Team
Founding and Current Directors
Janice Du Mont, EdD (she/her)
Janice Du Mont is a senior scientist at Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital and professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She is a recognized leader internationally in research focused on gender-based violence, particularly in the context of those who are under-researched and marginalized (e.g., trans persons, older women, women living with disabilities).
Robin Mason, PhD (she/her)
Robin Mason is a scientist at Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital and an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her work focuses on developing policy, practice guidelines, and evidence-informed curricula to improve healthcare and social support for individuals who have experienced gender-based violence.
Co-Investigators
Sheila Macdonald, MN (she/her)
Sheila Macdonald is the Director of the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres and a global leader in acute care provided post sexual assault, most recently co-leading the development of the sex trafficking curriculum for forensic nurses.
Samantha MacNeill, RN, BScN, SANE-A (she/her)
Samantha is a Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Nurse Examiner at Trillium Health and an Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy Advisor at the Region of Peel. With 23 years of experience, she supports victims, survivors, and individuals at-risk of sex trafficking. Currently, she is assisting the ASTER team in recruiting participants for the national survey.
Research Associates
Daisy Kosa, PhD (she/her)
Daisy Kosa is a research associate with the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres with training in health research methodology. Daisy is an expert in implementing and evaluating curricula focused on gender-based violence.
Tonia Forte, MSc (she/her)
Tonia Forte is a Research Associate at Women's College Research Institute. She has a Masters degree in epidemiology and much of her research has been in the area of gender-based violence. Tonia is working on the national survey, assisting with analyzing the survey data.
Research Assistants
Frances Montemurro, MSW (she/her)
Frances Montemurro is a research assistant at Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital. Frances has a Master’s degree in Social Work and a passion for social justice and health equity. She is coordinating the work on sex trafficking and working collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team.
Emma Kelly, MA (she/her)
Emma Kelly is a research assistant at Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital. Emma is a Master’s graduate in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy with experience in research and non-profit work related to gender-based violence. She supports the sex trafficking work of ASTER as well as other projects.
Fareeha Quayyum, MPH Student (she/her)
Fareeha Quayyum is a research assistant at Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital. Fareeha is working on the national survey, assisting with study recruitment and data analysis.
Stephanie Elliott, MSW Student (she/her)
Stephanie Elliott was a research assistant at Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital from September – December, 2022. Stephanie co-led the preparation of a manuscript focused on the indicators social service providers use to identify sex trafficked persons.
Julie Mutis, MPH Student (she/her)
Julie Mutis was a research assistant at Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital from September – December, 2021. Julie worked on a scoping review of Canadian sex trafficking research and assisted in developing a directory of Ontario resources for victims and survivors of sex trafficking.
Evelyn Hodgins, MPH Student (she/her)
Evelyn Hodgins was a research assistant at Women's College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital from September – December, 2021. Evelyn led a scoping review of Canadian sex trafficking research.