Professor
Faculty of Health - Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON
Expertise: Refugee Integration, Social Determinants of Health, Post-Migration Conditions and Mental Health, Access to Health Care, Virtual Mental Health Services
Michaela Hynie, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, and the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University. Dr. Hynie is interested conducts interdisciplinary multi-method community-based research on social determinants of health with communities experiencing social conflict, social exclusion, or forced displacement and migration. This work includes the development and evaluation of social, institutional and/or policy interventions that can improve health and well-being through improving access to healthcare or other services, improving living conditions, and enhancing social and economic inclusion.
Two recent CIHR funded projects include assessing the impact of integration pathways on long-term health outcomes for a large cohort of Syrian refugees in BC, Ontario and Quebec; and exploring refugees’ access to virtual mental health services in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
Dr. Hynie’s other main area of focus is the identification and prevention of maternal mental health problems in Rwanda. She has also conducted research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Kenya Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Dr. Hynie is the past president of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies.