Dr. Rachel Herron is the lead researcher for the Walking the Walk in Smaller Cities project.
She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Brandon University, a Tier II CRC in Rural and Remote Mental Health, and founding Director of the Centre for Critical Studies of Rural Mental Health. Along with the “Smaller Cities” project, Rachel works with researchers, students and community partners to develop solutions to rural mental health, ageing, and care needs. Her research examines safety in settings of care, social inclusion, the diversity of experiences living with mental health problems.
Rachel’s research is collaborative and community based. It involves using a range of different methods such as analyzing documents, interviews, focus groups, diaries, and surveys to understand rural mental health and well-being as well as what systematic changes can be made to improve care and quality of life in rural places.