Noah is a scientist at Women’s College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute and adjunct scientist at IC/ES. He is also a family physician at Women’s College Hospital (WCH) and an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Recently receiving the New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Noah is leading change that will make a difference for patients and families across Ontario.

@NoahIvers

Celia Laur is a scientist at Women’s College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute and an assistant professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. As an implementation scientist and health services researcher, Dr. Laur strives to progress the field of transforming research findings into practical applications within clinical settings, aiming to benefit both patients and the general public.

Her focus on how to sustain, spread and scale effective interventions supports the Office of Spread and Scale in achieving their aim of amplifying and sustaining successful models of care and innovative programs. Throughout her work, she applies a breadth of methodological skills across health disciplines and care settings, while working in partnership with clinicians, lived experience advisors, and health system decision makers.

@Celia_Laur

Aisha is a scientist at Women’s College Hospital Research and Innovation Institute, adjunct scientist at IC/ES, and an associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. She currently holds a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and holds the Chair in Implementation Science at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Women’s Cancers at Women’s College Hospital in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society.

Aisha is also the Provincial Primary Care Lead, Cancer Screening at Cancer Care Ontario (Ontario Health). Her research program focuses on improving quality of care in cancer screening and prevention, particularly for populations that experience marginalization.

@AKLofters

Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya MD, PhD is the Frigon Blau Chair in Family Medicine Research at Women’s College Hospital, and director of the Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care. He is the lead for the Centre for Digital Health Evaluation and the co-chair of the Canadian Primary Care Research Network funded by CIHR. He practices family medicine and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He has been a Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy at the Commonwealth Fund in New York City and a Takemi Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.

@BhattacharyyaO

Jennifer Shuldiner is a scientist at Women’s College Hospital. Her interests and methodological expertise lie in improving the health system through thoughtful design and rigorous evaluation to enable real-time improvements. She integrates a human-centered design approach, behavioural science, implementation science, and mixed methods to design, implement, and evaluate programs aimed at improving patient outcomes and experiences. Jennifer is passionate about the co-production of research to facilitate the development and implementation of effective, patient-centered, and provider-centered innovations. She has worked with a diverse range of collaborators and guides methods to inform the design, delivery, and evaluation of innovative health solutions.

@JennShuldiner

Mina is an assistant professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto and the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Real-world Evidence and Pharmaceutical Policy. He is also a Scientist at WCH, a WIHV Fellow, co-director with the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) and an ICES adjunct scientist. He completed a PhD in pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Toronto and previously completed a Masters in Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Tennessee, and a Doctor of Pharmacy at Albany College of Pharmacy. He also completed a pharmacy residency in Drug Information and Health Outcomes at the University of Tennessee and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Mina leads research focused on evaluating drug policies and post-marketing surveillance of medications. He works closely with policymakers and uses large data sets to answer questions about medication real-world safety and effectiveness and improving the optimal use of medications.

Zeenat Ladak has been a doctoral trainee with the Office of Spread and Scale since 2022. Zeenat has a growing interest in the equity-oriented practice of research and evaluation in implementation science and also co-leads the coordination, promotion, and facilitation of the monthly OSS implementation science discussion groups.

Zeenat is currently completing her PhD at the University of Toronto in the department of Applied Psychology and Human Development. Her research interests span across implementation science, health equity, maternal and child health, and medical education. Zeenat’s current doctoral work explores equity in prenatal healthcare, with a goal of identifying challenges and plausible solutions to improve health equity.

Daphne is completing her PhD in Health Systems Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She is also a trainee in the Office of Spread and Scale at the Women’s College Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care where her work centres around developing an intervention to support community pharmacists in delivering minor ailments services more effectively. Her research interests are in implementation science, health professional behaviour change, and designing and evaluating complex interventions. Her clinical training is in chiropractic, and she is an assistant professor at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College with an interest in teaching skills in evidence-based practice.

Cherry is a Biostatistician providing statistical support to teams across the hospital. She received her Bachelor of Science Honours in Life Sciences at Queen’s University and a Master of Science in Epidemiology at McGill University. At Women’s, her work has included leading and supporting ICES and CIHI studies to answer important research questions while leveraging population health data. She also advises various project teams on quantitative analytical methods, and has experience analyzing data from a variety of sources, ranging from survey and vendor data, to clinical records.

Natasha is the Manager of the Office of Spread and Scale at WIHV, where she oversees multiple research portfolios and leads a diverse team of scientists, staff, trainees, and lived experience advisors. With over 7 years of experience at WIHV, she specializes in project management, financial oversight, strategic planning, and qualitative research. Natasha is also a part-time PhD student at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, focusing on Organization and Management. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences from Western University.

Kimberly Devotta is a Research Manager for Dr. Aisha Lofters. She manages projects focused on cancer screening and chronic disease prevention. In this work, she uses implementation science theories and community engagement to better understand and improve screening participation, as well as access to healthcare and social supports. She recently completed her PhD in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (University of Toronto) where she used concept mapping to understand how the lives and experiences of South Asian women impact cervical screening. Her training is primarily in qualitative and mixed-methods.

Laura Oliva is a Research Coordinator with the Office of Spread and Scale, where she works under the guidance of Dr. Celia Laur to manage research projects, coordinate data collection efforts, and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to drive healthcare innovation. With over 8 years of experience in diverse research settings, and a Master’s degree in Health Services Research from IHPME at University of Toronto, Laura brings a unique blend of robust quantitative skills and comprehensive research project management capabilities. This dual proficiency enables her navigation of complex, multidisciplinary healthcare research landscapes, contributing to successful outcomes and streamlined project management with the OSS.

Anjana is the Evaluation Specialist for the BETTER Women research study, bringing over six years of experience in healthcare services planning, research management, strategic planning, and data analysis. She has successfully led multiple research portfolios, working closely with a diverse team of scientists and staff. A dedicated research professional, Anjana is committed to achieving meaningful outcomes through her expertise in health services research, policy analysis, project management, and program implementation. She excels in applying evidence-based methodologies, conducting tailored assessments, and evaluating program effectiveness to drive positive health outcomes. Her work is guided by a deep understanding of the social, economic, and environmental factors that shape health outcomes.

Aranee is currently a Research Coordinator working primarily with the BETTER Women team. She is also an MA student in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Ottawa. With over four years of experience working in several mixed-methods settings, Aranee has a particular interest in community-based participatory research, interpersonal relationships, and mental health inequities. She aims to continue working under a scientist-practitioner model.

Rochelle is a research assistant on WIHV’s implementation science team primarily supporting the BETTER Women project where she is involved in participant facing activities such as, survey administration, qualitative interviews, data-focused activities, and engagement with external stakeholders involved in the project. Rochelle is currently pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Counselling and holds a degree in Communication Studies as well as a postgraduate certificate in Research Analysis.

Cindy Vieira is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, where she completed a Master of Science (MSc) in Health Services Research (Health Policy) from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME). During her graduate studies, she pursued a collaborative specialized in Women’s Health through that integrated critical research on gender, health, and policy.

Throughout Cindy’s academic journey, she gained valuable experience as a Research Student on the Digital Bridge project, working under the guidance of Dr. Carolyn Steele Gray at Sinai Health. Cindy also served as a Research Coordinator for the Build Back Better from Below (B4) Project, collaborating with Dr. Suzanne Sicchia.

Emily Nicholas Angl is an independent consultant and researcher specializing in patient and public engagement. During her own complex ‘patient journey’ Emily became curious about if, how and why patients should be engaged in health care and research. Over a span of 15 years working with hospitals, government agencies, research institutions and other organizations across Canada, Emily gradually shifted from being an eager ‘patient partner’ to taking a more critical, reflective approach to engagement of people with lived experience.

Emily’s work includes research associate roles in labs and Family Health Teams, and freelance positions with user-centred design and health communication companies. She has held advisory roles at Ontario Health Quality (formerly Health Quality Ontario), The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Collection for Patient Oriented Research, The Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) and University Health Network’s (UHN) Social Medicine Program. She is currently co-producer, along with Jennifer Johannesen, of Matters of Engagement – a podcast that critically explores patient engagement and partnership. She also has a lead role with Evans Health Lab, which creates accessible, informative and creative health education materials.