Each month, we profile someone connected to CBRC, featuring them in The Update, our monthly newsletter. Check out the July 2025 newsletter here.
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Finn St. Dennis (he/they) is a trans-masculine mixed European settler living in Edmonton, Alberta, who has long been dedicated to community-based research. Holding a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Community Engagement, they currently serve as Research and Evaluation Manager at the Queer and Trans Health Collective (QTHC).
“The organization has grown exponentially since I started,” says Finn, who over the last seven years has seen the organization jump from one full-time employee to nine. “We went through a similar journey to CBRC, in terms of shifting the focus of who we work with. Originally, we were the Edmonton Men’s Health Collective. Earlier in my transition, I didn’t know if there was a place for myself here, as I am not a cis man. I ended up sitting down with a friend on the board and asked if this was going to be an okay place for me to work. He assured me, ‘Absolutely.’”
Since joining the team, Finn has been the main driver for QTHC to further develop their research capacity. “Our research work started with Investigaytors. Through facilitating the Investigaytors program, I developed my own research capacity, along with my graduate studies and mentorship from the folks at CBRC.” From their offices, Finn is currently leading a national study on substance use and harm reduction practices within the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community. “To me, research is a story, and I think it’s important that organizations like QTHC and CBRC are ensuring that the story is being told directly by the community, and it’s community members that are holding these stories and amplifying them as well.”
Finn and the QTHC team have been centrally involved with the current CBRC-led Our Bodies, Our Health survey, developing some of the survey questions and leading community consultations and focus groups in Alberta. “One of the things that excites me about Our Bodies, Our Health is that it takes a holistic look at sexual and reproductive health. There are portions of our community that are often underrepresented in sexual and reproductive health data, especially queer women. So, I’m really excited to have access to that data and use it to make sure that we’re showing up for community in the ways that they need us.”
You can catch Finn and the Alberta Investigaytors collecting data for Our Bodies, Our Health this summer at pride events in Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Calgary.
Photo: Finn St. Dennis
“It’s just such an incredible privilege to be able to work with my community. I feel like my work has deep meaning and purpose.”
