Capacity Development and Extension graduate student, Stephanie Gariscsak presented at the fifth bi-annual Rainbow Health Ontario Conference [1] on March 21, 2018 in Sudbury, Ontario. Stephanie’s presentation was titled “ The mental health status of LGBTQ+ youth who reside in rural Southern Ontario” wherein she presented key findings from her masters thesis research. For more details see the full RHO conference program [2].

With increasing knowledge of the severity of poor mental health in Canadian LGBTQ+ youth, research is required to understand primary causes for this, as well as safeguards for improving wellness. Stephanie utilized qualitative research tools to identify strategies for resiliency within these youth in a rural context.  Stephanie’s MSc thesis is advised by Dr. Al Lauzon and Dr. Sheri Longboat.