Marni Brownell, PhD
University of Manitoba
Social Factors in Children’s Health
705-385-8225 | [email protected] | @marnibrownell
Marni Brownell is a Senior Research Scientist with the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) and Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. She was the recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award under the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Health Career Awards Program (2001 – 2006). Dr. Brownell trained as a developmental psychologist, completing her Bachelor’s (Honours) degree at the University of Winnipeg (1982), her Master’s at the University of Toronto (1986) and PhD at the University of Manitoba (1991).
Dr. Brownell uses administrative health and social service databases to examine child health and well being, with a particular focus on the social determinants of health. Her research program includes projects on early literacy, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and psychostimulant treatment, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities, children in foster care, developing population-level indicators of child health, and evaluations of programs designed to improve early childhood development.
She currently mentors 8 students as an advisor or committee member, and has trained several Master’s-level students and research assistants to work with the administrative child health and social services data held at MCHP.
Download a new hi-res photo of Marni Brownell
Commentaries from Dr. Marni Brownell:
Canada has too many kids in care – and the situation is not improving
We need a radical new approach for kids in care
Why did Manitoba students perform so poorly on the latest national school report? // Comment expliquer le rendement médiocre des élèves du Manitoba dans le dernier rapport national sur l’éducation?
Child maltreatment rates not falling, new study finds
Time to treat kids in care differently
Podcasts by Dr. Marni Brownell:
How can Canada reduce the number of children in care?
Videos by Dr. Marni Brownell:
Canada falling short on foster care
Posters by Dr. Marni Brownell:
“A quarter of all kids in Manitoba are aboriginal, yet they make up almost 90% of kids in care.”
Read the commentary: Time to treat kids in care differently
“Canada has a startlingly high rate of kids in care. We have some of the highest rates in the world.”
Read the commentary: Time to treat kids in care differently
“Most kids who go through the care system in Canada don’t graduate from high school. We need to provide the supports these kids need earlier, even before they enter school.”
Read the commentary: Time to treat kids in care differently
“It becomes more and more difficult to find enough families who can provide adequate and good care when there are so many children being put into care.”
Listen to the podcast: How can Canada reduce the number of children in care?
“In Canada we have child protection policy as opposed to family welfare policy. In other countries, if a child is at risk, rather than removing that child from the family, they make sure the family has the supports so the child can stay within the family.”
Listen to the podcast: How can Canada reduce the number of children in care?
“More than 1 in every 5 First Nations children in the province of Manitoba spend some time in care before their 15th birthday.”
Listen to the podcast: How can Canada reduce the number of children in care?
This free ebook is a compilation of the EvidenceNetwork.ca commentaries published in major newspapers in 2015, written by experts in the health policy field.
