Dr. Mariana Brussoni receives Faculty of Medicine Award for Service to the University and Community

Congratulations to Dr. Mariana Brussoni, recipient of the Award for Service to the University and Community from the Faculty of Medicine! This award recognizes significant contributions to local, national or international communities aimed at improved health outcomes of the population.

Each year, the Faculty of Medicine recognizes faculty and staff members for excellence in teaching, research, administration, innovation and public service.

“These awards celebrate extraordinary faculty and staff who exemplify our values — respect, integrity, compassion, collaboration and equity — and have made outstanding contributions toward our vision to transform health for everyone.” — Dr. Dermot Kelleher, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Vice-President, Health, UBC

Dr. Mariana Brussoni is the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, and a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is a developmental psychologist and is an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the British Columbia Injury Research & Prevention Unit.

Mariana’s award-winning research investigates child injury prevention and children’s unstructured, outdoor play, including risks that come with it. Mariana’s work focuses on the benefits of unstructured play on children’s development and addresses the barriers that get in the way of children playing outside. Her research has investigated parent and caregiver perceptions of risk, teachers’ and educators’ experiences with outdoor play and learning, and the design of outdoor play-friendly environments. Mariana’s work has been local, national and international in scope. Mariana partners with practitioners and policy makers in early childhood education, schooling, municipal planning and recreation provision, with the aim of promoting equitable access to outdoor play and creating environments where all children thrive in healthy societies.

Read the announcement by the Faculty of Medicine.