Researchers

  • Leo Rutherford
    Leo Rutherford

    Leo Rutherford

    Leo Rutherford is a trans activist, and PhD candidate currently studying at the University of Victoria, on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples. Leo’s work is focused on transgender health and gender-affirming care. He has worked on a number of research projects, including as a Research assistant for TransPulse Canada, and a Mitacs fellow for the Community-Based Research Centre’s Sex Now project. PROGRESS (Patient-Reported Outcomes of Genital Reconstruction and Experiences of Surgical Satisfaction) for metoidioplasty and phalloplasty is Leo’s dissertation project and the first of many more community-focused research project on the topic. Leo hopes his work creates much-needed and invaluable knowledge for the trans community about gender-affirming surgeries. Leo’s work is supported by CIHR’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Transition to Leadership award.

    • Leo’s research supervisors

  • Nathan Lachowsky

    Nathan Lachowsky is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria and Research Director for the Community-Based Research Centre. He holds a PhD in epidemiology and conducts community-based research with marginalized populations on topics such as health equity, sexual health, and HIV/AIDS.​ He is a cis gay/queer man and is committed to fostering the next generation of trans researchers and scholars.

  • Aaron Devor

    Dr. Aaron Devor, PhD, FSSSS, FSTLHE, has been studying and teaching about transgender topics since the early 1980s. He established and holds the world’s first Chair in Transgender Studies; initiated and hosts the international, interdisciplinary Moving Trans History Forward conferences; and founded and serves as subject matter expert for the world’s largest Transgender Archives. He has published widely, his opinions are sought frequently by the media, he has delivered public lectures and more than 35 plenary addresses to audiences around the world. Dr. Devor is a professor of Sociology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

  • Ayden Scheim

    Dr. Ayden Scheim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health (Philadelphia, USA), Affiliate Scientist in the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation and Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital (Toronto), and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University. He is a social epidemiologist interested in the impacts of social, policy, and healthcare environments on the health of stigmatized populations. He has over 15 years of experience in trans health research and currently leads community-based participatory trans health studies in Canada and India.