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At the time of the QE Scholarship, Annisa was a graduate student in the Master of Public Health program at Â鶹ÊÓƵ University. Prior to her graduate degree, she worked at The Hospital for Sick Children as a Clinical Research Project Assistant in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences program and as a part-time art instructor. Her interests lie in equity-focused policy and program development. As a Research Associate with the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Research Shop she worked with Rising Stars, a local Hamilton initiative, to conduct a feasibility study on co-operative housing models for those living with mental health challenges. Through her academic and work experiences, Annisa hopes to initiate meaningful health and social systems level change for vulnerable populations.

As an outbound Queen Elizabeth Scholar, Annisa travelled to Sydney, Australia to work at the Sax Institute in the Aboriginal Health Research Program. She looked forward to working under projects led by Aboriginal communities that equitably evaluate, develop, and improve care for Aboriginal people. The outcomes of these projects will help to contextualize prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services to each unique community. Findings were shared with key policy makers and stakeholders to inform culturally responsive strategies for improving local services. During her internship, Annisa hoped to gain insight on Indigenous-led research and evaluation methodologies as they may inform improved health equity considerations for minority Canadian populations.