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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Dr. Caroline Barakat profile picture

Caroline Barakat
BSc (Hon), MES, PhD

Associate Professor

Faculty of Health Sciences

Contact information

Shawenjigewining Hall - Room 429
North Oshawa
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5

905.721.8668 ext. 2173

caroline.barakat@ontariotechu.ca


Research topics

  • environmental / occupational health
  • child and adolescent health
  • public health
  • health geography
  • air pollution and health
  • health inequities
  • cohort studies
  • quantitative research

Research and expertise

  • Background and interests

    Dr. Caroline Barakat is an Assistant Professor in Environmental/Occupational Health at Ontario Tech University. She was previously an Assistant Professor and Discipline Representative for Health Studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and an Assistant Professor in Health Sciences at Zayed University, Dubai. Her research interests and expertise include the links between environments and health, health across the life course, child and adolescent health, spatial patterns of health and health care, environmental epidemiology, population health, and health inequities.

    Her research experience focuses on air pollution and health, particularly the long-term health effects of childhood exposure to ambient air quality. She has designed and developed a large database on environmental exposures, health behaviours, and health measures for a sample of approximately 60,000 residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The goal was to examine differences in health status and environmental exposures across the seven emirates and among nationals and expatriates that reside in the UAE. She was also involved in a national Canadian project that systematically reviews the literature on risk factors related to the progression of 14 priority neurological conditions. 

    She is currently involved in a number of research projects including examining constraints to physical activity among female adolescents, exploring transitioning thalassemia patients from adolescence to adulthood, and parental influence of children with asthma in relation to their physical activity practices.

  • Publications

    For a comprehensive list of publications, visit PubMed.

    • Reyes, C., Barakat-Haddad, C., Barber, W. & Abbass Dick, J. (2019) Investigating the effectiveness of school-based breastfeeding education on breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes and intentions of adolescent females. Midwifery, 70 (2019) 64–70. 
    • Sun, W., Tahsin, F., Barakat-Haddad, C., Turner, J., Reid-Haughian, C., & Abbass Dick, J. (2018) Exploration of home care nurse’s experiences in deprescribing of medications: a qualitative descriptive study. BMJ Open 2019; 0:e025606. Doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025606.  
    • Silva Paulo, m., Nauman, J., Abdulle, A., Aljunaibi, A., Alzaabi, M., Barakat-Haddad, C., Sheek-Hussein, M., Shah, A. M., Yousufzai, S., & Loney, T. (2018) Results From the United Arab Emirates’ 20118 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2018, 15(Suppl 2), S419-S421.Human Kinetics Brief Report. 
    • Little, J., Barakat-Haddad, C., Martino, R., Pringsheim, T., Tremblett, H., McKay, K., …Krewski, D. (2016). Genetic Variation Associated with the Occurrence and Progression of Neurological Disorders. NeuroToxicology, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.09.018 [Epub ahead of print].
    • Barakat-Haddad, C., Shin, S., Candundo, H., Van Lieshout, P., & Martino, R. (2016). A Systematic Review of Risk Factors associated with Muscular Dystrophies. NeuroToxicology, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.03.007. [Epub ahead of print].
    • Martino,  R., Candundo, H., Van Lieshout, P., Shin, S., & Barakat-Haddad, C. (2016). Onset and Progression Factors in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review, NeuroToxicology, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.04.003. [Epub ahead of print].
    • Van Lieshout, P., Candundo, H., Martino, R., Shin, S., & Barakat-Haddad, C. (2016). Onset Factors in Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review, NeuroToxicology, in press doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.03.021. [Epub ahead of print].
    • Barakat-Haddad, C., Zhang, S., Siddiqua, A., & Dghaim, R. (2015). Air quality and respiratory health among adolescents from the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, vol. 2015, Article ID 284595, 13 pages. doi:10.1155/2015/284595.
  • Research collaborators
    • N. Wattie
    • S. Dogra
    • R. Dghaim
    • S. Elliott
    • J. Eyles
    • D. Krewski
    • R. Martino
    • P. van Lieshout
  • Courses taught

    Courses taught (past and present) at the undergraduate level:

    • Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health
    • Public Health I
    • Issues in Child Health and Development  
    • Patterns of Health, Disease, and Injuries
    • Health Research Seminar                        
    • Health Research Methodology
    • Plagues and People                                  
    • Geography of Health and Health Care   
    • Places and People                         
    • Directed Readings in Health Studies     
    • Introduction to Epidemiology
    • Monitoring and Risk Assessment
    • Health and Social Policy
    • Capstone Research Projects                    
    • Introduction to Environmental Sciences
    • Epidemiology II
    • Case Studies in Environmental Hazards           
    • Water and Solid Waste Management
    • The World of Health                                   
    • Environment and Health
    • Water and the Environment

    Courses taught (past and present) at the graduate level:

    • Applied Biostatistics in Health Sciences
  • Graduate student research
    • An Exploration of Women’s Knowledge, Perceptions and Decision Making When Navigating Harmful Chemicals Commonly Found in Cosmetics’ – Masters Student Research.
      • Status: Ontario Tech Ethics Approval received. Data collection scheduled for Summer 2019.
    • Prevalence and Predictors of Vision correction needs among High school Students in the UAE: A Cross-sectional Study’ – Masters Student Research. 
      • Status: Data analysis underway.
    • Tracking the Hamilton Children Cohort’ – Masters Student Research. 
      • Status: Research design ongoing.
    • The Effects of Difference Types of Smoking Cannabis on Lung function’ – Masters Student Research.
      • Status: Final stage of research design.

  • Grants
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Sport Canada; $84,642; January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2019. ‘Examining and Addressing Constraints to Sport Participation among Ethnically-Diverse Female Adolescents’; Principal Investigator.
    • Women’s Xchange 15K Award; $14,998; March 1, 2016 – March 31, 2017. ‘Examining Constraints to Sport Participation among Ethnically-Diverse Female Adolescents from Durham Region, Ontario’; Principal Investigator.
    • Health Canada Award; $24,900; July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016. ‘Increasing youth awareness of environmental toxicants: A proposal to hold a national video challenge’; collaborator.
    • Research Grant, UTSC, $15,000; July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.
    • SSHRC Institutional Grant, “Neighborhood Characteristics and Children Living with Neurological Conditions;” April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2014. UTSC, Sole Investigator.
  • Education
    • PhD, Medical Geography, Environmental Health, McMaster University, 2008
    • MES Environmental Studies, York University, 2003
    • BSc (Honours), University of Toronto, 1993