Leong Centre Trainee Hub: School Food Community Engagement in Action - A Fireside Chat

DATE: April 16, 2026
TIME: 12:00 – 1:30pm (ET) 
METHOD: Hybrid
REGISTRATION: https://forms.office.com/r/Y8UKKQ7a0v

Register here

SPEAKERS: 

Dr. Mavra Ahmed (PhD, MSc) is a Research Associate at the Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition at the University of Toronto, and an Adjunct Professor at Ontario Tech University. Her research focuses on food and nutrition policy and advancing equity in dietary behaviours and health outcomes among vulnerable populations, particularly children and adolescents. She leads the Feeding Kids, Nourishing Minds initiative examining school food programs across Canada.

Nina Trask (RD, MPH, PHEc) is a Research Officer at the Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition at the University of Toronto. Her work focuses on school food programs and public health policies that promote healthy and equitable food environments for children and youth.

Benjamin Organ (RD, MPH) is a Policy Lead and public health researcher at the Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition at the University of Toronto. His research examines the governance, policy, and implementation of Canada’s National School Food Program to support evidence-informed policy and community impact.

Nicole Weber (RD, MPH, PHEc) is a Research Officer at the Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition at the University of Toronto. Her work focuses on the implementation of school food programs and strengthening culturally responsive and community-informed programs across Canada.

Annette Blais (MSc) is an Administrative Officer and former researcher at the Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition at the University of Toronto. Her work has examined the landscape and nutritional quality of school food programs across Canada to inform national school food policy.

Selina Quibrantar (MSc) is a researcher at the Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition at the University of Toronto and leads the Centre’s youth engagement strategy. Her work uses qualitative and community-engaged approaches to centre community voices in nutrition and public health initiatives.

Asma Musa (RD, MPH, PhD-c) is a Registered Dietitian, public health researcher, and PhD candidate at the University of Toronto affiliated with the Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition. Her research focuses on culturally responsive school food programs, Black food sovereignty, and advancing equitable food systems through community-engaged research.

TITLE: School Food Community Engagement in Action: Fireside Chat

DESCRIPTION: 

Join our engaging fireside chat, featuring team members from the University of Toronto’s Feeding Kids, Nourishing Minds, one of Canada’s largest school food research initiatives. This interactive panel brings together academic, community-based, and policy-focused researchers to reflect on how community engagement was purposefully embedded across the lifecycle of large-scale, policy-relevant research initiatives. Through transparent and reflective discussions and practical examples, trainees will explore strategies for building and sustaining good-faith relationships with diverse partners (e.g., students, parents, educators, Indigenous and Black-led organizations, school boards, and government stakeholders), approaches to co-analysis and co-created knowledge translation, and lessons learned in navigating power, equity, and policy impact. The session will offer valuable insights and concrete tools to support ethical, rights-based, equitable, and responsive community-engaged research and inform trainees’ own work.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Session participants will be able to:

• Describe how community engagement can be intentionally embedded across the full research lifecycle.
• Identify practical strategies for building and sustaining trust-based relationships with diverse partners.
• Learn practical strategies and lessons to support ethical, equitable and responsive community-engaged research.
• Recognize examples of co-analysis and co-created knowledge translation.
• Assess how evidence and lived experience translate into policy and community impact.