Our team

Project Leads

K. Jennifer Bedford

K. Jennifer Bedford  is a Professor and Research Coordinator in the Faculty of Media, Art, and Design.  As a lens-based creator, her research interests span concepts of storytelling while examining ideas about the archive, nostalgia, and memory.  Jennifer has a passion for learning and teaching and believes in the power of community building both at the school and in the greater Durham Region. She is the past co-chair of the Academic Council at Durham College and is actively involved in applied research projects with the Social Impact Hub. Over the past 8 years Jennifer has contributed to multiple work integrated learning (WIL) projects with her students and participated in international education exchanges with students in Africa and Central America.  In 2022, Jennifer was a co-collaborator focusing on knowledge translation in a funded Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Connection grant project entitled, Social innovation in applied research: Mobilizing knowledge and co-designing a path forward.

Amanda Cappon

Amanda Cappon is a professor in the Social Service Work Program in the Faculty of Health Sciences.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy and has a combined 12 years of experience working in a variety of clinical settings where she provided support to youth and adults with issues ranging from addictions, student wellness and general case management needs.  Amanda is driven to integrate her clinical skills with her role as an educator and has found applied research a great avenue for this.  Amanda sees social innovation as a way to address social justice issues and support our most vulnerable populations.

Lorraine Closs

Lorraine Closs, a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences since 2013, previously worked for 20 years providing services in the field of social work with eight years in senior management positions. Her experience in leading community partnerships for social innovation includes responsibility for the development and operation of several programs including a youth residential program. As a faculty advisor in the Enactus program at DC for 3 years, she was responsible for empowering students to realize entrepreneurial and social innovation project goals. In 2016 she co-led a successful research study investigating the impact of an interdisciplinary field placement. Lorraine’s research focuses on social injustice issues related to poverty and homelessness. From 2018 to 2020 she was Principal Investigator of a College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) research project focused on co-designing a housing model for Trusteed Youth. She is currently leading a 3-year CCSIF research project entitled; Building Bridges Together: Co-production of Financial Empowerment Strategies with People Experiencing Low Income.

Kay Corbier

Kay Corbier started her role at Durham College as a professor in the Developmental Services Worker (DSW) program in the Faculty of Health Sciences in 2012. Her work over the past 35 years has been in the Developmental Services Sector, with over 30 years of experience in senior management positions. Kay has maintained strong partnerships in the sector and serves on the Board of Directors for a local Community Living Organization. In 2014 she led a successful research study, funded by the Ontario Human Capital Research and Innovation Fund (OHCRIF) on investigating the impact of an experiential initiative on students’ preparedness for field placement; and in 2017 she completed a project on the effects of an instructor led video simulation. Kay’s current research focuses on positively impacting the lives of people with developmental disabilities.

Nicole Doyle

Nicole Doyle is a Professor and Research Coordinator for the Faculty of Social & Community Services, teaching legal research and professional skills to law clerk students. She is also an experienced project manager, innovator and leader of new initiatives in education, libraries, and organizational knowledge management, with demonstrated expertise in research and developing collaborative partnerships. More recently, Nicole has focused her efforts on social innovation through research and knowledge mobilization in the early learning community.

Crystal Garvey

Crystal Garvey is a Nursing Professor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing collaborative program between DC and Ontario Tech University and has over 20 years of clinical nursing experience specializing in emergency nursing. She has significant experience working in the community, mental health, and acute adult health care settings. As a clinical practitioner and educator, she has conducted literature reviews and internal descriptive studies which were developed into evidence-based policies and procedures to meet organizational accreditation standards.  Crystal has honed her advocacy skills working closely with community members, stakeholders, and leaders of various organizations through her volunteer work at schools and faith-based organizations; creating evidence-based programs to bridge the gap in needed community services. She prioritizes time to speak to at-risk youth, athletes, and allies to empower, educate, and inspire regarding anti-bullying, anti-black racism, and mental health.  She is currently completing her doctorate degree in nursing at Queen’s University.

Teresa Goff

Teresa Goff  is a Journalism Professor and Program Coordinator in the Faculty of Media, Art & Design, Academic Liaison for the Trent University and Durham College collaborative diploma/degree program Journalism and Creative Writing and a Learning Facilitator in the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s College Teaching Certificate program. She collaborates with the City of Oshawa’s City Idea Lab and the Region of Durham’s CityStudio project to develop and deliver curriculum-based experiential learning related to urban issues and diversity, equity and inclusion. She has worked with DC’s First Peoples Indigenous Centre (FPIC) to support Durham District School Board’s (DDSB) Indigenous Education with the production of five videos featuring the voices of Indigenous students and their families. She oversaw the development of a literature review related to Global Curriculum, funded through the DC International Opportunities Development Fund (IODF). She was a project team member for the Social Impact Hub’s SSHRC funded project entitled Social innovation in applied research: Mobilizing knowledge and co-designing a path forward. Her research interests include Indigenization, social innovation, social justice, urban issues, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

John Goodwin

John Goodwin is the lead researcher for the Durham College MRC Studio and full-time professor and program coordinator for the Game - Art program.  John has 20 years of experience in adult education, project management and curriculum development. Additionally, he brings 10 years of applied research experience working with the Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship to engage business partners on multiple funded projects. To ensure that students have the best functioning equipment and technologies, he works with IT services to specify and test lab equipment for the two dedicated Game - Art labs and the MRC Studio. In this capacity, he led the conversion of these labs to cloud computing centres, providing students access to valuable equipment and software while working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is co-Investigator on a College and Community Social Innovation Fund with Michael Williams-Bell to train firefighters in scenarios that they are not able to physically train in due to the dangers of the job, leveraging the immersive technologies of the MRC Studio.

Corrine McCormick-Brighton

Corrine McCormick-Brighton is an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Professor, with 27 years of employment experience at Durham College. She has a keen interest in innovation related to teaching and learning with extensive experience in course development for face-to-face and online delivery to ensure students are prepared for real world experiences. A research co-investigator, life-long learner, and relationship builder she is committed to inspiring and engaging learners as well as collaborating with community partners.  She has built strong connections to professionals in the field of early learning including as a member of the Best Start Network (BSN) and its Research and Knowledge Mobilization sub-committee. As a project co-lead on a CCSIF funded project, she provides a valuable ECE perspective required to bridge ECE experiences with research inquiries to effectively address community issues.

Jacqueline Williamson

Jacqueline Williamson PhD is a Nursing Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences. She is a co-Investigator for the project: Enhancing virtual mentorship to reduce social isolation of youth, working closely with external partner Big Brothers Big Sisters North Durham to improve virtual mentorship of vulnerable rural youth and address mental health issues for mentors and mentees heightened by the pandemic. Her research interests include mental health related to culture, race, and socioeconomic determinants, racial trauma and discrimination and its impact on physical health. She has worked at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto for over 27 years as a Registered Nurse, engaging clients with various mental health diagnoses in Cognitive Behavioural Therapies, medication and symptom management, while embarking on interprofessional collaborations to ensure fair treatment of black males in the mental health system. She is a member on CAMH committees addressing Horizontal Violence Anti-Oppression (HVAO) and Anti-Black Racism (ABR) and is developing a mentorship program for Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) health care professionals. She has presented to members of the Registered Nursing Association of Ontario (RNAO) on the effects of systemic racism and microaggressions in the workplace and effects on nurses. She is a member of the Mental Health and Addictions Community Advisory Panel at Lakeridge Health.

Michael Williams-Bell

Michael Williams-Bell, PhD is a Professor and Research Coordinator in the Faculty of Health Sciences. He is an occupational physiologist with research interests in the physiological demands of public safety personnel performing job tasks. His research activities seek to understand how the body responds to these physically demanding tasks in order to enhance training within the occupation. He utilizes technological advances in virtual reality and wearable technology to gain insight into the physiological responses while conducting tasks in stressful environments to ultimately improve the health and safety of members and the community. Dr. Williams-Bell's research program explores how to implement these socially innovative strategies to reduce costs and improve accessibility for all public safety personnel.

Research Administrator

Colleen McKay

Colleen McKay is the Manager, Grants and Special Projects within the Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She facilitates interdisciplinary research and collaborative partnerships, supporting the full lifecycle of applied research projects within the social sciences, health and scholarship of teaching and learning at Durham College.