TRAIL Lab - Our Team

Meet the staff and students of TRAIL

From left to right: Dr. Sally Lindsay, Janice Phonepraseuth, Sarah Leo, Van Slothouber, Lise Olds, Gözde Öncil, Rushmita Alam

Scientists

Dr. Sally Lindsay, Principal Investigator and Director of TRAIL lab.

Sally is a Senior Scientist in the Bloorview Research Institute and Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto

See Dr. Sally Lindsay's full scientist profile

Staff 

RESEARCH CO-ORDINATOR

Janice Phonepraseuth, MA, Janice completed her Master’s degree in Sociology at York University. Her research interests include minoritized identities, discrimination, social inclusion, and the social determinants of health. 

Postdoctoral Fellows and Graduate Students

Over 170 people (trainees and highly qualified personnel) have trained in the TRAIL lab and most have been very successful with receiving external awards and scholarships (over $540,000 to date) and going on into careers in academics, health policy, government and health sciences.

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Van Slothouber, PhD, 2024- Van received their PhD in Gender, Sexuality and Women's studies from Western University in 2021. They recently completed a 2-year SSHRC-funded Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta-Augustana. Van's postdoctoral research explored the intersection between trans identity and fat embodiment from a fat and trans positive perspective by drawing on the lived experiences of fat trans and non binary individuals. Van's research areas include fat studies, feminist theory, queer theory and sexuality studies.

Gözde Öncil, PhD, 2025, Gözde holds a PhD in Kinesiology and Health Studies from Queen’s University. Her dissertation explored how graduate students in Ontario perceive and practice physical activity, health and wellness. Her research focuses on the movement of bodies through space, the meanings ascribed to them and the ways they are governed. 

Meng Xu, PhD, 2026, Meng completed a PhD in Sociology at the University of Guelph in 2024. Meng’s research examines the practice of everyday life and the dynamics of sociability in public spaces across diverse urban contexts. Building on this, Meng is expanding their engagement with inclusion and diversity by working at the intersections of lived urban experience, housing, and disability.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Rushmita Alam, PhD (Cand.), 2023-2027, Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto. Rushmita has a Masters in Inclusive Design. Her thesis focuses on "Clothing ableism: co-creating adaptive clothing for and with children and youth with disabilities."

Angelika Aziz, MSc (Cand.), 2025–2027, Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto. Angelika holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology: Brain and Cognition from the University of Guelph. Her thesis focuses on "Exploring the lived experiences of accessible and affordable housing among families with children, youth and young adults with disabilities and identifying solutions to enhance inclusion."

Ashley Brubacher and Rebecca Tepper, MScOT, 2025-2026, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, "The role of occupational therapists in assessing and optimizing accessible housing for people with disabilities living in private homes."

Alumni