Faculty profile

Jennifer Yessis

Back to faculty

Associate Teaching ProfessorSchool of Public Health SciencesUniversity of Waterloo

Jennifer Yessis

Associate Teaching Professor

School of Public Health Sciences

University of Waterloo

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Supervision signals

Professors usually supervise graduate students in their department's programs.
12 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Principal investigator on 1 research grant (1 CIHR), most recently in 2011.

These signals come from public records, including federal and provincial funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

457

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Roles and appointments

Associate Dean, Experiential Learning

Profiles and links

University Profile

Search on Google Scholar

Search on ResearchGate

iDORCID OpenAlex

Find them onX · LinkedIn · Bluesky · YouTube

Signals and details

Research

Read how they describe their research on their University of Waterloo profile.

Latest papers

Onset of Psychopathology Among Children With Chronic Physical Illness
Early Intervention in Psychiatry · 2026
Sibling psychopathology as a mediator between disability in youth with chronic physical illness and sibling Health-Related quality of life
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes · 2026
Evaluation of the Power Up program: a health promotion program encouraging healthy lifestyle habits among youth in summer day camps-study protocol.
Frontiers in public health · 2025

All 19 publications

Latest funding

Towards food security and sustainability: A participatory community-based project with Williams Treaties First Nations
SSHRC · 2021 · Co-investigator
$70,000
COVID-19 Effects on Mental Health and Service Provision Effects on Children and Families: The MY LIFE Experience
CIHR · 2020 · Co-investigator
$165,000
Refining a Scaling Up Strategy for Bringing Local Healthy Food to School through Learning Circles in First Nations and Métis Communities
CIHR · 2015 · Co-investigator
$673,261

All 6 grants and awards

19 publications.

Onset of Psychopathology Among Children With Chronic Physical Illness

Melissa Elgie, Jennifer L. Yessis, Dillon Thomas Browne, Mark Anthony Ferro

Early Intervention in Psychiatry20261 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1111/eip.70125 PMID: 41521059

Sibling psychopathology as a mediator between disability in youth with chronic physical illness and sibling Health-Related quality of life

Dominique Basque, Jennifer L. Yessis, Scott Thomas Leatherdale, Mark Anthony Ferro

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes20261 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1186/s12955-025-02471-y PMID: 41484614

Evaluation of the Power Up program: a health promotion program encouraging healthy lifestyle habits among youth in summer day camps-study protocol.

Larose D, Chih-Shing Chen M, Paracini T, Panahi S, Yessis J, Tremblay A, Drapeau V

Frontiers in public health2025Open Access

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1521438 PMID: 40078763

Effects of flexible learning spaces, active breaks, and active lessons on sedentary behaviors, physical activity, learning, and musculoskeletal health in school-aged children: a scoping review.

Larose D, Massie CL, St-Aubin A, Boulay-Pelletier V, Boulanger E, Lavoie MD, Yessis J, Tremblay A, Drapeau V

Journal of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors202410 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1186/s44167-024-00068-2 PMID: 40217446

Scale up of the learning circles: a participatory action approach to support local food systems in four diverse First Nations school communities within Canada.

Domingo A, Yessis J, Zupko B, McEachern LW, Valaitis R, Skinner K, Hanning RM

BMC public health20245 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19391-z PMID: 39148046

Interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in children and adolescents in summer day camps: a scoping review.

Larose D, Chih-Shing Chen M, Panahi S, Yessis J, Tremblay A, Drapeau V

BMC public health202318 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15521-1 PMID: 37101170

Integrating knowledge and action: learnings from an implementation program for food security and food sovereignty with First Nations communities within Canada.

Domingo A, Yessis J, Charles KA, Skinner K, Hanning RM

Implementation science : IS202311 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1186/s13012-023-01291-2 PMID: 37573323

Learning circles: an adaptive strategy to support food sovereignty among First Nations communities in Canada

Louise W. McEachern, Jennifer L. Yessis, Barbara Zupko, Joanne Yovanovich, Renata F. Valaitis, Rhona M. Hanning

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism202212 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2021-0776 PMID: 35443141

Implementation of the Learning Circle: Local Food to School Initiative in the Island Communities of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada—a Descriptive Case Study

Louise W. McEachern, Jennifer L. Yessis, Joanne Yovanovich, Shelly Crack, Barbara Zupko, Renata F. Valaitis, Rhona M. Hanning

Current Developments in Nutrition202210 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzac090 PMID: 36628170

Learning Circles: A Collaborative Approach to Enhance Local, Healthy and Traditional Foods for Youth in the Northerly Community of Hazelton/Upper Skeena, British Columbia, Canada

Louise W. McEachern, Sandra Harris, Renata F. Valaitis, Anissa Watson, Jennifer L. Yessis, Barbara Zupko, Rhona M. Hanning

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health20228 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315878 PMID: 36497954

Towards food security and sustainability: A participatory community-based project with Williams Treaties First Nations

Co-investigatorSSHRC2021Insight Development Grant

Principal investigators: Hanning, Rhona

Keywords: First Nations communities; food security; sustainable food systems; food sovereignty; community-based participatory research; asset mapping; qualitative methods; mixed methods; decolonizing; project planning

$70,000

COVID-19 Effects on Mental Health and Service Provision Effects on Children and Families: The MY LIFE Experience

Co-investigatorCIHR2020Op Gr: COVID-19 MH & Substance Use - Understanding Rapid System Transformations

Principal investigators: Ferro, Mark

Keywords: Acute Psychological Distress; Family-Centred Care; Mixed Methods; Physical-Mental Comorbidity

$165,000

Refining a Scaling Up Strategy for Bringing Local Healthy Food to School through Learning Circles in First Nations and Métis Communities

Co-investigatorCIHR2015Team Grant: Pathways Implementation Research Team - Component 2

Principal investigators: Hanning, Rhona M; Dhanwant, Kiku (Karen) A

Keywords: Community Capacity Building; Culture; First Nations; Food Systems; Healthy Eating; Knowledge Translation And Exchange; Metis; Scaling Up; Social Capital

$673,261

Accelerating cancer prevention research in Canada: Supplementing youth tobacco use survey data to evaluate natural experiments

Co-investigatorCIHR2014Operating Grant: Cancer Prevention Research Grants

Principal investigators: Manske, Steve R

Keywords: Tobacco

$320,463

Refining a Scaling up Strategy for Local Sustainable Nourishment in Indigenous School Communities

Co-investigatorCIHR2014Team Grant: Pathways Implementation Research Team - Component 2 - LOI

Principal investigators: Hanning, Rhona M; Dhanwant, Kiku (Karen) A

Keywords: Aboriginal; Implementation Research; Nutrition; Participatory Action Research; Realist Evaluation; Scaling Up; Schools; Social Network Analysis

$9,535

Dissemination Plan to Increase Use of the Healthy School Planner Across Canada.

Nominated PICIHR2011Planning Grants

Principal investigators: Yessis, Jennifer L

Keywords: Child And Youth Health; Dissemination; Evaluation; School Assessment

$21,952

From public funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998 with their latest competition results, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Canada Research Chairs, the Fonds de recherche du Québec, Ontario research funding, Michael Smith Health Research BC, the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada.

Profile data last refreshed on September 29, 2026 from the university directory, publication records and public research funding records.

Something wrong or missing on this profile? Suggest a correction

Jennifer Yessis

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Onset of Psychopathology Among Children With Chronic Physical Illness

Sibling psychopathology as a mediator between disability in youth with chronic physical illness and sibling Health-Related quality of life

Evaluation of the Power Up program: a health promotion program encouraging healthy lifestyle habits among youth in summer day camps-study protocol.

Effects of flexible learning spaces, active breaks, and active lessons on sedentary behaviors, physical activity, learning, and musculoskeletal health in school-aged children: a scoping review.

Scale up of the learning circles: a participatory action approach to support local food systems in four diverse First Nations school communities within Canada.

Interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in children and adolescents in summer day camps: a scoping review.

Integrating knowledge and action: learnings from an implementation program for food security and food sovereignty with First Nations communities within Canada.

Learning circles: an adaptive strategy to support food sovereignty among First Nations communities in Canada

Implementation of the Learning Circle: Local Food to School Initiative in the Island Communities of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada—a Descriptive Case Study

Learning Circles: A Collaborative Approach to Enhance Local, Healthy and Traditional Foods for Youth in the Northerly Community of Hazelton/Upper Skeena, British Columbia, Canada

Towards food security and sustainability: A participatory community-based project with Williams Treaties First Nations

COVID-19 Effects on Mental Health and Service Provision Effects on Children and Families: The MY LIFE Experience

Refining a Scaling Up Strategy for Bringing Local Healthy Food to School through Learning Circles in First Nations and Métis Communities

Accelerating cancer prevention research in Canada: Supplementing youth tobacco use survey data to evaluate natural experiments

Refining a Scaling up Strategy for Local Sustainable Nourishment in Indigenous School Communities

Dissemination Plan to Increase Use of the Healthy School Planner Across Canada.

Frequent collaborators

Rhona Hanning

Mark Ferro

Vicky Drapeau

Angelo Tremblay

Ashleigh Domingo

Kelly Skinner

Feng Chang

Jean Andrey

Kelly Grindrod

Patricia Longmuir

Samantha Meyer

Suzanne Jackson

Tania Dick

Michael Beazely

Dillon Browne

Brent Doberstein

Kitty Corbett

Sean Doherty

Ellen Louise Lipman

Mike Beazely

Jan Willem Gorter

Barbara Riley