Dr. Régine Debrosse’s program of research focuses on how Black, Indigenous, and people of color navigate contexts that were not designed with them in mind. She examines these questions by developing tools with communities that leverage their existing strengths to improve their odds and happiness. Specifically, her first line of work centers on how people negotiate complex and at times conflicting identities. Her second line of work examines how economic adversity and stigma impact people’s tendencies to rely on and support each other. Her mixed-method approach uncovers daily experiences associated with economic adversity, stigma and immigration, identifies naturally emerging paths towards resilience, and grounds theory-based programs designed to support young people.
She laid the foundation for this program of research while pursuing a M.Sc. and a Ph.D in social psychology from McGill University. She then extended this research as a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Education and Social Policy and Department of Psychology at Northwestern University, in Chicago, Illinois, before coming back to McGill University as a professor in the School of Social Work. Together with her research, her experiences heading a non-profit community organization and conducting projects with the community reaffirmed her dedication to social justice and to using research to bring social change.
Contact: regine.debrosse [at] mcgill.ca (Email)