Community Mentor for Florence Coulombe Raymond

Dr. Alan Hamilton is a clinical scientist / clinical evaluation program leader with extensive experience in the development and evaluation of interventions for the alleviation of breathlessness and activity limitation in patients with chronic lung disease. He held several senior positions during a 25-year career with Boehringer Ingelheim and is now President of Alan L. Hamilton Consulting Inc.. During his career, he has developed strong leadership skills that are most effective when applied within a high-performance, multi-disciplinary team environment. He is passionate about working collaboratively to find integrated solutions to complex problems by applying a structured, logical, design thinking approach to problem exploration followed by a rigorous, scientific approach to solution development and evaluation.

Academic Mentor for Salima Belhouari and Manuela Gonzalez

Alex is a User Experience and Behavioural Design Strategist who helps companies apply leading edge behavioural science and UX methodologies to the design of solutions in healthcare and wellness. His background is in digital health, working for Intel, NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh, designing and evaluating healthcare technologies with patients and physicians in home and clinical settings. His particular areas of expertise include user research and experience strategy, usability testing, eye tracking and ethnographic research, information architecture, user experience and service design.

Community Mentor for Laura Harris Lane

Alexia Jaouich is the Vice President of Program Development and Implementation with Stepped Care Solutions, a not-for-profit mental health system consultancy group. Alexia has over 18 years of experience as a system change leader and psychologist, and offers expertise in implementing large-scale, evidence-based, innovative mental health programs at the organizational and systems level. Alexia has served as the strategic lead on the development of core components and an implementation guide for Stepped Care 2.0, and continues to lead efforts to build implementation best practices into the Stepped Care 2.0 model. Given Alexia’s passion and expertise in Implementation Science, she has provided mentorship to trainees, as well as training, coaching, and consultation at provincial, national, and international levels.

Community Mentor for Annabelle Fortin

Annick Gauthier is a dedicated patient advocate, a leader in pharmacy benefit management, and an engaging public speaker. Like many others, she experimented with various "miracle" diets over the years, leading to constant weight fluctuations. However, after experiencing symptoms of chronic illness, including severe hypertension, Annick underwent bariatric surgery in 2014 and 2016. The surgery transformed her life, inspiring her to actively participate in the CIUSSS-NIM - Hôpital Sacré-Cœur de Montréal Patient-Researcher Committee. Annick helped develop and pilot a questionnaire for bariatric surgery patients, assessing the current services at CIUSSS-NIM and exploring potential improvements for the program. Through her personal experience, she aims to make a positive and dynamic contribution to support others undergoing the bariatric surgery process.

Community Mentor for Isabela Marçal

Ann-Marie is a patient advocate, podcast host, moderator and peer support group leader. She was diagnosed at the age of 42 with a heart condition. Since then, she has invested much energy in building capacity through contributing to tools and resources that are patient and caregiver friendly. She is passionate about supporting others through the less “visible” aspects of recovery, creating spaces where patients create connection and see themselves reflected in the experiences of others, reducing isolation. Always curious, she is involved in numerous research and quality improvement projects to improve the care offered to patients providing real life insight and practical ideas to improve patient care. She received her MA in Public Administration as well as training in Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement; insight that continues to serve after retiring from an engaging career with the federal public service. She believes in the power of knowledge and engagement to build strong positive outcomes – for people, for partnerships and for systems.

Academic Mentor for Aidan Smyth

Dr. Bärbel Knäuper is Full Professor and holds the James McGill Chair of Health Psychology at McGill University. She is the director of the Health Psychology Laboratory in the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on the development of behavioural interventions for health behaviour change. For example, she is currently developing and testing the effectiveness of a series of programs that target emotional eating and is developing a mobile application for the delivery of psychotherapy exercises. Other projects include the promotion of sleep in adolescents, the effects of mindfulness interventions, the promotion of physical exercise, and improving medication adherence.

Community Mentor for Parres Holliday

Since 2010, Chris has served as the executive director of Spinal Cord Injury BC, where he brings a passion for making a difference for people with disabilities and their families. He also brings 30 years of experience as a researcher and research-community network builder. After completing a PhD in Neuroscience from UBC, Chris has been the managing director of UBC ‘s ICORD spinal cord injury research centre, founding managing director of the Rick Hansen Institute (now Praxis Spinal Cord Institute), and co-leader of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research-funded Disabilities Health Research Network. He recently served as co-chair of the province of British Columbia’s COVID-19 Disability Working Group/Accessibility Legislation and COVID-19 Advisory Committee. Presently, he chairs Spinal Cord Injury Canada’s Executive Director’s Council and serves in a leadership role on several health- and service system-related steering committees and research projects. Chris will be mentoring master’s student, Parres Holliday, with whom he will be co-developing a smoking cessation intervention tailored for people with spinal cord injuries.

Community Mentor for Kaela Cranston

Dharshi Lacey is Director of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) of the University of British Columbia, Okanagan (UBCO) Campus, a role she began in 2023. Dharshi works with staff and faculty to advance the equity and inclusion goals of the university through its Strategic, Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) Framework. Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism Framework - UBC Equity & Inclusion Office Prior to accepting this role Dharshi worked in London, Ontario in many different roles within the nonprofit sector including community health, organizational development, board policy and governance. Much of her work was focused on advancing equity and inclusion within systems and organizations including facilitating conversations on power and allyship, developing equity and anti-racism action plans.

Academic Mentor for Parres Holliday

Dr. Heather Gainforth is an Associate Professor at UBC Okanagan and is a Principal Investigator in UBC’s Centre for Health Behaviour Change and the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries.  Heather is interested in supporting research partnerships to work authentically and meaningfully together. Heather’s Applied Behaviour Change Lab aims to conduct and mobilize meaningful research in the areas of knowledge mobilization, behaviour change, and research partnerships. Heather leads an international research partnership that co-developed the first integrated knowledge translation (IKT) guiding principles for conducting spinal cord injury (SCI) research in partnership (). This work has been recognized nationally and internationally and entails working in partnership to transform research systems to combat tokenism and to enable meaningful, inclusive, and authentic engagement in research.

Community Mentor for Anna Dollimount

Dr. Switzer has worked in the Children’s Program at Wascana Rehabilitation Center, Saskatchewan Health Authority since 2001 as part of a multidisciplinary team. as senior psychologist. She is also a Professional Associate at the University of Regina. Dr. Switzer has been involved with a number of collaborative clinical and research activities including: Site Lead Investigator, Registry and Follow-up of Complex Pediatric Therapies, Member, Canada West FASD Network, Co-chair, Autism Steering Committee and a Clinical Supervisor for the Psychology Pre-doctoral Internship. Dr. Switzer’s research interests are in improving the developmental outcomes for children with specialized health needs (e.g. children with congenital heart disease and cystic fibrosis).

Community Mentor to Amanda Willms

Henry holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Victoria and co-founded Pathverse Inc., where they developed Pathverse, an all-in-one research toolkit. He is passionate about creating innovative solutions that streamline research management and make participation more accessible, empowering both researchers and participants.

Academic Mentor to Brianna George

Dr. Jacqueline Carter, D.Phil., R.Psych., is a Registered Clinical Psychologist, Full Professor of Psychology at Memorial University, and is the director of the Memorial University Eating Behaviours Laboratory. Dr. Carter has extensive experience conducting clinical trials involving both pharmacological and psychological interventions for eating disorders. Her current research is aimed at understanding psychosocial factors that may explain why some young people are more vulnerable to developing disordered eating and body image disturbance than others.

Community Mentor for Ariany Marques Vieira

Jennifer Harris, BscPT, is a registered physiotherapist and the Manager of Outpatient Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Regional Outreach Programs for the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation Programs at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She was instrumental in the development of Heart Wise Exercise, a community exercise model, and facilitates cardiac rehab regional delivery in Eastern Ontario. With a passion for knowledge translation, Jennifer has been an active research collaborator, regional partner and committee member for various organizations supporting the delivery of cardiac rehab and community exercise programming. She is currently past-chair of the Cardiac Rehab Network of Ontario She has received the Canadian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association’s Annual Leadership Award for both Clinical Practice and Knowledge Translation.

Academic Mentor for Isabela Roque Marçal and Ariany Marques Vieira

Dr. Jennifer Reed, PhD, R. Kin, is the Program Chair of Cardiac Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute as well as a Scientist and Director of the Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Lab. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, Adjunct Professor in the School of Human Kinetics in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and a Registered Kinesiologist with the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario. She has a passion for research examining the role of exercise and physical activity in preventing and managing cardiovascular disease, with a particular interest in women’s heart health. Her program focuses on the application of exercise in the prevention and management of atrial fibrillation; developing novel exercise training strategies for women with heart disease; and re-examining practical approaches to monitoring and prescribing exercise training in clinical populations.

Academic Mentor to Laura Harris Lane

Jennine S. Rawana, Ph.D., C.Psych. is an Associate Professor at York University in the Department of Psychology (Clinical Developmental Area), and a Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Rawana is the Director of the Research on Emotion Regulation in Clinical Developmental Psychology and Health (REACH) lab and has fostered an inclusive, rigorous research and clinical training environment that supports students from a variety of diverse backgrounds. Her mentee, Laura Harris-Lane, is a member of the REACH lab. Research by the REACH Lab focuses on emotion regulation (e.g., how people manage their emotions) using a clinical-developmental lens, primarily on emotion regulation among emerging adults (e.g., ages 18-30 years old), and secondarily, among adolescents. Dr. Rawana is also a co-chair of York University’s Well-being Strategy, and she has co-led the development of a pan-university framework to support the well-being of the York community.

Academic Mentor for Alesha King

Dr. Joshua Rash is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Director of the Memorial University of Newfoundland – Behavioural Medicine Centre (MUN-BMC). He is a registered clinical, health and rehabilitation psychologist with expertise in behavioural medicine, health behaviour change, and chronic disease management. Dr. Rash has significant experience conducting multi-site, pragmatic clinical trials that involve pharmacological and behavioural interventions. His expertise is highly sought out in chronic pain management, weight management, stress management, motivating health behaviour change, treatment of insomnia, and cardiovascular psychophysiology.

Academic Mentor for Dimitra Pouliopoulou

Dr. Joy MacDermid is a clinical epidemiologist, physiotherapist, hand therapist and Distinguished Professor of Physical Therapy at Western University. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Knowledge Translation, The Dr. James Roth Chair in Musculoskeletal Measurement and Knowledge Translation and a CIHR sex and Gender Champion. She is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and The Royal Society of Canada. Her research focuses on upper extremity function, musculoskeletal health, design and evaluation of surgical and rehab interventions/programs, public safety personnel health, work injury, implementation science, and the intersectional impact of Sex and Gender and other personal/social factors on health.

Academic Mentor for Salima Belhouari and Annabelle Fortin

Dr. Kim Lavoie is a professor of psychology and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Medicine at the University of Quebec at Montreal. She is the Co-Director of the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, a fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and co-lead of the Canadian Behavioural Interventions and Trials Network (CBITN) and International Behavioural Trials Network (IBTN). She is internationally recognized for her research on chronic disease prevention (with a focus on heart, lung and metabolic diseases) and the impact of behavioural interventions, such as motivational communication, on health behaviours and chronic disease outcomes. She has held more than $75 million in grant funding (including $17 million as PI) and has more than 245 peer-reviewed papers

Academic Mentor for Matea Gerbeza

Dr. Kristi D. Wright, Registered Doctoral Psychologist, is a Professor in Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Regina. Dr. Wright’s research focuses on developing innovative ehealth, mental health prevention and intervention programs for typically developing children and adolescents and those with chronic illness (i.e., congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis). She has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and presented over 100 research posters and talks at national and international conferences. Dr. Wright has been the recipient of funding at both provincial and national levels. Dr. Wright is the President of the Psychological Association of Saskatchewan. Dr. Wright works in a clinical capacity with children, adolescents, and their families.

Academic Mentor for Gabrielle Viscardi

Dr. Laura Chiavaroli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Affiliate Scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Chiavaroli’s research program addresses the important implementation gap between guidelines-based nutrition therapy for cardiometabolic diseases and effective strategies to mobilize them, while also addressing the equity gap. She leads large interdisciplinary teams in the co-design and testing of innovative implementation strategies leveraging the use of digital tools and randomized trials to drive effective policies and programs related to dietary patterns for cardiometabolic disease across diverse communities. She also tests new policy enhancements to support adherence and demonstrates novel applications of methods to improve assessments of social and gender determinants of health, to identify communities to target and provide evidence to drive inclusivity in guidelines and advance health equity.

Community Mentor for Matea Gerbeza

Academic Mentor for Aidan Smyth

Dr. Marco Sinai received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Concordia University in 2009. His dissertation research examined the extent to which executive dysfunction in Amnestic MCI is a risk factor to developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Since joining the Allan Memorial Institute in the Department of Psychology in 2010, his clinical interests have spanned Neuropsychological Assessment, diagnosis and psychosocial treatments of Adult ADHD, Functional Neurological Disorders, and Mood Disorders. He is currently a Clinical Psychologist in the Mood Disorders Program and the Epilepsy Unit of the Montreal Neurological Institute. Dr. Sinai is Aidan Smyth’s professional mentor.

Academic Mentor for Kaela Cranston

Dr. Mary Jung is an Associate Professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus. A major research interest is developing evidence-based diabetes prevention interventions designed for community implementation and sustainability, with a lens towards improving equity, diversity, and inclusivity in all research endeavours. Dr. Jung was named a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar in 2015, and Killam Accelerator Research Fellow in 2023. Jung leads the Diabetes Prevention Research Group, is the founder of the diabetes prevention program “Small Steps for Big Changes”, and is director of UBC’s Centre for Health Behaviour Change.

Academic Mentor for Nikita Surani

Dr. Maryam Amin (DMD, MSc, PhD) is a Professor and the Associate Chair of Research, as well as the Director of the Dentistry Graduate Program at the University of Alberta, School of Dentistry. Holding the Alberta Dental Association and College Clinical Dentistry Research Chair, Dr. Amin's research focuses on the social and behavioral aspects of oral health. She particularly investigates psychosocial, behavioral, community, and societal influences on oral health and dental care access among disadvantaged populations. Her research program aims to identify risk factors leading to adverse oral health outcomes and inequalities, developing strategies for public health promotion and oral disease prevention.

Community Mentor for Dimitra Pouliopoulou

Monica Lin is the Patient Interface Specialist at the Musculoskeletal Innovation Factory (MSK-IF), within the Western University Faculty of Health Sciences. She engages with project teams including researchers and end-users to design, test, and refine user-friendly digital solutions for musculoskeletal health problems.

Community Mentor for Alesha King

Dr. Patricia Poulin is a Clinical Health and Rehabilitation Psychologist at The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic, an Associate Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and Assistant Professor at in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at The University of Ottawa. She engages in supervision, training, and mentoring in each of these roles. Dr. Poulin is also one of the principal applicants responsible for the Chronic Pain Network (CIHR Strategy for Patient Oriented Research Network in Chronic Diseases) and is the lead investigator for network research conducted at The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic.

Community Mentor for Megan Crooks

Patrick Gross (BSc, BMR(PT)) is a physiotherapist working as a Rehabilitation and Geriatrics Clinician for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. He has a keen interest in amputee rehabilitation having worked as the Amputee Intake Coordinator for the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre for 20 years. He has been a guest lecturer for the University of Manitoba’s College of Rehabilitation Services since 2011.

Academic Mentor for Dimitra Pouliopoulou

Dr. Pavlos Bobos is an Assistant Professor (tenured track) in musculoskeletal health at Western University. Professor Bobos’ research themes include the development and evaluation of mobility and activity interventions, clinical measurement methods and innovations and the identification of best practices using evidence synthesis. His clinical experience is in the field of musculoskeletal health with a focus on exercise, activity modification and complex multimodal interventions that improve physical and mental health in people with chronic pain. He is strongly committed to creating knowledge that can affect the lives of the people living with injuries and chronic illnesses that compromise musculoskeletal health and mobility.

Academic Mentor for Nikita Surani

Dr. Rafael Figueiredo assumed the position of Provincial Dental Public Health Officer with Alberta Health Services in 2014. He provides leadership and strategic direction to improve and respond to the oral health needs of Albertans through the Oral Health Action Plan (OHAP), which addresses four domains: Health Promotion, Prevention, Treatment Services and Research and Surveillance. Previous to his position with AHS, Dr. Figueiredo worked as a researcher and as an instructor at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. Further to his research and teaching activities, he received a Master of Science Degree, M.Sc. and a Dental Public Health Specialty Degree. He has certification as a Dental Public Health Specialist with the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Dr. Figueiredo is also an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Dentistry, University of Alberta, a Dental Public Health Examiner with The National Dental Specialty Examination, The Royal College of Dentists of Canada as well as a Surveyor with Accreditation Canada.

Academic Mentor for Megan Crooks

Dr. Renée El-Gabalawy is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Clinical Health Psychology and Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine in the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. She is the Director of the Health, Anxiety and Trauma Lab (HATLab). She is also a practicing licensed clinical psychologist with Shared Health with a specialization in Medical Psychology and leads the Medical Trauma and Adverse Health Events Service. Broadly, Dr. El-Gabalawy's research focuses on the interrelationships between mental disorders, particularly anxiety and trauma-related disorders, and medical conditions and adverse health events. She has a particular interest in accessible behavioral interventions for medically vulnerable patients, particularly surgical patients. She has developed and conducted a number of innovative trials using virtual reality interventions. She has received several early career awards for her work.

Academic Mentor for Amanda Willms

Sam Liu, PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, and the Director of the Digital Health Lab at the University of Victoria. His research focuses on developing and evaluating digital communication technology (e.g., web-based and mobile interventions) aimed to prevent and manage chronic disease. Dr. Liu is a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar focused on using innovative digital technology to promote healthy lifestyle and prevent obesity. I am mentoring Amanda Wilms on using a Just-In-Time Adaptive mobile health Intervention to Promote Physical Activity for people with Type 2 Diabetes.

Community Mentor for Brianna George

Dr. Samantha Scurrey is a Registered Clinical Psychologist in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Currently, she is working in an outpatient eating disorder clinic with NL Health Services, actively engaging in ways to support individuals with eating disorders. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Scurrey has contributed to diverse research projects. Her research extends across multiple areas, including behavioral sleep medicine, psychosocial oncology, chronic pain, and internalized weight bias among individuals seeking bariatric surgery. Through her research endeavors, she has demonstrated a broad understanding of the psychological aspects of various health-related issues, showcasing a commitment to advancing knowledge and contributing to the field of clinical psychology.

Academic Mentor for Florence Coulombe Raymond and Manuela Gonzalez

Dr. Bacon is a behavioural scientist interested developing tailored interventions to help positively change high-risk behaviours. Most of his work has focused on health behaviours (e.g., physical activity, diet, weight management, medication adherence) and has targeted health-related outcomes. The work that he does is multidisciplinary and intersectoral, requiring the engagement of a number of different collaborators and partners, and utilises a variety of mixed-methodologies. Currently, Dr. Bacon is the FRQS co-Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health for Health Behaviour Change and the CIHR SPOR Chair in Innovative, Patient-Oriented, Behavioural Clinical Trials. Dr. Bacon is co-director of the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, and co-leads the International Behavioural Trials Network and the CIHR funded Canadian Behavioural Interventions and Trials Network.

Community Mentor for Joshua Tulk

Sondria is a systems navigator for a non-profit in St. John’s Newfoundland for the last 17 years. She is a passionate patient partner, advocate, peer supporter, for those impacted by cancer. In 2012 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, experiencing some medication-related side-effects. Since her diagnosis, Sondria has dedicated a large amount of her time to making a difference for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Partnering with artist Malin Enström she supported One Out of Nine, a revolutionary art exhibit highlighting the challenges, pain, hope, and resilience of women with breast cancer. In the past five years she has been actively improving ongoing psychosocial oncology research projects and co-chairing the annual Newfoundland and Labrador Cancer Conference for Women helping to uplift and support individuals diagnosed with cancer in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Community Mentor for Gabrielle Viscardi

Tara Abu-Klam, MHSc, RD, CDE, is a registered dietitian specializing in renal care and diabetes management at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre and LMC Healthcare. She works with dialysis and chronic kidney disease patients and is co-chair of the Ontario Renal Network's (ORN) Nutrition Fact Sheet Update project, where she collaborates on developing evidence-based nutrition resources for renal care providers and patients. Tara designs diabetes management workshops, conducts trainings, and provides personalized counseling to diabetes patients, helping them improve their self-management and quality of life. Tara has worked with Indigenous communities and visited Northern Ontario to support the delivery of culturally relevant renal care in these regions.

Academic Mentor for Joshua Tulk

Dr. Tavis Campbell is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Oncology at the University of Calgary. Dr. Campbell is a behavioral medicine specialist with a program of research focused on mechanisms underlying behavior change. Dr. Campbell has held several leadership roles in national organizations, including Chair of Care Delivery for Hypertension Canada and Chair of the Health section of the Canadian Psychological Association. He is a service consultant with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada. He has also served as a consultant to the Calgary Emergency Management Agency on public communications.