Matt Hughsam

Background

About Matt Hughsam

I'm a facilitator, writer, and coach weaving grassroots- and system-led efforts toward transformative change. My core values are creativity, curiosity, faith, and justice. You'll often find me dreaming about rock climbing, trail running, or sci-fi. At citiesRISE, I help grow youth mental health research, innovation, and movement building initiatives, primarily in India, Kenya, the U.S, and Colombia. I'm driven by my mental health lived experience, and the struggles of loved ones. I learned from refugee health and anti-apartheid activists early in my career about the importance of pursuing justice always. Before joining citiesRISE, I designed the Deworm the World Initiative’s knowledge management and learning strategy, providing support to school-based deworming programs in six countries. I also previously supported evidence-informed decision-making in several governments, including South Africa’s Presidency and Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health. I grew up in Toronto, where I worked with Grand Challenges Canada to model the long-term impacts of global health innovations and with Unity Charity to evaluate the impacts of hip-hop programs on youth well-being. I previously taught global health at McMaster University and trained and coached with adaptive leadership experts at Harvard.