Allison Bair

What I do

Allison Bair is a social psychologist who received her PhD from York University in Toronto. She studies the social etiology of physical and mental health outcomes among stigmatized group members. She is particularly interested in how racial identity and the experience of stigma interact to produce beliefs, strategies, and behaviors that impact the well-being of the targets of stigma. As a Black Canadian with Jamaican roots she is aware of how racial and cultural contexts influence racial identity. She had the opportunity to examine this as part of her dissertation research. She was awarded an Organization of American States Research Fellowship to conduct research on racial identity and implicit racial attitudes in both Canada and Jamaica. This work is representative of her commitment to enriching the knowledge base that the Black diaspora can draw upon to strengthen their understanding of themselves. Her long-term goal is to develop a research program that can be used to inform interventions that maximize mental and physical health, resilience, social justice orientation, self-sufficiency, and a sense of belonging among stigmatized group members. In her leisure time, her biggest joy is the laughter and light in the eyes of her nieces and nephews. As an IRISE post doc at Denver University, Allison will be conducting research examining racial biases in psychological care recommendations.