Our Organization
CREATE is the Centre for Research, Education, and Action for Trans Equity. We are a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to using community-based participatory research (CBPR) to improve the health and well-being of trans, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and gender-variant communities. CBPR empowers community members at all stages of the research process, from identifying research priorities, to conducting research and sharing the findings. We envision a world where trans people are leading research that addresses community priorities and is used to improve gender-affirming health care, advocate for policy changes, and develop health promotion programs.
Board of Directors
Co-Chair
Kai Jacobsen
they/them
Kai is a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of British Columbia. They hold an MA in Sociology from Carleton University, where their research explored trans autistic experiences of gender-affirming care.
Co-Chair
Leo Rutherford
he/him
Leo holds a PhD from the University of Victoria. He is also a research scientist at the Community-Based Research Centre and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria.
Treasurer
Monica Rudd
she/her
Monica is a queer trans woman and clinical research biostatistician based in Toronto. Her work centres on development and implementation of biomedical HIV/STBBI prevention strategies, and how new people can be engaged and retained in care.
Director
Noah Adams
he/him
Noah Adams lives and works in Toronto and the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishnabeg, Chippewa, Haudenosaunne, and Wendat peoples. He is a researcher, advocate, and student at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, where he is completing a PhD in Adult Education and Community Development. Noah’s PhD work expands on his book Trans and Autistic: Stories from Life at the Intersection (with Bridget Liang; Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2020) by exploring the development of transgender/autistic community groups globally. Noah volunteers extensively and is currently working with the Transgender Professional Association for Transgender Health, an international network he co-founded.