Experiential Training Approach
The focus on training at the graduate and senior undergraduate levels is integral to research in Canada’s smaller universities (including Trent University) and provides the opportunity to enhance the level of highly qualified personnel at our institutions. The Rural Aging Research Program’s Experiential Training Strategy provides graduate and undergraduate students with a range of social science training through experiential learning and involved mentorship, enabling them to become the next generation of rural aging researchers.
About Our Experiential Training Strategy
Students in the Rural Aging Research Program are actively involved in every stage of the research process and receive training on a range of social science research tasks. Our Training Strategy aims to complement all student research assistants’ (RAs’) academic training in their undergraduate (BA/BSc) and graduate (MA/MSc, PhD) programs. Through their involvement with the Program, all student RAs will broaden their knowledge of the relevant academic literature and improve their critical and analytical thinking, methodological, project management, budgeting, and software skills. Specifically, students receive experiential training in:
- Literature review
- Media analysis
- Research ethics
- Case study design
- Transcription and auto-transcription software
- Qualitative data analysis, including the Iterative Collaborative Qualitative Analysis developed by the research team and NVivo qualitative analysis software
- Academic paper and report writing
- Scholarly and broader public-oriented presentations
- Knowledge mobilization for academic, policy, and community audiences
Additionally, graduate trainees are given the opportunity to complete a Professional Practice Course in Knowledge Mobilization, taught by Dr. Elizabeth Russell (Program Principal Investigator). Trainees can also become Student Associates of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society (TCAS), a world-class research centre on aging, offering enhanced peer support, professional development opportunities, and networking in interdisciplinary aging studies. RAs can participate in the annual TCAS Aging & Society Seminar Series dedicated to student research and may attend student focused webinars at partner research centres in Canada and internationally. These complementary training experiences enhance the qualitative analysis and knowledge mobilization skill set acquired by all trainees.
A unique feature of the Rural Aging Research Program’s Experiential Training Strategy is the value-added emphasis on instilling trainees with a collaborative way of engaging with community partnerships in the research process. Student mentorship opportunities include routine interaction with the Program’s Principal Investigators, Research Coordinator, and other RAs through team meetings and ongoing team communication.
Trainees are also sponsored to complete many professional development opportunities offered by Trent University, including equity, diversity, and inclusion training, "Just Get Over It", a micro-credential in stereotypes, biases, and racism between Indigenous Peoples and Settlers, courses through the Trent Teaching Commons, and Trent’s comprehensive Student Support Certificate. Finally, our Training Strategy provides students with skills and experiences that will help to further their career development, including applications for graduate studies, postdoctoral fellowships, and academic or research-related appointments.
Trainees
The Rural Aging Research Program has a record of success integrating graduate and undergraduate students into our research and achieving research training goals within the context of Trent’s smaller university environment. See below to learn more about our current and past trainees!
Current Trainees
Millicent (Millie) MacDonald, B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology
Millicent (Millie) MacDonald is a Research Assistant in the Rural Aging Research Program and a fourth-year Psychology and Biology student at Trent University. She is a Team Lead and Medical Responder with Trent's Emergency First Response Team. She plans to pursue a Master's in Epidemiology in Fall 2026.
Laura Moledina, B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology
Laura is a fourth-year student in the Psychology program at Trent University and is supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Russell. Her thesis explores the lasting impacts of the Intergenerational Psychology of Aging Classroom.
Lyda-Rose Eves, B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology
Lyda-Rose is a third-year student in the Psychology program at Trent University and is supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Russell. Her practicum research focuses on the outcomes of the Intergenerational Psychology of Aging Classroom.
Dr. Molly-Claire Gillett, Postdoctoral Fellow, Trent Centre for Aging & Society
Molly-Claire Gillett, Ph.D., is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow (2024-2026) working between the Trent Centre for Aging & Society at Trent University and the University of Galway. Her current research focuses on rural community-building, placemaking and intergenerational skill-sharing through craft in the Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario and Irish Countrywomen's Association.
Dr. Mary Rita Holland, Postdoctoral Fellow, Trent Centre for Aging & Society
Mary Rita Holland, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Trent Centre for Aging & Society and the Nancy's Chair in Women's Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her current research uses the example of family carers of rural older adults in Atlantic Canada to shed light on the invisible emotional labour required to maintain the home as a site of care and manage disrupted meanings of home space and family relationships.
Recent Trainees
Tabytha Wells, M.Sc. in Psychology
Tabytha Wells holds an M.Sc. from the Psychology program at Trent University with a specialization in Aging Studies. She completed her degree in 2025, under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Russell and Dr. Mark Skinner. Her thesis explored the outcomes of the Intergenerational Psychology of Aging Classroom. Currently, Tabytha is the Research Administrative Assistant for the Rural Aging Research Program and Research Coordinator for the Intergenerational Classroom Project, focusing on the short-term and lasting impacts of academic and community-based intergenerational initiatives.
Heidi Burns, M.A. in Canadian Studies
Heidi Burns holds an M.A. from the Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies program at Trent University with a specialization in Aging Studies. She completed her M.A. in 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Mark Skinner. Her thesis focused on intergenerational Mnoomin gathering and well-being.
Daniel Katey, M.A. in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies
Daniel Katey holds an M.A. from the Interdisciplinary Aging Studies program at Trent University, belonging to its inaugural cohort. Daniel was supervised by Dr. Mark Skinner and Dr. Elizabeth Russell and completed his degree in 2025. His thesis, titled "Exploring the pandemic and post-pandemic challenges of older voluntarism in a regional health centre", explored the current landscape of gerontechnology usage in rural older voluntarism in Peterborough County.
An Kosurko, Ph.D. in Social Sciences
An Kosurko is a doctoral researcher and Research Associate with the Trent Centre for Aging & Society. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of Helsinki, Finland. An completed her M.A. in Sustainability Studies at Trent University under the supervision of Dr. Mark Skinner. More recently, she collaborated with Dr. Mark Skinner as a research associate on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)/Alzheimer Society of Canada "Improving social inclusion for people with dementia and carers through sharing dance", a remote expansion to rural areas by Baycrest and Canada's National Ballet School. An's current research focuses on the local relevance of social inclusion in action-and-interaction through artistic practice and applied technology.
Erika Snowden, B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology
Erika Snowden graduated with a B.Sc. from Trent University's psychology program in 2024. As a previous Research Administrative Assistant with the Rural Aging Research Program, Erika assisted on SSHRC funded projects such as “Rural insights into the precarity of older voluntarism during COVID-19” and "Prospect and precarity of older volunteer leadership in aging rural communities”. For her honours thesis project, Erika led a community-based research study examining the social experiences of people with aphasia. In 2025, Erika began her Masters studies in Speech-Language Pathology at McMaster University.
Past Trainees
Sarah Cullingham, Ph.D. in Canadian Studies, Trent University (2025)
Dissertation Title: “Let’s do something really revolutionary”: Towards care-full relations of cannabis access in Ontario post-legalization
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Skinner
Avery Hinchcliffe, B.Sc. in Psychology, Trent University (2024)
Role: Knowledge Mobilization Assistant
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Current Position: M.Sc. Student, Kinesiology, University of Toronto
Amelia Heins, B.Sc. in Psychology, Trent University (2024)
Role: Knowledge Mobilization Videographer, Intergenerational Classroom Project
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Current Position: Master of Library & Information Science Student, University of Western Ontario
Agostina Prigioni
Role: Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator, Trent Centre for Aging & Society (2023-2024)
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Current Position: Academic Administrative Assistant, Department of Psychology, Trent University
Jordan Till, M.Sc. in Psychology, Trent University (2023)
Role: Knowledge Mobilization Hub Graduate Assistant, Trent Centre for Aging & Society (2022-2023)
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Kalyca Herbert, M.Sc. in Psychology, Trent University (2023)
Role: Research and teaching support (2021-2023)
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Current Position: Program and Policy Analyst, Government of Manitoba
Luke Whale, B.Sw. (Hons.) in Social Work, Trent University (2021)
Role: Research assistant, Trent Centre for Aging & Society
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Dr. Rachel Bar, Postdoctoral Fellow, Trent Centre for Aging & Society (2020-2022)
Project Title: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)/Alzheimer Society of Canada "Improving social inclusion for people with dementia and carers through sharing dance"
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Skinner
Current Position: Director, Research and Health, Canada's National Ballet School
Aarzoo Nathani, B.Sc. in Psychology, Trent University (2021)
Projects: Pedagogy of the psychology of aging; Rural age-friendly communities
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Stephanie Dagg, B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology, Trent University (2020-2021)
Role: Research assistant, Trent Centre for Aging & Society
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Dr. Kingsley Hurlington, Ph.D. in Canadian Studies, Trent University (2018)
Dissertation Title: Something out of nothing? Place-based resilience in rural Canadian youth
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Skinner
Elisabeth Burden, B.A. (Hons.) in Geography & Psychology, Trent University (2018)
Thesis Title: Older people, environment and age-friendly communities
Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Russell
Dr. R. Barken, Postdoctoral Fellow, SSHRC and Trent Centre for Aging & Society (2016-2018)
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Skinner
K. Allen, M.A. in Sustainability Studies, Trent University (2017)
Thesis Title: Do shared platforms matter? Comparing perceptions of organizational issues in traditional community non-profit and shared platform organizations
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Skinner
Amber Zapletal (Colibaba), M.A. in Sustainability Studies, Trent University (2018)
Thesis Title: Older voluntarism and rural community sustainability: A case study of a volunteer-based rural library
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Skinner
Dr. K. Mullins, Postdoctoral Fellow, SSHRC and Trent Centre for Aging & Society (2015-2016)
Supervisor: Dr. Mark Skinner
