Dr. Amina Hussain

Dr. Amina Hussain

Dr. Amina Hussain

Assistant Professor

Phone:
Email: ahuss96@uwo.ca

My approach to social work is rooted in a commitment to equity, inclusion, and the critical examination of power within health and mental health contexts. I believe that social work leadership is essential for creating inclusive environments where diverse identities are not just recognized but centered. Developing a strong professional identity means embracing complexity and intersectionality, and advocating for spaces where marginalized voices are empowered rather than silenced.

In practice, social work requires ongoing critical reflection on how systemic barriers and social determinants of health shape experiences, especially for racialized and religious minority groups. It is a collective endeavor that demands courage to confront uncomfortable truths, collaboration and creativity in developing solutions, and humility to learn alongside the communities we serve. Social work is a profession dedicated to justice and healing, grounded in the belief that all people deserve dignity, respect, and the opportunity to thrive.

Education

University of Toronto - BSc (Psychology and Co-op Mental Health) (Honours)

University of Toronto - MSW (Specialist in Mental Health)

University of Toronto - PhD (Social Work)

Research

My research focuses on advancing social work practice to better meet the needs of diverse populations and promoting the design and implementation of equitable services. Central to this work is the examination of systemic barriers, including anti-racism and Islamophobia, the development of strong social work leadership competencies within health and mental health contexts, and the enhancement of inclusive practices that better serve marginalized and racialized communities.

Selected Publications

Research Grants

  1. 2020 - 2024 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award
Doctoral Recipient
Amount awarded: $104,000

  1. 2023 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Connections Grant

“Canadian Muslim Youth Identity Challenges, Mental Health and Well-being: Sharing Knowledge and Building Capacities”
Collaborator (PI: Dr. Aamir Jamal)

  1. 2019 - 2022 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant

“Exploring the Social Service Needs of Muslims in Ontario: A Community Based Partnership Approach”
Collaborator (PI: Dr. Ka Tat Tsang)
Amount awarded: $188,802

  1. 2022 Royal Bank (RBC) Fellowship Award

“Social Work Policy Practice for Pandemic Recovery”
(PI: Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft)
Amount awarded: $10,000.

  1. 2021 Royal Bank (RBC) Fellowship Award

“Recovery-Oriented Social Work Practice in Health and Mental
Health” (PI: Dr. Toula Kourgiantakis)
Amount awarded: $10,000.

  1. 2021 Dean’s Network Award

“Health Policy Evidence Exchange Network: strengthening social work’s capacity for health policy.” (P1: Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft)
Amount awarded: $25,000

Selected Publications (N = 21):
  1. Hussain, A., & Shier, M. (submitted for publication). Social work leadership in interdisciplinary health and mental health settings. Journal of Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, and Governance.
  2. Hussain, A., & Shier, M. (submitted for publication). Conceptualizing professional identity:Development and validation of a psychometric scale. British Journal of Social Work.
  3. Hussain, A., & Shier, M. (submitted for publication). Exploring the relationship between leadership competencies and professional identity among social workers in interdisciplinary health and mental health settings. Journal of Research on Social Work Practice.
  4. Ashcroft, R., Feryn, N., Lam, S., Hussain, A., Owaisi, R., Sheffield, P., Sur, D., Rayner, J., Donnelly, C., Adamson, K., & Brown, J.B. Enhancing comprehensive patient care with social workers in primary care: Results of a cross-sectional survey of primary care social workers in Ontario, Canada. PLOS ONE. (In Review)
  5. Ashcroft, R., Hussain, A., Lam, S., Kourgiantakis, T., Begun, S., Craig, S., Cadell, S., Adamson, K., Nelson, M., Greenblatt, A., Sirotich, F., Walsh, B., Abudiab, S., & Sur, D. (2024). A scoping review to guide social work policy-practice for pandemic recovery. Research on Social Work Practice, 34(5), 548-567. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315231185754
  6. Ashcroft, R., Feryn, N., Lam, S., Hussain, A., Donnelly, C., Mehta, K., Rayner, J., Sur, D.,Adamson, K., Sheffield, P., & Brown, J.B. (2023). Social workers’ formal and informal leadershiproles in interprofessional primary care teams in Ontario, Canada. In Healthcare Management Forum, 36(5), 304-310. https://doi.org/10.1177/084047042311845825
  7.  Kourgiantakis, T., Markoulakis, R., Lee, E., Hussain, A., Lau, C., Ashcroft, R., ... & Levitt, A.(2023). Access to mental health and addiction services for youth and their families in Ontario:perspectives of parents, youth, and service providers. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 17(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-023-00572-z
  8. Hussain, A., Ashcroft, R. (2022). Social Work Leadership Competencies for Practice amid Crisis: A Scoping Review. Health & Social Work, 47(3), 205-214. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlac016
  9. Kourgiantakis, T., McNeil, S. R., Hussain, A., Logan, J., Ashcroft, R., Lee, E., & Williams, C. C. (2022). Social work’s approach to recovery in mental health and addiction policies: a scoping review. Social Work in Mental Health, 20(4), 377-399. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15332985.2021.2019169?journalCode=wsmh20
  10. Ashcroft, R., Hussain, A., Lam, S., Kourgiantakis, T., Begun, S., Craig, S., Cadell, S., Nelson, M.,Adamson, K., Sirotich, F., Greenblatt, A., Walsh, B., Abudiab, S., & Sur, D. (2021). A Scoping Review to Guide Social Work Policy-Practice for Pandemic Recovery. Research on Social Work Practice, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315231185754
  11. Hussain, A., Dar, M., & Ganson, K. T. (2021). A post-structural feminist analysis of eating disorders intervention research. Affilia, 37(3), 505-519. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08861099211062942
  12. Ashcroft, R., Lam, S., Kourgiantakis, T., Begun, S., Nelson, M., Adamson, K., Cadell, S., Walsh,B., Greenblatt, A., Hussain, A., Sur, D., Sirotich, F., & Craig, S. (2021). Preparing social workers to address health inequities emerging during the COVID-19 pandemic by building capacity for health policy: A scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 11(11), e053959. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053959
  13.  Kourgiantakis, T., Markoulakis, R., Hussain, A., Lee, E., Ashcroft, R., Williams, C., ... & Levitt, A. (2022). Navigating inequities in the delivery of youth mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives of youth, families, and service providers. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 1-11. https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269/s41997-022-00670-4
  14. Hussain, A., & Ashcroft, R. (2020). Social work leadership competencies in health and mental healthcare: a scoping review protocol. BMJ open, 10(10), e038790. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/10/e038790.abstract
  15.  Kourgiantakis, T., Hussain, A., Ashcroft, R., Logan, J., McNeil, S., & Williams, C. C. (2020). Recovery-oriented social work practice in mental health and addictions: a scoping review protocol. BMJ open, 10(8), e037777. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e037777.
  16. Edwards, T., Hussain, A., Sato, C., King, J., Saini, M., & King, B. (2020). Exploring racial disproportionalities and disparities for black families involved with the child welfare system. Social Science Protocols, 3, 1-10. http://journals.ed.ac.uk/social-science-protocols/article/view/4949
  17. Hussain, A., McDonald, B., Klinger, C., Mirza. R., McDonald, L. (2020). The role of oral health professionals in supporting elder mistreatment victims: A scoping review of current practice needs. Journal of Gerodontology. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.2012
  18.  Macdonald, B., Hussain, A., Aliman, C., Fujioka, J., David, K., Mirza, R., Mcdonald, L. (2017). Oral-health professionals as a first point of contact for elder abuse victims: A scoping review. Innovation in Aging, 1(1), 572–572. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.2012
  19. McDonald, L., Hussain, A., Mirza, R., Relyea, E., Beaulieu, M., Gutman, G., ...

Macdonald,B. (2017). Screening and assessment of elder abuse: An evaluation of NICE tools. Innovation in Aging, 1(1) (suppl 1), 364–364. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.2012

  1.  McDonald, L., Hussain, A., Mirza, R., Relyea, E., Beaulieu, M., Gutman, G., Klinger, C., & MacDonald, B. (2017). Screening and assessment of elder abuse: An evaluation of NICE’s tools. [Abstract]. Program Abstracts from the 21st International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress, Innovations in Aging, 1(1) (suppl 1), p. 364. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.2012
  2.  Kolla, N .J., Matthews, B., Wilson, A., Houle, S., Bagby, M., Links, P., Simpson, A., Hussain,A., and Meyer, J.H. (2015). Lower monoamine oxidase-A total distribution volume in impulsive and violent male offenders with antisocial personality disorder and high psychopathic traits: An 11C] harmine positron emission tomography study. Neuropsychopharmacology, 40(11), 2596– 2603. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2015.106

RECENT PRESENTATIONS:
  1. Hussain, A., Tsang, K., Azmi, S., Razavipour, E. (2024, March 13 – 15). Towards Inclusive Social Services: A CBPAR Study with Ontario’s Muslim Communities. Presentation accepted to the 26th Metropolitan Canada Conference, Montreal, Canada.
  2. Jones, J., Kourgiantakis, T., Markoulakis, R., Hussain, A. C., Lee, E., & Lau, C. (2024, January 10 – 14). Navigating Inequities in Youth Mental Health and Addiction Services During the Pandemic. E-Poster accepted to the 28th Annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, DC, USA.
  3. Hussain, A., Kourgiantakis, T., Lee, E., Ashcroft, R., Williams, C., Markoulakis, R. (2024, January 10 – 14). Access to Addiction and Mental Health Treatment for Transition Aged Youth and Their Families [Poster presentation]. Presentation accepted to the 28th Annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, DC, USA.
  4. Hussain, A., Walji, A., Mohamed Nalir, S., Owaisi, R., Khan, S. (2023, October 26 – 29). Enhancing Faith-Informed Social Work Practice for Muslims in Ontario: A Community Based Partnership Study [Panel presentation]. Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) 69th Annual Program Meeting (APM), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
  5. Jones, J., Kourgiantakis, T., Markoulakis, R., Lee, E., Hussain, A. C., Lau, C., & Williams, C. C. (2024, january 10 - 14). Access to Addiction and Mental Health Services: Perspectives of Parents, Youth, and Service Providers. Poster accepted to the 28th Society of Social Work Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, DC, USA.
  6. Hussain, A., Husain, A., Oyewuwo, O. (2023, October 26 – 29). Culturally Inclusive Practices for Supporting Muslim Victims of Forced Marriage [Panel presentation]. Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) 69th Annual Program Meeting (APM), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
  7. Owaisi, R., Hussain, A. (2023, October 26 – 29). The Social Service Needs of Older Muslim Adults [Poster presentation]. Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) 69th Annual Program Meeting (APM), Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
  8. Ashcroft, R., Donnelly, C., Adamson, K., Lam, S., Hussain, A., Rayner, J., Mehta, K., Sur, D., Sheffield, P., Feryn, N, & Brown, J.B. (2022, November 18-22). An Examination of Social Work Practice in Primary Care Teams across Ontario - A Mixed-Methods Study [Poster presentation]. North American Primary Care Research Group, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
  9. Ashcroft, R., Donnelly, C., Lam, S., Brown, J.B., Adamson, K., Mehta, K., Hussain, A., Sur, D., Feryn, N., Sheffield, P., & Bahniwal, R. (2022, October 14). Optimizing the Role of Social Work in Primary Health Care across Ontario [Poster presentation]. Trillium Primary Health Care Research Day, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. *Winner of Patient Choice Award
  10. Ashcroft, R., Donnelly, C., Lam, S., Brown, J.B., Adamson, K., Mehta, K., Hussain, A., Sur, D., Feryn, N., Sheffield, P. & Bahniwal, R. (2022, October 12). Optimizing the role of social work in primary care across Ontario: A mixed methods study [Poster presentation]. Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  11. Kourgiantakis, T., Markoulakis, R., Lee, E., Hussain, A., Lau, C., Ashcroft, R., Goldstein, A., Kodeeswaran, S., Williams, C., & Levitt. A. (2022, October 21 - 22). Structural Barriers Impacting Access to Mental Health and Addiction Treatment for Transition Aged Youth in Canada: Perspectives of Parents, Youth, and Service Providers. Canadian Child and Youth Virtual Conference.
  12. Forbes, J., Williams, C., Kourgiantakis, T., Kirkland, A., Hussain, A., Rines, Jenna., & Mooney, E. (2022). Empowerment for Caregiving Families Impacted by Mental Illness: Recommendations from Caregivers and People Diagnosed with Mental Illness. Oral Presentation for the Society for Social Work and Research 2023 Conference. Phoenix, AZ.
  13. Kourgiantakis, T., Markoulakis, R., Lee, E., Ashcroft, R., Williams, C., Hussain, A., Lau, C., Goldstein, A., Kodeeswaran, S. & Levitt. A. (2022, June 17-18). Navigating Inequities in Youth Addiction and Mental Health Services During the Pandemic: A University-Community Collaboration. Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Care Conference. Collaborating to Create New Pathways Towards Recovery, Empowerment, and Social Inclusion. Québec City, Québec.
  14. Hussain, A., Ashcroft, R. (2021). Social work leadership amidst crisis in health and mental health care: A scoping review. Poster presented virtually to the Ontario Association of Social Work (OASW) Conference. Toronto, ON.
  15. Hussain, A., Kourgiantakis, T., Williams, C., and Kirvan, A. (2021). Recovery-oriented social work practice in mental health and addictions. Panel presentation at the 25th Annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference.  San Francisco, CA.
  16. Hussain, A., Dar, M., Faruk, S., and Zafar, M. (2020). Faith Informed Social Work Practice: Insights from Muslim Faith Leaders. Abstract accepted to the 25th Annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference.  San Francisco, CA.
  17. Kirvan., A., Lee, E., Hussain, A. (2020). Mapping the E-Mental Health Literature to Clinical Quality Domains: A Scoping Review of Reviews. Abstract submitted to the 25th Annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference.  San Francisco, CA.
  18. Hussain, A., Ashcroft, R. (2020). Advancing social work leadership competencies in health and mental health care: Key recommendations to improve service provision and client outcomes. Abstract submitted to the 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care. Nashville, TN.
  19. Hussain, A., Kourgiantakis, T., Ashcroft, R., McNeil, S., Logan, J., and Williams, C. (2020).  Recovery-oriented social work practice in health and mental health: A scoping review. Abstract submitted to the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) 66th Conference. Denver, CO.
  20. Hussain, A. (2020). Deconstructing colonial narratives in eating disorders research: Informing research, education and practice for social work. Poster accepted to CASWE (Canadian Association of Social Work Education) Congress 2020 of the Humanities and Social Sciences. London, ON.
  21. Houston, E., Hussain, A., Sato, C., and Westbrook, A. (2020). Challenging and resisting neoliberal colonization in social work education: Critical reflections from first year doctoral students. Poster accepted to CASWE (Canadian Association of Social Work Education) Congress 2020 of the Humanities and Social Sciences. London, ON.