
DiFrancesco, Dr. Darryn
BA (Simon Fraser), MA (Ottawa), Ph.D. (UBC/Ottawa)
Biography
I am a medical sociologist with an interdisciplinary background. I completed a BA in Communication from Simon Fraser University, an MA in International Development & Globalization from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. in Sociology through the University of British Columbia and University of Ottawa. My MA research examined community-driven economic development in a Northern BC Indigenous community, while my Ph.D. research was a digital ethnography exploring the experiences of mothers using Facebook for information about health and parenting. Following my graduate studies, I worked as Qualitative Research Lead at the University of Calgary's Health Technology Assessment Unit in the O'Brien Institute for Public Health, where I studied clinician experiences and perspectives relating to health technologies/interventions as well as preferences around payment models among rural and remote physicians.
Research and Expertise
I am interested in projects related to environmental health, health equity, health systems, and public perceptions of health issues.
I am currently collaborating with Dr. Elyse Caron-Beaudoin from the University of Toronto on a community-based participatory research project tracking contaminants in Indigenous traditional foods in the Peace River Valley.
- Anthropology
- Gender and Women's Studies
- Health
- Health and Well-being
- Health Sciences
- Northern Issues
- Rural Health Services
- English