In the News: Surviving Memory Research Assistant Amaan Thawer and his sister celebrate convocation at Western University

A trajectory of fight for Health Equity after a severe family illness strengthens the bond of siblings Amman and Jahaan Thawer. They celebrated their convocation together at Western University this spring. Access here the full Western News story highlighting their path of resilience and activism leading to graduation. 

Amaan was a Research Assistant for Surviving Memory for two years, after joining project coordinator Amanda Grzyb’s field course in El Salvador in 2023. In the project, he examined the continuing effects of the Salvadoran Civil War on health and the environment by engaging with communities affected by metallic mining and agricultural chemicals in their land and water.

Amaan is graduated from the B.Sc. in  Geology, while Jahaan graduated in Health Sciences and works on health equity, women’s health advocacy, Black men’s prostate cancer awareness, social justice, and the social determinants of health.

The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Western University, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Research Fund.