“My mandate is to support the well-being of children.”

“The focus of my work,” explains Prof. Ramona Alaggia, “is mitigating the long-term effects of trauma, violence and abuse on vulnerable children, youth and families. The insights I gain through in-depth research enable me to educate students of social work, while collaborating with mental health practitioners to foster research-based practice. I work with service providers to support the well-being of children, caregivers and families – because I’ve always believed that safe, nurturing families and communities are the bedrock of healthy child development from the early years onward.”

A University of Toronto faculty member since 2001, Prof. Alaggia is part of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and an affiliate professor at the Women and Gender Studies Institute. But the impact of her work extends far beyond the academy. Applying the findings from her investigations of trauma and resilience, she works in the local community, supporting programs to enhance children’s mental health and to develop innovative models of trauma-informed services. Internationally, she provides training to service providers in the UK and Ireland, again leveraging leading-edge research to help families, communities and systems better support the optimal growth of children.

In 2020, in recognition of her efforts to turn research insights into concrete action, Prof. Alaggia was named the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family, with a mandate to provide academic leadership and rigorously examine prevention and intervention efforts aimed at vulnerable and marginalized children and families. “My mission as the McCain Family Chair,” she says, “is to promote excellence in teaching, research, advocacy and practice.”

In one high-profile advocacy initiative, Prof. Alaggia is working with social work organizations and schools across Canada to gain government support for a universal and affordable early childhood education and childcare system. “Much of the inspiration for our work,” she explains, “is Margaret McCain’s groundbreaking Early Years Study on child development and her vision of providing affordable, high-quality and enriching childcare for every Canadian family.”

Women across Canada have been disproportionately affected by the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. During lockdowns, women were often the first to leave their jobs and usually the last to return, mainly because of the lack of reliable childcare. The universal early childhood education plan proposed by Prof. Alaggia and her collaborators will empower women to return to the workforce while their children are cared for in stimulating environments. “This is probably the most progressive piece of feminist policy in Canada to date,” she says. “It will help to ensure the well-being of all families – and it’s the brainchild of Margaret McCain.”

The McCain Family Chair was established in 1998 with a generous donation from the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring the best possible early childhood for Canadian children. The appointment is particularly meaningful to Margaret McCain, a graduate of the University’s school of social work and a lifelong advocate for children’s welfare and healthy development – which she made a priority while serving as the first woman Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.

Thanks to support from the McCain family and thousands of other generous donors, U of T was able to invest $925 million in chairs and professorships during the year ending April 30, 2021 — about 29% of the total $3.2 billion in endowment funds under UTAM’s management in that period.*