Meet Kathleen Zang: Our practicum student working on the WHiSE 2.0 project

Kathleen Zang (she/her) is a second-year Master of Public Health (MPH) student in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a Practicum Student at the Benoit Lab. Her research interests include chronic disease epidemiology, health equity, and statistical methodology. Outside of academia, Kathleen enjoys reading Anna Karenina, snowboarding, and exploring diverse cuisines.

Her interest in epidemiology began during her undergraduate studies at Western University, where an introductory epidemiology course in her second year sparked her interests for population health research. She subsequently specialized in Epidemiology and Biostatistics during the final two years of her bachelor’s degree, taking advantage of Western’s specialization offerings.

When applying for her MPH, she ultimately chose the University of Toronto because of the program’s comprehensive approach to public health training, which combines methodological coursework with applied learning opportunities within real-world contexts.

At the Benoit Lab, Kathleen is contributing to the development of a WHiSE 2.0 manuscript using data collected in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, and Thunder Bay. Her work focuses on understanding how access to harm reduction services varies across these three locations, and how these differences may reflect broader structural inequities.

Guided by the principles of community-based participatory research, Kathleen integrates relationality, accountability, and reciprocity into her methodological and analytical approaches, ensuring that research findings remain aligned with community priorities and perspectives.

“When working with this data, it is essential to respect the community partnerships that underpin the study. WHiSE 2.0 was conducted in collaboration with the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy and Elevate Northwestern Ontario, and these long-standing, trust-based relationships informed the study design, data collection, and interpretation”.

Reflecting on her experience so far at the Benoit Lab, Kathleen shares:

“I like how engaged Dr. Benoit is with the team, which makes the lab feel very collaborative and supportive, and how open the lab is to interdisciplinary work and collaboration. I hope to keep learning from people’s lived experiences and continue working on research that centers equity and community perspectives”.

As she is close to completing her MPH, Kathleen hopes to transition into full-time work in epidemiology, and taking time to celebrate her MPH milestones by relaxing and potentially continue working in guest services in hospitality while planning her next professional steps for the future.

Please join us in welcoming Kathleen to the Benoit Lab and wishing her continued success in her academic and professional journey!