Dr. Mariana Brussoni is the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, and a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (https://www.ubc.ca), Canada
She is a developmental psychologist and is an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute (https://www.bcchr.ca/) and the British Columbia Injury Research & Prevention Unit (https://www.injuryresearch.bc.ca/).
Dr. Brussoni’s award-winning research investigates child injury prevention and children’s unstructured, outdoor play, including risks that come with it. Her work focuses on the benefits of outdoor free play on children’s development and addresses the barriers that get in the way of children playing outside. Dr. Brussoni’s research has investigated parent and caregiver perceptions of risk, teachers’ and educators’ experiences with outdoor play and learning, and the design of outdoor play-friendly environments.
Dr. Brussoni’s work has been local, national and international in scope. She partners with practitioners and policy makers in early childhood education, schooling, municipal planning and recreation provision, with the aim of promoting equitable access to outdoor play and creating environments where all children thrive in healthy societies. To learn more about Dr. Brussoni’s research and Outside Play research lab, please visit https://www.outsideplay.org/.
