine and film industries and non-profit arts. She is passionate about research methodology and making research information accessible.

Emily Fox

Research Assistant

Emily Fox, a recent grad in psychology and sociology, serves as a Research Assistant, focusing on outdoor play's impact on children’s self-efficacy and risk-taking behaviours.

Hebah Hussaina

Research Assistant

Hebah Hussaina, an MSc. graduate with a background in pediatric health sciences, assists with multiple research studies and is dedicated to promoting healthy child development.

Breann Corcoran

Graduate Student

Breann Corcoran is a PhD candidate with UBC's School of Population and Public Health. Her research focuses on the impact of heat and UV radiation on children’s outdoor play and the importance of shade. Breann works with the BC Centre for Disease Control as an Environmental Health Scientist.

Julia Lukacs

Graduate Student

Julia Lukacs, a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student, is focusing her dissertation project on caregivers' perceptions of risk-taking in outdoor play for children with anxiety or ADHD.

Megan Zeni

Graduate Student

Megan Zeni, a PhD candidate with over 25 years of teaching experience, focuses her research on building capacity for pedagogies of play in elementary schools.

Gali Goldman

Work Learn Student

Gali Goldman is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia, majoring in Psychology, and minoring in Family Studies. She is currently assisting the team with the PRO-ECO study.

Gabrielle Martinez

Volunteer/2024 Summer Student Researcher

Gabrielle Martinez (Gabi) is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia majoring in biology. She is interested in the interaction between sociology and biology and how it impacts and shapes children's development. Gabi was awarded a Faculty of Medicine Summer Studentship to investigate how to center children's voices to promote outdoor play.

Past Team Members

Alexandra Strobel

Volunteer

Measuring Early Childhood Outside (MECO)

Allison Ezzat

Graduate Student

Physical Activity Participation and Health-Related Outcomes in Adolescent Females following Sport-Related Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Mixed Methods Study

Amalie Lambert

Graduate Student

Playability Study (PLAY)

Amy Schneeberg

Graduate Student

Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Anchal Kataria

Work Learn Student

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Andrew Wilson

Research Assistant

Playability Study (PLAY)

Aygun Ibrahimova

Volunteer

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Chelsea Williams

Research Assistant

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Emma Raaflaub

Graduate Student

Bring Education Out (BE OUT) Study

Erica Zallen

Research Assistant

Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Fritha Munday

Graduate Student

Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)

Genevieve Creighton

Graduate Student

Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)

George Ko

Medical Student

Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Grace Chan

Medical Student

Child Home Safety Study and Mothers’ Risk Engagement and Protection Study (REPS)

Hannah Coo

Work Learn Student

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Hannah Zimmering

Volunteer

Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Ivana Lexa-French

Graduate Student

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Janae Vlaar

Graduate Student

Playability Study (PLAY)

Jaspreet Dhillon

Work Learn Student

Playability Study (PLAY) and Go Play Outside Study (GPO)

Jessica Flores

Graduate Student

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and ED Injuries’ Psychological Dimensions Study

Julia Zhu

Research Assistant

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Juliana Lane

Volunteer

Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play

Kathryn Soo

Work Learn Student

Playability Study (PLAY), Go Play Outside Study (GPO), Early Childhood Outside (ECO), and Early Childhood Outside RCT (ECO-RCT)

Keeva Lupton

Medical Student

Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Kendra Wong

Work Learn Student

Child Home Safety Study, Fathers’ Risks Engagement and Protection Study (REPS), and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Kerry Walker

Medical Student

Validity and Reliability of the EQ5D among a Paediatric Injury Population Study and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Lauren Wong

Research Assistant

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO) Study

Linlin Wang

Work Learn Student

PRO-ECO Study

Lise Olsen

Graduate Student

Burden of Injury Study (BOI) & Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)

Mathilde Duflos

Postdoctoral Fellow

Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play

Matthew Hanna

Work Learn Student

Aging Road Warriors: An Emerging Public Health Concern

Mehdi Shirmaleki

Biostatistician

PRO-ECO 1.0 & MECO

Michelle O’Kane

Graduate Student

Playability study (PLAY)

Morgan Yates

Graduate Student

Playability Study (PLAY)

Muhammah Assad

Volunteer

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Nelson Luk

Volunteer

Burden of Injury Study (BOI) and Fathers on Child’s Play Masculinities in Rural and Urban Canada

Ricky Zhang

Volunteer

Examining Childhood Risk Appraisal Measurements using Electroencephalography

Sami Kruse

Research Coordinator

Burden of Injury Study (BOI)

Sara Brunelle

Graduate Student

Play worth remembering I

Sarah Foster

Medical Student

Urban Versus Rural Fathers’ Ideas of Risk and Risk Prevention

Stacey Sholter

Work Learn Student

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Tak Ishikawa

Graduate Student

Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)

Tasfiyah Kabir

Work Learn Student

Knowledge Mobilization

Tina Cheng

Volunteer

Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)

Uliana Vankovych

Research Assistant

MECO & Playability Study

Varun Nair

Work Learn Student

Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)

Viann Chan

Volunteer

Knowledge Mobilization

Vincent Li

Work Learn Student

Playability Study (PLAY)

Willow Leahy

Volunteer

Literature review outdoor risky play for children with exceptionalities

Yingyi Lin

Research Assistant

Playability Study (PLAY) & Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)

For Potential Students

Become a Graduate Student

Dr. Brussoni supervises graduate students through the UBC School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) and the Women’s and Children’s Health Sciences (WACH) Program. If you are interested in pursuing graduate studies, you can check program requirements through SPPH or WACH.

Become a Work Study Student or Volunteer

Work/Learn is a program at the University of British Columbia that provides students with opportunities to gain professional skills. At the Outside Play UBC lab, we place a strong emphasis on students’ learning experience. Many students have had the opportunity to gain research experience through working or volunteering in the lab.

If you would like to work or volunteer at the Outside Play UBC lab, please contact the research coordinator at playoutside@bcchr.ca, visit the Work/Learn program website, and/or apply for a position in UBC Career Services Online.