Research in focus: Anusha Kassan

Name:

Anusha Kassan

My pronouns:

she/her

Title:

Associate Professor, High Impact Position in Child & Youth Mental Health

Faculty/Department/Unit:

Education / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education / School and Applied Child Psychology

Location:

Vancouver

Year I started working at UBC:

2020

Provide an overview of your research in 75 words or less:

My program of research is influenced by my own bicultural identity and is informed by an overarching social justice lens. I am presently studying the impact of immigration across different communities. I am also conducting teaching and learning research, investigating cultural and social justice responsiveness in professional psychology.

What first motivated you (or motivates you) to conduct your research?

It is my lived experience that has propelled me to conducted research in the areas of immigration as well as culturally responsive and socially just pedagogy. I grew up in a biracial, bilingual, bi-religious home, and I am a settler and second-generation newcomer to Canada. These are experiences that have informed how I view my role as a psychological researcher. My scholarship represents a means of honouring my family’s sacrifices and also giving back to the community.

What do you hope will change as a result of this research?

I truly hope that my research can impact the systems that make it so difficult for newcomers in Canada to thrive academically, occupationally, and socially. Newcomers, and other diverse groups and communities, are often seen from a deficit-based lens. Through my research, I would love to be able to highlight their strength and resilience, demonstrating the richness and positivity that they can bring to any environment, be that schools, workplaces, society as a whole.

Are there any research collaborators you'd like to acknowledge and why?

I have been fortunate to learn from exceptional mentors and collaborators, many of which were women and non-binary individuals who faced significant barriers in academia. Hence, they did not have as many opportunities I have been afforded in my career to date. Some of the most meaningful research I have conducted recently has been with community partners such as school districts and immigrant settlement agencies. These collaborations have directly impacted newcomer students and clients.

Learn more:

https://ecps.educ.ubc.ca/person/anusha-kassan/ 
https://anushakassan.com