Sarah Switzer is an adult educator, interdisciplinary scholar, and community-based participatory researcher with twenty years of experience supporting community-based approaches to social change and health equity.  She believes in working collaboratively, imaginatively and equitably for social justice and is committed to research done in partnership with communities and community-based organizations.  As an arts-based researcher, her toolkit often contains a cellphone or camera, flip-chart markers, a bag of lego blocks, glue sticks, a vial of glitter, and an expired box of tick-tacks (or other fun objects). She works collaboratively with communities and multi-stakeholder teams to co-create podcasts,  photography exhibits, installations, digital storytelling screenings, written articles, curriculum, trainings, and more. Her lived experiences as a white, cis, queer settler, with an invisible disability has motivated her desire to co-design and co-imagine participatory spaces with accessibility, anti-racism and social justice at the centre.​​​

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In the summer of 2021, Sarah joined the CCBR team as a senior researcher. In 2026, Sarah moved into the role of Director of Research and Education. Inspired by past front-line experience working at the intersections of community arts, peer programming, and HIV and Harm Reduction, her larger program of research focuses on how to meaningfully engage communities who experience marginalization in program or policy change within the HIV and Harm Reduction sector, as well as other fields concerned with health equity. Over time, this work has expanded to focus on participatory methodologies as well as practitioner-led research with community-engaged facilitators (https://www.communityfacilitation.ca/;  www.beyondthetoolkit.com), and participatory visual methods practitioners (https://aim4communityhealth.ca/exploring-participatory-visual-methods-online/).

 

​Over her career, Sarah has  co-designed and facilitated over 75 public trainings or forums, led and/or supported over 20 program evaluations, and been a principal investigator, co-applicant,  knowledge user or collaborator on 18 academically-funded research grants. Her publication record reflects 29 academic articles, and 30 community reports, curriculum guides, and/or other community-facing public outputs. Sarah spends her free time hiking, gardening, creative writing and cycling. She lives in Tkaronto (Toronto), as covered by Treaty 13 with her partner, and son.

 

Research interests:

• Community-based participatory research 

• Participatory visual methodologies

• Popular education and facilitation

• Harm reduction and HIV/AIDS

• Creative knowledge translation and co-design

• Participatory research ethics

• The critical study of participation and engagement

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To read Sarah’s publications, see here >>​