investigators
Alana Cattapan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and the Canada Research Chair in the Politics of Reproduction. Her research focuses on reproductive autonomy, the commercialization of the body, and the governance of assisted reproduction in Canada.
Kathleen (Katie) Hammond is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at Ryerson University, and a leading expert on egg donation in Canada. Her broader work brings together sociological and legal approaches—both theoretical and empirical—to examine how the rapid evolution of assisted reproductive and genetic technologies are changing socio-legal realities.
Vanessa Gruben is an Associate Professor and a member of the Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. She has written on the regulation of egg donation and surrogacy, the collection, use and disclosure of information to assisted reproduction registries, and the laws governing parentage of children born through assisted reproduction in Canada.
advisory team
Jennifer (Jenny) Dyck Brian is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Chair at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, who studies bioethics, the commercialization of emerging technologies, and reproductive politics.
Claire Burns is a Toronto based actor, director, producer and theatre creator, and a co-founder of We Are Egg Donors, the world’s first self-advocacy group for egg donors, run by egg donors.
Angela Cameron is an Associate Professor of law at the University of Ottawa. Her research uses a critical feminist approach to study the regulation of reproductive technologies, LGBTQ+ experiences, and family law.
Marie-Claude Léveillé is an Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa, Scientific Director of the Ottawa Fertility Centre. and former President of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society.
Erin Nelson is a Professor of Law at the University of Alberta who has written extensively on the governance of reproductive technologies in Canada focusing on reproductive autonomy.
Vardit Ravitsky is Full Professor at the Bioethics Program, School of Public Health, University of Montreal and Senior Lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is President of the International Association of Bioethics and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Meredith Vanstone is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. She is a a qualitative researcher studying patient experiences of healthcare to improve policy and medical education.
Lorna Weir is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Graduate Programme in Science and Technology Studies at York University. Her research occurs at the intersections between reproductive health, critical social theory, and governance.
research assistants
Anya Johnson Poon is the lead research assistant on the Ova Obscura project. She recently graduated from the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the University of Waterloo with an MA in Global Governance. Her interest in medical and reproductive travel has brought her to focus on the politics of reproduction, and in particular on queer reproduction through assisted reproductive technologies.
Josh Eisenmenger is an undergraduate student majoring in Political Science at the University of Waterloo. His studies and his research interests focus on international politics, governance, and social justice.
alumni
Alanna Benson is a Masters of Political Science Student at the University of Waterloo. Her work examines how climate change policy can and should be informed by Indigenous approaches to clean energy.
Sierra Van Tent is a recent University of Waterloo graduate with a BA in Political Science, with minors in Legal Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies. She specializes in studying reproductive politics and legislation, exploring the intersection of politics, law, and social justice.
Swarnima Pandey is an undergraduate student majoring in Political Science with a minor in English at the University of Waterloo. Her studies and areas of interest revolve around international political economy, global governance, social justice, and application of the law.