Maria is a community-based researcher and a qualitative methodologist, and currently the Interim Dean for the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta. Her research interests are in the area of partnerships, knowledge translation, and how citizens, community-organizations, clinicians, governments and universities can work together to address disparities and improve health outcomes. Maria frames all of her research from a community-based research orientation and in particular, puts much of her research efforts into poverty reduction.

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