Meet the Team


Name: Jessica Liauw

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Vancouver, BC

Expertise: Jessica is a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist/ high-risk obstetrician at B.C. Women’s Hospital and Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University, and her Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship, Masters of Health Sciences in Population and Public Health, and the Clinician-Investigator training at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Liauw’s research focuses on understanding how to best detect and manage pregnancies at risk of having complications, and how to improve the health of people who experience imprisonment using varied research approaches.

Name: Jennifer Hutcheon

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Vancouver, BC

Expertise: I have experience in policy evaluation in the area of maternal and child health. I conduct research that examines how the implementation of new perinatal health policies in Canada affect the health, and access to healthcare, of pregnant individuals and their newborns.

Name: Toni Sinclair

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Edmonton, AB

Expertise: Toni is a Cree Metis woman who currently lives in Amiskwacîwâskahikan, otherwise known as Edmonton. She is the current Executive Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northern Alberta and has worked with this organization for 20 years. She also works with a team of advocates that monitors conditions of confinement and human rights concerns in federal prisons designated for women. While she holds an Arts degree and executive leadership certification, the most important education she has received is from the women and gender-diverse people with lived experience of criminalization and incarceration that she has had the honour of getting to know in her two decades of this work. 

Name: Martha Paynter

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Fredericton, MB

Expertise: Dr. Martha Paynter is Director of Nursing Research with the Contraception and Abortion Research Team (CART)-UBC and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of New Brunswick, where her clinical teaching and research focus on the intersection of reproductive health and the criminal justice system. She is the Affiliate Scientist for the ROSE Clinic (Reproductive Options and Services), and the founder, director of research, and past chair of Wellness Within: An Organization for Health and Justice, the only organization in Canada dedicated to advancing reproductive justice for people experiencing criminalization. She is the author of Abortion to Abolition: Reproductive Health and Justice in Canada, which was published in Spring 2022 by Fernwood Publishing.

Name: Fiona Kouyoumdjian

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Hamilton, ON

Expertise: Fiona Kouyoumdjian worked as a Family Physician in a provincial correctional facility for many years, and conducts research focused on the health and health care of people who experience incarceration.

Name: Laura Schummers

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Vancouver, BC

Expertise: Dr. Schummers is an Assistant Professor in the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation in UBC’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Laura conducts epidemiologic and health policy research to determine impacts of policy and practice on reproductive population health outcomes and collaborates closely with clinicians, policymakers, and patients. Her research primarily uses linked population-based healthcare administrative data and draws heavily on causal inference methods.

Name: Sara Tessier

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Liverpool, NS

Expertise: Sara A. Tessier is a dedicated social justice advocate with nearly a decade of experience championing the rights of marginalized, victimized, criminalized, and institutionalized individuals across Canada. With a foundation rooted in lived experience, Sara has worked tirelessly with organizations such as the John Howard Society, Elizabeth Fry Mainland Nova Scotia, and Coverdale Justice Society, providing crucial support to those transitioning out of provincial jails, particularly during the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In her roles as an Outreach Worker for the G.A.T.E. program and a Peer Mentor with Coverdale, Sara demonstrated her commitment to empowering individuals by offering guidance, mentorship, and practical assistance. Currently serving as the Impact Director – Formerly Incarcerated Persons at the Northpine Foundation, Sara’s focus lies on facilitating the successful reintegration of individuals exiting the Canadian prison system. Her work encompasses a wide range of initiatives, including providing access to legal services, affordable housing, post-secondary education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. Through strategic partnerships, financial support, and expert guidance, Sara collaborates with stakeholders to design ventures that foster meaningful relationships and contribute to a healthier and more inclusive Canada.
Beyond her professional endeavours, Sara extends her influence through advisory roles and board memberships in organizations such as the African Nova Scotian Affairs Mobilizing Partnership Program, Scientific Advisory Committee for the Nurse Practitioner Research Project with Wellness Within/IWK/WAGE, YWCA’s Trafficking & Exploitation Services System LGBTQ+ cultural group, and the CAEFS Lived Experience Committee. Additionally, Sara volunteers her time at Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law, Saint Mary’s University Criminology Department, and the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, where she contributes to the educational and professional development of students, professors, staff, and volunteers within the correctional system.
Sara’s advocacy extends to the national level, where she has testified before Senate Committees on prisoners’ human rights and legislative changes. She is also a prolific writer and speaker on various topics, including prison issues, carceral law, advocacy, human rights, sexual violence, reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ issues, and mental health. Through her multifaceted efforts, Sara continues to make significant contributions to advancing social justice and empowering marginalized communities across Canada.

Name: Mirinda Bray

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Halifax, NS

Expertise: Mirinda Bray has been an employee of Coverdale Justice Society since 2020, a non-profit organization providing support and specialized services to women and gender diverse individuals navigating the Justice System. Mirinda was an inaugural staff for the J.E.C project, an award-winning decarceration program that provided emergency housing and wrap-around support services for individuals exiting jail in the context of COVID-19. Mirinda also held the position of Family Justice Coordinator where she supported mothers navigating the family court system through child protection and custody matters and worked directly with mothers who are provincially incarcerated or criminalized. Following this role Mirinda became the House Director of Caitlan’s Place, permanent housing to those exiting or navigating the justice system. Mirinda is certified to deliver evidence-based programming including Parenting Inside and Out, and is published for her work with Wellness Within on a research study called Maternal Incarceration in a Provincial Prison: a Qualitative Study.

Name: Leah Morris

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Halifax, NS

Expertise: Leah Morris hails from Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland) and proudly embraces her heritage, being of L’nu (Mi’kmaw) and Inuit descent. She currently calls Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) her home. Leah worked as Coordinator for the Nova Scotia Volunteer Doula Program for a number of years in partnership with Wellness Within. For years, Leah dedicated herself to volunteer work as one of the few active Indigenous Doulas in the Kjipuktuk (Halifax) region. During her spare moments, she diligently enhanced her expertise in practical skills and traditional Mi’kmaw customs. Today, Leah is deeply invested in imparting wisdom and fostering learning among youth and communities throughout Mi’kma’ki while advocating for equitable access to health services.

Name: Alice Cavanagh

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Toronto, ON

Expertise: Alice is a family medicine resident at the University of Toronto, and a graduate of McMaster University’s MD/PhD Program. Her research has addressed the lived experiences of people who are incarcerated during pregnancy, tensions between care and security in Canadian carceral settings, and how health care providers learn about intimate partner violence in the course of their professional training.

Name: Elizabeth Nethery

Pronouns:

Location:

Expertise:

Name: Jessica Gaber

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Hamilton, ON

Expertise: Jessica Gaber is a Registered Social Worker and a Research Coordinator at McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine. She has been coordinating research studies and implementation projects related to prison health under Dr. Fiona Kouyoumdjian’s program of work for several years. Beyond prison health, her expertise also includes qualitative research, reviews, and community-engaged research.

Name: Clare Heggie

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Halifax, NS

Expertise: Clare is a PhD Student in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of New Brunswick, supervised by Dr. Martha Paynter. She completed her Master’s in Health Promotion at Dalhousie University and is the Research Coordinator for Wellness Within: An Organization for Health and Justice. Her PhD research examines the intersection of rurality and incarceration as a determinant of health, and is supported by a Vanier Canada Doctoral Scholarship.

Name: Marcela Silva

Pronouns: she/her

Location: Vancouver, BC

Expertise: Marcela is a Research Program Manager in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia. She is an internationally trained nurse from Brazil and a graduate of the Master of Public Health program at Simon Fraser University. Marcela is passionate about equitable access to health services and women’s health.