Mara Elizabeth Margareta Ostafichuk, 1995 – 2021

Mara OstafichukCarleton and Health Sciences recently lost a member of the community recently with the death of Mara Ostafichuk, aged 25. Mara was a PhD student under Dr. Paul Peters in the Spatial Determinants of Health Lab and a research scholar with the Free Range International Knowledge Exchange. Passionate about social equity and improving access to public health services, Mara was active participant in international rural research and recently travelled with students to Iceland to see other rural health systems first-hand. Mara was a friend to many in Health Sciences and a regular fixture in our research computing lab and will be missed. The complete obituary can be found on remembering.ca.

Below is a photo from our 2019 trip to Iceland with Free Range scholars. Mara (3rd from left) had always dreamed of travelling to Iceland and had planned to conduct PhD research there. We all have strong memories of our time with Mara there and are continuing our work with her values in mind.

Free Range Scholars in Iceland (left to right) – Paul Peters Mikayla Young, Claudia Sendanyoye, Michele Leblanc, Mara Ostafichuk, Sam Petrie, Eva-Lena Lindström