Lauren B. McInroy is a Research Coordinator and Course Instructor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. She is also a fully qualified primary/junior level educator. Lauren’s research interests include vulnerable children and adolescents, LGBTQ+ populations, and the developmental and social implications of offline and online media engagement and participation by youth and young adults. She is also particularly interested in digital research methodologies, online fandom cultures and communities, and online social advocacy movements and campaigns. Lauren’s doctoral research considered the impacts of participation in online communities (particularly online fandoms) on the identity development, resilience, and positive adjustment of LGBTQ+ young people. She has been a Royal Bank of Canada Graduate Fellow in Applied Social Work Research, received a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and held an Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
