Susitha Wanigaratne

Dr. Susitha Wanigaratne is a Senior Research Associate at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children and a social epidemiologist with a PhD in Epidemiology and a Masters of Health Science from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

My research examines the structural and social determinants of immigrant and refugee health. I primarily use national and provincial immigration-health linked administrative databases in my research but also have experience with qualitative and community-engaged and participatory research methods. Most recently, I have supported research examining COVID-19 vaccine coverage among pediatric immigrant and refugee populations, and understanding changes in the uptake of the enhanced well-baby visit and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental outcomes among refugee children in Ontario. Taking the perspective that there is health in all policies, I am also leading a scoping review to understand and evaluate the structural and social supports offered to resettle refugees in ten host countries. I have also launched a community-partnered scoping review that assesses the health of international students globally. Using an intersectional lens, I hope to draw attention to the experiences of this growing and important group of young migrants.