Board of Directors

Andrew Barker has been involved in the fields of gay men’s health and community-based research since 1996. He coordinated the Gay Men’s Health Program at AIDS Vancouver from 1996-2001 where he helped launch the Boys R Us program for male sex trade workers. Andrew is a past board member of YouthCO AIDS Society and worked on several community based research projects including the Gay Men’s Action Plan (GMAP), the Three Cities Project, the Sex Now Survey, and Totally Outright. He has also worked as a facilitator and strategic planner for non-profit organizations. Andrew currently runs an interior and landscape design studio where he works with a mix of non-profit, residential and commercial clients.

Moffatt Clarke has had a long career funding community-based health promotion programming throughout BC, focused on gay men and others whose health is vulnerable, especially to HIV infection. Originally from Toronto, Moffatt got an early education in queer liberation while coordinating Gays and Lesbians at U of T during the notorious Body Politic trials and Toronto bath raids. Having a special interest in Latin America, he worked for a brief time with Brazil’s first national HIV/AIDS NGO, ABIA, in Rio de Janeiro. A long time resident of Vancouver’s West End, Moffatt is now happily retired.

Ben Chen is a medical student at UBC. He has worked extensively in gay men's health through various projects with HIM and YouthCO. He's also involved in community projects dedicated to empowering elderly populations living in poverty and at-risk youth.

Dr. Rod Knight is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at UBC and a Research Scientist at the BC Centre on Substance Use. His research focuses on interventions addressing health inequities experienced by LGBTQ and other populations. He is supported by a Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Dr. Todd Sakakibara is a family physician working at Three Bridges Community Health Centre in Vancouver. He provides care to vulnerable populations including those dealing with poverty, mental health, addictions, HIV, and the LGTB communities. Prior to medicine he was involved with YouthCO AIDS Society where the importance of ties to the community was ingrained. He also is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC where he teaches medical undergraduate and resident students in the areas of health equity.

You can contact the Board of Directors at [email protected].

Christopher Gallardo-Ganaban, Chair

Chris is a lawyer practicing municipal law, and has a keen interest in corporate and nonprofit governance. Since 2010, he has been an active volunteer in various health organizations, such as Health Initiative for Men, Edmonton Men's Health Collective, and now CBRC. Chris has also been involved in organizations providing legal assistance to marginalized populations, including Pro Bono Law Alberta, Pro Bono Students Canada, and Access Pro Bono BC.

Andrew Barker, Vice-Chair

Andrew has been involved in various fields of gay men’s health and community-based research since 1996. He coordinated the Gay Men’s Health Program at AIDS Vancouver from 1996-2001 where he helped launch the Boys R Us program for male sex trade workers. Andrew is a past board member of YouthCO AIDS Society and worked on several community-based research projects including the Gay Men’s Action Plan (GMAP), the Three Cities Project, the Sex Now Survey, and Totally Outright. He has also worked as a facilitator and strategic planner for non-profit organizations. Andrew currently runs an interior and landscape design studio where he works with a mix of non-profit, residential and commercial clients.

Tara Chanady

Tara is the executive director of the Quebec Lesbian Network. She also teaches queer approaches to media studies at Université de Montréals' communication department. She was previously a research advisor at Université de Montreal’s Centre for Public Health Research. Throughout her PhD in communication and her postdoctoral fellowship in public health, she specialized in social and health issues for lesbian, bisexual and queer women, including media representation, mental health, and substance use. As a lesbian concerned with visibility and equity, her lectures, publications, and university classes aim to critically examine discourses and norms around gender and sexuality.

Dr. JJ Wright

Dr. JJ Wright (she/they) is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at MacEwan University on Treaty 6 territory in ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Amiskwacîwâskahikan) in Edmonton. She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and held a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education. Dr. Wright is a community-engaged researcher who works with regional, provincial, and national organizations to address gender-based violence and other issues impacting 2SLGBTQ+ communities through anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and community-responsive education and policy. Their present research uses participatory visual arts-based methodologies to examine queer and trans joy as methods of imagining alternative futures that are less hateful and violent and more just, sustainable, and caring.

Kimberley Paradis

Kimberley (she/her/elle) is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, where her research explores community-driven approaches to natural language processing and applies Queer and intersectional frameworks to technology governance. As a Queer woman with a disability who grew up in rural Quebec, she is passionate about improving healthcare access for equity-seeking groups. Kimberley is actively engaged in grassroots advocacy and has previously worked on projects examining how Canadian legislation has historically created “hidden” harms for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Dr. Todd Sakakibara

Dr. Todd Sakakibara is a family physician working at Three Bridges Community Health Centre in Vancouver. He provides care to vulnerable populations including those dealing with poverty, mental health, addictions, HIV, and the LGTB communities. Prior to medicine he was involved with YouthCO AIDS Society where the importance of ties to the community was ingrained. He also is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC where he teaches medical undergraduate and resident students in the areas of health equity.

Max Derenoncourt

Max (he/him) is a medical doctor and public health professional. He specializes in providing mental health services, and building and implementing mental health programs for members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities across Canada. He has over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, and federal and provincial health policy work. He travels throughout Canada when involved in community engagement projects. He uses his academic research background to support monitoring and evaluation work for federal and provincial governments.

Lucas Corbin

Lucas (they/them) is a Sturgeon Clan Anishinaabe-mixed settler, living in what is currently known as Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently working as the 2SLGBTQIA+ Capacity Building Liaison at Sunshine House in partnership with Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre to directly support community members with systems navigation and provide 2SLGBTQIA+ education and support to community organisations. They are a self-taught Two Spirit, Indigiqueer, and trans artist that holds harm reduction and sex positive values as central to their living and learning journey. They also actively engage in community-care and traditional wellness practices throughout urban, rural, and remote communities by way of ceremony and knowledge sharing to raise awareness around Two-Spirit and Indigiqueers experiences.

Asya Gunduz

Asya Gunduz (she-her) is a community incubator, trans activist and researcher who has an M.A in Gender Studies at the University of Gothenborg. Currently working as policy lead on trans and gender diverse HIV prevention at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, she has had more than 6 years of experience in front-line and administerial roles at sexual health clinics, peer-to-peer navigation programs and NGOs in Turkey, Sweden and Canada. She is one of the initiators of LubunTO, a recently fledging community for LGBTI+ people from Turkey living in Toronto. She is co-chair of Trans Women and Gender Diverse People HIV/STBBI Research Initiative (TWIRI) as well as co-Vice chair at the Board of Maggie's Toronto, sex worker justice organization. Her intersectional endeavors are rooted in anti-colonialism, refugee advocacy and GIPA/MEPA.