TRSI Launch
We would like to formally invite you to the TRSI’s Launch and Welcome Event, which will take place on October 27th, 2025 from 11am to 12:30 pm MT, in the Alfred Sorensen Room.
Please use these links to and to .
- Refreshments will be served.
The program will include a welcome by (Associate Dean Research, CSSH), remarks by Provost Verna Yiu.
And, a panel discussion on The Challenges and Benefits for Transforming Research for Social Impact.
The panel will discuss what social impact means and how it can be reframed by the TRSI; how TRSI's work in education, engagement, and research can support decolonization efforts; and how we can develop research methods and approaches that reshape our understanding of complex social issues.
- Panelists: Roxanne Felix-Mah (Managing Partner, Edmonton Social Planning Council), Ashima Sumaru-Jurf (Managing Partner, Edmonton Social Planning Council), Kris Andreychuk (Acting Director of Business Intelligence and Analytics, City of Edmonton), and Chris Andersen (Dean, CSSH, Professor, Faculty of Native Studies)
- The panel will be moderated by Karen Edwards (Director of Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families in the School of Public Health)
The TRSI launch also includes the first Crafting Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations and Approaches (CIRCA) - Creating & Sustaining Interdisciplinary Research Teams - a panel discussion - on Wednesday, Oct 29, 2025 (12:00 - 1:30 pm MT).
Please reach out if you would like additional information about the event. Thank you & best regards.
The Challenges and Benefits for Transforming Research for Social Impact
Monday, October 27, 2025, 11AM - 12:30PM
University Commons: Alfred Sorensen Room
This panel discussion is a program within the TRSI launch event
Community engagement is one of the key pillars of the TRSI Hub. Based on the complex social issues that our communities are experiencing today, the Panel will discuss how defining “social impact” can be reframed by the TRSI. Given that dismantling how the colonial history of post secondary institutions impacts our relationship with the community is a work in progress, how can we truly 'decolonize' the relationships we build in TRSI's work in education, engagement and research? Also, how does the Panel see research methods or approaches reshaping our understanding of complex social issues?
Karen Edwards, Director of Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families in the School of Public Health, Â鶹ÊÓƵ, will be moderating this panel.
Panelists
Roxanne Felix Mah
Managing Partner, Edmonton Social Planning Council
Roxanne Felix-Mah (Managing Partner, Edmonton Social Planning Council) has twenty-five years of experience working in equity and inclusion in the fields of health promotion, community-based research and evaluation, and social services. She has also worked across many sectors - working for government, research organizations and various non-profits focused on newcomer integration, mental health and anti-racism. These diverse experiences give her comprehensive insight into both the theory and practice of equity work, currently applied in her role in a shared leadership position as Managing Partner with the Edmonton Social Planning Council. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the School of Public Health at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
Ashima Sumaru-Jurf
Managing Partner, Edmonton Social Planning Council
Ashima Sumaru-Jurf (Managing Partner, Edmonton Social Planning Council) has been working in community-based organizations for the last 20 years, in every role – from frontline to Executive Director and board member. She has also been working on various components of community-based research and evaluation during this time and brings a lens (and experience) of a practitioner-researcher to her work. Ashima has extensive experience in the theory and practice of equity, anti-racism, and intersectional policy and approaches. Over the last decade, she has worked in shared leadership with Roxanne Felix-Mah to build the capacity of CBOs to integrate equity into their structure, processes, policy, and governance.
Kris Andreychuk
Acting Director of Business Intelligence and Analytics, City of Edmonton
Kris Andreychuk currently serves as the Acting Director of Business Intelligence and Analytics for the City of Edmonton, and is responsible for Corporate Data Science, Data Governance, Analytics, and GIS. In his "home role," he manages the Data Science and Research team, which is widely recognized as Canada’s leading public service data science program. The team applies Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve real-world problems and operationalize insights across municipal operations. Kris' leadership experience spans a diverse set of critical portfolios, including data governance, public safety, social services, and information security. His work is consistently aimed at improving services and the lives of Edmontonians. A recipient of multiple awards and international recognition for his contributions to data science and the public service, Kris was also named one of Edmonton’s Top 40 under 40 by Edify Magazine.
Chris Andersen
Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Professor of the Faculty of Native Studies at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ
Dr. Chris Andersen is the college dean and vice provost of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Dr Andersen is a member of the Faculty of Native Studies, where he spent 25 years, including two terms as dean. He is a special advisor to the Office of the Vice-Provost (Indigenous Programming and Research). Dr Andersen is an internationally recognized scholar whose work explores Métis nationhood, Indigenous data sovereignty and the sociology of law. He has co-edited landmark collections in Indigenous studies, been elected to the inaugural cohort of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, and served as Visiting Chair in Métis Studies at the University of Ottawa. Dr Andersen is also a Fellow, Program on Boundaries, Membership & Belonging, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.