Lesley A. Tarasoff

Lesley A. Tarasoff is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Health and Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) and the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH), where she leads the qualitative component of a NIH-funded project on the perinatal health of women with disabilities in Ontario (PI: Drs. Hilary Brown (UTSC) and Yona Lunsky (CAMH)) and her own CIHR-funded research on the preconception health of women with disabilities.

In 2018, she completed her PhD in Public Health Sciences from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) at the University of Toronto, as well as a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in the Department of Psychology at Ryerson University.

Dr. Tarasoff’s program of research focuses on improving the health and health care experiences of marginalized groups, namely women with disabilities and sexual minority women. Specifically, her research has focused on the sexual, reproductive, perinatal, and mental health of these groups. Much of her research has utilized qualitative methods, with a commitment to interdisciplinarity and community-based research. Dr. Tarasoff is increasingly interested in mixed-method, quantitative, and evaluation research, as well as arts-based interventions.

• PhD, Public Health Sciences (University of Toronto), with Specializations in Women’s Health and Health Care, Technology, and Place
• MA, Women and Gender Studies (University of Toronto), with a Specialization in Women’s Health
• BA, Honours History, Major Sociology: Women’s Studies option (Bishop’s University)

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health
• Collaborator, Re:searching for LGBTQ2S+ Health, University of Toronto (http://lgbtqhealth.ca/)

Selected Grants:

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, “Giving Voice to Mothers: Measuring access to high quality, respectful maternity care in Canada” (2018-2023, Co-Investigator)
• American Psychological Association, “Young sexual minority women’s experiences of sexual violence and sexual stigma” (2017-2019, Co-Principal Investigator)
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, “The perinatal care experiences and outcomes of women with physical disabilities: End-of-grant KT activities” (2015-2017, Principal Investigator)

Selected Awards:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2019-2021)
• Fellowship in Health Care, Technology, and Place, Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2014-2015)
• SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2014-2016)
• Helen Marion Walker—Soroptimist Women’s Health Research Scholarship, Women’s College Research Institute (2012-2013)
• Steiner Young Investigator Award, North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology (2012)

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications:

• Tarasoff, L.A., Ravindran, S., Malik, H., Salaeva, D., & Brown, H.K. (2019). Maternal disability and risk for pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum complications: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology [Epub ahead of print]
• Flanders, C.E., Anderson, R.E., Tarasoff, L.A., & Robinson, M. (2019). Bisexual Stigma, Sexual Violence, and Sexual Health among Bisexual and Other Plurisexual Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study. Journal of Sex Research [Epub ahead of print]
• Tarasoff, L.A., Milligan, K., Le, T.L., Usher, A., & Urbanoski, K. (2018). Integrated treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women with problematic substance use: Service descriptions and client perceptions of care. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 90, 9-18.
• Ross, L.E., Salway, T., Tarasoff, L.A., MacKay, J.M., Hawkins, B.W., & Fehr, C.P. (2018). Prevalence of depression and anxiety among bisexual people compared to gay, lesbian, and heterosexual individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annual Review of Sex Research, 55(4-5), 435-456.
• Tarasoff, L.A. (2017). “We don’t know. We’ve never had anybody like you before”: Barriers to perinatal care for women with physical disabilities. Disability and Health Journal, 10(3), 426-433.
• Flanders, C.E., Tarasoff, L.A., Legge, M.M., Robinson, M., & Gos, G. (2017). Positive Identity Experiences of Young Bisexual and Other Nonmonosexual People: A Qualitative Inquiry. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(8), 1014-1032.
• Tarasoff, L.A. (2016). “We Exist”: The Health and Well-Being of Sexual Minority Women and Trans People with Disabilities. In S.E. Miles-Cohen & C. Signore (Eds.), Eliminating Inequities for Women with Disabilities: An Agenda for Health and Wellness (pp. 179-207). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Tarasoff, L.A. (2015). Experiences of women with physical disabilities during the perinatal period: A review of the literature and recommendations to improve care. Health Care for Women International, 36(1), 88-107.
• James-Abra, S., Tarasoff, L.A., Marvel, S., green, d., Epstein, R., Anderson, S., Steele, L.S., & Ross, L.E. (2015). Trans people’s experiences with assisted reproduction services: A qualitative study. Human Reproduction, 30(6), 1365-1374.
• Tarasoff, L.A. (2015). Experiences of women with physical disabilities during the perinatal period: A review of the literature and recommendations to improve care. Health Care for Women International, 36(1), 88-107.
• Cattapan, A., Hammond, K., Haw, J., & Tarasoff, L.A. (2014). Breaking the ice: Young feminist scholars of reproductive politics reflect on social egg freezing. International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics, 7(2), 236-247.
• Tarasoff, L.A., Epstein, R., green, d., Anderson, S., & Ross, L.E. (2014). Using interactive theatre to help fertility providers better understand sexual and gender minority patients. Medical Humanities, 40(2), 135-141.
• Ross, L.E., Tarasoff, L.A., Anderson, S. green, d., Epstein, R, Marvel, S., & Steele, L.S. (2014). Sexual and gender minority peoples’ recommendations for assisted human reproduction services. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 36(2), 146-153.