U of T students connects skin health to environment, equity and well-being

As a researcher, Ezekiel Kennedy-Bissah not only wants to provide insights – he wants to contribute to solutions. 

“Public health is not just about promoting healthy behaviour,” says Kennedy-Bissah, a master’s student in medical physiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. “It is about designing conditions that make healthy behaviour easier to sustain.” 

While his current field of study examines skin health at the cellular level, Kennedy-Bissah’s recently published research focuses on how everyday environments influence skin health. The study focuses on antibacterial soaps commonly used in institutional settings. While effective at reducing the spread of bacteria, these soaps often lack moisturizing ingredients. The result, Kennedy-Bissah found, is that environments with frequent handwashing can lead to dry skin, which in turn can affect both physical and mental health.

That focus began with a capstone project in his final year studying health sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where students were tasked with addressing a public health issue. Conversations with friends and classmates about teasing related to dry skin helped shape his approach. 

“Hand hygiene is one of the most important public health practices we have,” Kennedy-Bissah says. “I became interested in how the design of facilities where handwashing takes place can influence skin health and hygiene behaviour.” 

What started as a class project developed into a longer-term study. Kennedy-Bissah’s findings were published in the journal Discover Public Health in March. He also presented the research at the BRN Research Symposium 2026, where he was one of two students to receive the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the BRN and the Black Graduate Students’ Association. 

The study, conducted in a university setting, surveyed 160 participants about the physical and mental health impacts of dry skin, focusing on individuals from racial and ethnic groups who may disproportionately experience xerosis, a medical term for abnormally dry skin. 

Among participants, 96 per cent reported having dry skin. About 74 per cent reported experiencing dry skin after handwashing. Black participants were significantly more likely to report dry skin or ashiness after drying their hands and discomfort related to dry skin.  

Survey results indicated that majority of respondents experienced some form of physical discomfort after handwashing. 92 per cent of Black participants and 72 per cent of non-Black participants reported always or sometimes using moisturizer after drying their hands. 

Some students said dry skin was perceived as a sign of poor hygiene, noting feelings of embarrassment and impacts on their academic performance. In some cases, visible peeling caused by dry skin or a pre-existing skin condition made it painful to write for extended periods and was a source of distraction. Others said they did not experience these issues. 

Participants also described management strategies, such as carrying hand cream or avoiding campus soap to prevent flare-ups. Research suggests that moisturizers, including those with ingredients such as glycerin or thicker cream-based formulas, can help reduce moisture loss. 

“Social health and well-being are deeply affected by our ability to connect with others,” Kennedy-Bissah says. “Socializing and forming friendships are fundamental to the university experience and shape personal and professional growth.” 

“The more you hear these experiences, the more you see the importance of access to the moisturizing resources – and that can be implemented by using moisturizing antibacterial soap or adding dispensers around campus.” 

Kennedy-Bissah is now a graduate student researcher at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Sinai Health. There, he explores stem cell-driven regenerative therapies to address chronic inflammation and impaired healing in Hidradenitis Suppurativa, a chronic inflammatory skin condition. 

Even as his research shifts to the biological mechanisms of disease, his approach remains rooted in public health. 

“Although the topics are different, both are rooted in a common interest: understanding health beyond the surface and asking how research can better respond to the biological and lived experiences of affected communities,” Kennedy-Bissah says. 

“For me, it’s about bridging scientific inquiry with real-world impact, especially where equity, dignity, and quality of life are concerned.”