About
The Knowledge Hub connects innovative trauma-and violence-informed health promotion projects funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) investment, “Supporting the health of victims of domestic violence and child abuse through community programs” (2015 -2022) and subsequently, Preventing and Addressing Family Violence: The Public Health Perspective (2022-2026). As part of its investment, PHAC is also pleased to support the Centre for Research & Education on Violence against Women & Children (CREVAWC) at Western University to lead the Knowledge Hub, including a Community of Practice (CoP) aiming to bolster the combined impact of funded projects, and further advance innovations in the growing field of trauma-informed health promotion.
The Knowledge Hub:
- facilitates a national community of practice (CoP) for members of projects funded through the investment to share and enhance learning regarding trauma and violence-informed research and practice through knowledge exchanges, teleconference meetings, working groups, etc.
- coordinates knowledge mobilization activities for projects and the broader community through bulletins, reports, social media, videos, infographics, etc.
A set of projects funded between 2015 and 2022 supported people who have experienced intimate partner violence and/or child maltreatment through a variety of programs, such as parenting, physical activity (e.g. boxing, dance, sports, yoga), and culturally-based arts expression.
The Knowledge Hub’s mandate has been extended to continue until March 31, 2026.
“Since 2015, the Knowledge Hub has successfully been connecting and enhancing the work of projects funded through PHAC's Family Violence Investment. PHAC is pleased to continue to support the Knowledge Hub to facilitate knowledge sharing, while strengthening the capacity of service providers, researchers, and communities to prevent and address family and gender-based violence.” — Karen McKinnon, Director General, Centre for Health Promotion, Public Health Agency of Canada
The Knowledge Hub continues to support and facilitate communication among projects funded through this investment.
Knowledge Hub team:
Katreena Scott, Centre Director, Professor
As the Academic Director of the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, I lead a fantastic and dedicated team of students and research associates who are working to understand and prevent violence in relationships. I earned my BA in Psychology from Queen’s University and my MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Western. I have spent most of my career at the University of Toronto where I held a Canada Research Chair in Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention. I moved to Western in 2021. The Caring Dads program that I helped develop is currently running across Canada as well as in the US, UK, Australia and a number of European countries.
Anna-Lee Straatman, Project Manager
Anna-Lee Straatman, MLIS, is project manager at Centre for Research & Education on Violence against Women & Children, Western University for the Knowledge Hub project. She has been a contributor to the Learning Network project. Previously, she was project manager for the Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative with Vulnerable Populations and an expert panel member of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. Anna-Lee has conducted interviews with hundreds of survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions such as schools and religious institutions.
Jessica Webb, Implementation Coordinator
Jessica Webb joined the Knowledge Hub in September 2023 as an Implementation Coordinator. She is passionate about trauma-informed and accessible health services for individuals who experience violence and marginalizing conditions. Jessica loves working with community of practice members, learning from them and helping leverage the important findings from this investment. Jessica lives in a small town outside of London with her partner Braydon where she spends her time gardening, hiking, and either golfing or curling (depending on the season).
Sabry Adel Saadi, Implementation Coordinator - Francophone Liaison
Sabry Adel Saadi is a social worker, doctoral student and lecturer at the School of Social Work, Université du Québec à Montréal. He is the French-speaking implementation coordinator for the Knowledge Hub. He has participated in several research projects in Quebec and Canada, such as the Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative. His thesis uses secondary data from this pan-Canadian research, and focuses on the psychosocial-judicial needs of women survivors and bereaved relatives of domestic homicide.
Jade Vajna, Media Technician
Jade Vajna is a Media Technician for The Knowledge Hub and has been with CREVAWC since May 2023. She has a background in tech support and live streaming, with her main focus being on virtual and hybrid event production / facilitation, video editing, and content management. In her spare time she enjoys storm chasing, playing chess, going for bike rides, and spending time with her family.
