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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Volunteer
Measuring Early Childhood Outside (MECO)
Graduate Student
Physical Activity Participation and Health-Related Outcomes in Adolescent Females following Sport-Related Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Mixed Methods Study
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Graduate Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Research Assistant
Playability Study (PLAY)
Volunteer
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Research Assistant
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Graduate Student
Bring Education Out (BE OUT) Study
Research Assistant
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Graduate Student
Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)
Graduate Student
Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)
Medical Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Medical Student
Child Home Safety Study and Mothers’ Risk Engagement and Protection Study (REPS)
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Volunteer
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Graduate Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY) and Go Play Outside Study (GPO)
Graduate Student
The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and ED Injuries’ Psychological Dimensions Study
Research Assistant
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Volunteer
Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY), Go Play Outside Study (GPO), Early Childhood Outside (ECO), and Early Childhood Outside RCT (ECO-RCT)
Medical Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Work Learn Student
Child Home Safety Study, Fathers’ Risks Engagement and Protection Study (REPS), and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Medical Student
Validity and Reliability of the EQ5D among a Paediatric Injury Population Study and Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Research Assistant
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO) Study
Work Learn Student
PRO-ECO Study
Graduate Student
Burden of Injury Study (BOI) & Father’s Injury Prevention (FIP)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Grandparent-Grandchild Outdoor Play
Work Learn Student
Aging Road Warriors: An Emerging Public Health Concern
Biostatistician
PRO-ECO 1.0 & MECO
Graduate Student
Playability study (PLAY)
Graduate Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Volunteer
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Volunteer
Burden of Injury Study (BOI) and Fathers on Child’s Play Masculinities in Rural and Urban Canada
Volunteer
Examining Childhood Risk Appraisal Measurements using Electroencephalography
Research Coordinator
Burden of Injury Study (BOI)
Graduate Student
Play worth remembering I
Medical Student
Urban Versus Rural Fathers’ Ideas of Risk and Risk Prevention
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Graduate Student
Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)
Work Learn Student
Knowledge Mobilization
Volunteer
Early Childhood Outside Study (ECO)
Research Assistant
MECO & Playability Study
Work Learn Student
Promoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO)
Volunteer
Knowledge Mobilization
Work Learn Student
Playability Study (PLAY)
Volunteer
Literature review outdoor risky play for children with exceptionalities
Research Assistant
Playability Study (PLAY) & Go Play Outside! Study (GPO)
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.
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.