With a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Theology, a Master's degree in Adult Education and a Master's degree in Social Work, Bill Ryan is a social worker and adult educator who has been involved in sexual education and prevention related work since 1985 when he founded the first support group for Persons with HIV in the Atlantic Provinces. From there he moved to Montreal to direct support services at Comité sida aide Montreal. Since then he has worked locally, provincially, nationally and internationally on issues related to sex education, prevention, care and policy development. He has worked with or been a consultant to the Québec Ministry of Health and Social Services, Health Canada, the International Federation of Social Workers, UN AIDS, Christian Children's Fund (in Geneva, Kiev (Ukraine), Minsk (Belarus)), UNICEF and to the Canadian AIDS Society. In 2004, he became a consultant to the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth of the Government of Romania, aiding in the implementation of sexual education in the school curriculum there.
He is the founder of Project 10, one of Canada's largest outreach programs to gay, lesbian, bisexual and two-spirit youth. He developed and managed a Health Canada funded national outreach project to glbt-s youth in several provinces across Canada, called Safe Spaces, where he is tested nationally the model he developed at Project 10 in Montreal.
A founding member of the McGill AIDS Centre, he has been a member of the National Advisory Committee on AIDS of the federal government, and has been involved in the development of numerous policy, program and training documents. He was chair of the International Symposium on Social Work and HIV, which took place in July 2000.
He teaches the only course at McGill on counseling issues related to homosexuality and bisexuality: Critical Issues in Social Work with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Two-Spirit Populations.
He has trained on sexual orientation and homophobia issues in schools, health establishments and government across North America and Europe.
He has written numerous articles, chapters and edited books on HIV prevention, care, homophobia and sexuality education. He is co-principal investigator on the first Canadian team to examine homophobia and health.
Bill was awarded the Martin Luther Junior King Jr. prize for 2010 by the City of MontrĂ©al and the US Consul-General, and in 2011 was recognized as Person of the Year by the Conseil quĂ©becois LGBT. ĚýAlso, in 2011, he was recognized as one of the 'Top Ten Researchers in Gender and Health' by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. ĚýIn 2012, the Conseil quĂ©becois LGBT named a student scholarship in his honour.Ěý
Research
Areas of interest
- Gay, lesbian, bisexual youth
- Gay, lesbian aging
- Access to health care
- HIV prevention
- Sexual health
- Homophobia
Publications
Journal Publications:
Houzeau, M., Ryan, B.Ěý (2011) Translating legal reality to school reality in Canada in Groenberg, M. & Funke, C. (eds) Combatting Homophobia :Ěý Experiences and analysis pertinent to education, Lit Verlag, pp. 39-51.
Kim Engler, Jean Dumas, Martin Blais, Joseph J. Lévy, Christine Thoër, Bill Ryan, Alain Léobon, Barry Adam, Kristopher Wells, Blye Fran k (2012) Comparing Psychological, Social, and Sexuality-Related Problems Reported by Bisexual and Gay Men: A Canadian Internet-Based Study IN Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, Volume 30, Number 2 / 2011, 99 – 112.
Dumas, J., LĂ©vy, J, Ryan, B., Thoer, C. (2011) Internet et santĂ© des minoritĂ©s sexuelles: enjeux thĂ©oriques et empiriquesĚý in LĂ©vy, J.J., ThoĂ«r, C. et Dumas, J. (dir.) (2011). Les usages d’internet et la santĂ© des minoritĂ©s sexuelles au Canada, Presses de l’UniversitĂ© du QuĂ©bec.
LĂ©vy, J.,Ěý Dumas, J., Ryan, B., Thoer, C. (2011) SantĂ© et interventions auprèsĚý des minoritĂ©s sexuelles sur les sites d’Internet Canadiens in LĂ©vy, J.J., ThoĂ«r, C. et Dumas, J. (dir.) (2011). Les usages d’internet et la santĂ© des minoritĂ©s sexuelles au Canada, Presses de l’UniversitĂ© du QuĂ©bec.
Woodford, M., Newman, P., Brotman, S., Ryan, B. (2010). Recognizing same-sex relationships : Contemporary reflections and developments. Special Issue of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services 22(1,2).
Kim Engler, Jean Dumas, Martin Blais, Joseph J. Lévy, Christine Thoër, Bill Ryan, Alain Léobon, Barry Adam, Kristopher Wells, Blye Fran k (2012) Comparing Psychological, Social, and Sexuality-Related Problems Reported by Bisexual and Gay Men: A Canadian Internet-Based Study IN Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, Volume 30, Number 2 / 2011, 99 – 112.
Dumas, J., LĂ©vy, J,ĚýRyan, B.,ĚýThoer, C. (2011) Internet et santĂ© des minoritĂ©s sexuelles: enjeux thĂ©oriques et empiriquesĚý in LĂ©vy, J.J., ThoĂ«r, C. et Dumas, J. (dir.) (2011). Les usages d’internet et la santĂ© des minoritĂ©s sexuelles au Canada, Presses de l’UniversitĂ© du QuĂ©bec.
LĂ©vy, J.,Ěý Dumas, J.,ĚýRyan, B., Thoer, C. (2011) SantĂ© et interventions auprèsĚý des minoritĂ©s sexuelles sur les sites d’Internet Canadiens in LĂ©vy, J.J., ThoĂ«r, C. et Dumas, J. (dir.) (2011). Les usages d’internet et la santĂ© des minoritĂ©s sexuelles au Canada, Presses de l’UniversitĂ© du QuĂ©bec.
Woodford, M., Newman, P.,ĚýBrotman, S.,ĚýRyan, B. (2010). Recognizing same-sex relationshipsĚý: Contemporary reflections and developments. Special Issue of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services 22(1,2).
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