Congratulations to Drs. Pascal Bernatchez, Colin Dormuth and Matthew Wiens who were recently awarded 4 & 5-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant from the Fall 2024 competition
Dr. Pascal Bernatchez, Associate Professor – was recently awarded a 5-year Canadian Institutes of Health Project Grant valued at $914,175 to support his project entitled “Activation of the chronic endothelial function reserve for the prevention and regression of aortopathies.”.
Dr. Colin Dormuth, Associate Professor – was recently awarded a 4-year Canadian Institutes of Health Project Grant valued at $753,524 to support his project entitled “Safety Advisories Framework for Effective Risk communication – Phase 2 (SAFER-2)”.
Dr. Matthew Wiens, Assistant Professor – was recently awarded a 4.5 -year Canadian Institutes of Health Project Grant valued at $1,690,651 to support his project entitled “Smart Discharges for newborns with sepsis: a personalized public health approach for improving discharge and post-discharge care in low-resource settings”.
Annabel is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Therapeutics Initiative focusing on the implementation of a set of interventions to reduce laboratory test overuse. She is also co-leading engagement with healthcare professionals to update guidelines for the deprescribing of antihyperglycemic medication. Annabel recently completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Brighton, UK. This research was based within the Shared Values workstream of the UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub focusing on informing local solutions through making explicit lived experiences and evaluating intangible project legacies. Her PhD was based within the same project and focused on a qualitative values-based approach to localization of Global Health Projects. Annabel’s BSc and MSc were in Food Science and Human Nutrition. She has also worked within the charity sector in the UK in community engagement for the purpose of improving health and social care services in Hertfordshire. Annabel’s research priorities are participatory methods, knowledge exchange and implementation science.
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Knowledge Translation, Qualitative Research Methods, Patient Engagement
Dr. Yashodani Pillay (BSc, PhD) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and the Centre for International Child Health at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. She has a PhD in Medical Biochemistry from the University of KwaZulu-Natalin Durban, South Africa where she worked on environmental toxicology with collaborative projects in HIV and maternal and newborn health. Currently, as a global health researcher, she has dedicated her focus on maternal and pediatric sepsis, digital innovations, and quality improvement. She is currently leading the Smart Discharges for Mom & Baby project in Uganda, which aims to develop, validate, and implement an innovative precision public health approach to improving post-discharge post-delivery care for mother-newborn dyads in Uganda. She is also leading implementation of Smart Triage in Uganda and Kenya – a data-driven approach to improving the quality of care for children treated for severe infectious illness at health facilities in low-resource settings.
Wesam is a postdoctoral fellow at Abdelrahman Lab. He earned his BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences and MSc in Pharmacology from Alexandria University, Egypt. He then completed his PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Alberta, Canada. With a background in molecular pharmacology, he is interested in exploring the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer’s disease, and developing novel therapeutic options for its management. His current project is focusing on identifying the role of G protein-coupled receptors in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease.
Michelle has extensive experience working with diverse methodologies using various types of databases, including administrative linked data, survey-based cohort data, and clinical trial data. Her previous research primarily focused on marginalized populations, such as people using drugs and individuals living with HIV. Her doctoral research focused on unregulated drug use and the effectiveness of its treatment. She applies machine learning techniques to uncover underlying drug use patterns and to understand their relationship with drug treatment engagement within a causal inference framework. Michelle holds a PhD in Public Health and an MSc in Statistics from the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Nima Alaeiilkhchi joined the TI in March 2024 as a postdoctoral fellow following the completion of his PhD in Neuroscience. His doctoral research was dedicated to exploring metabolic treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) using murine models. This work reflects his passion for deepening his understanding of complex biological systems and his ambition to bridge the gap between laboratory research and clinical application as a future clinician-scientist. Moreover, with nearly a decade of experience working with the Cochrane Hypertension Group, Nima has developed a robust expertise in conducting systematic reviews.
Nima will collaborate with Dr. Wade Thompson and Dr. Anshula Ambasta, focusing on systematic reviews and evidence synthesis in the realm of deprescribing and the management of polypharmacy, particularly among older populations. His work under Dr. Thompson’s guidance involves employing a multi-methods approach to research, aiming to optimize medication use in alignment with patients’ healthcare goals and preferences. Concurrently, with Dr. Ambasta, he will contribute to qualitative research efforts targeted at enhancing healthcare quality and patient safety, with a keen interest in the reduction of low-value services. This collaborative work not only aligns with his passion for translating research into actionable clinical practices but also marks a significant step in his journey toward impactful translational research and clinician-scientist excellence.
Fiona is a community pharmacist and health services researcher passionate about improving access to and promoting safe use of prescription medications. She obtained her PhD in Epidemiology from McGill University, following her pharmacy degree and a master’s in Population and Public Health from the University of British Columbia. Her doctoral research focused on how physician-related factors influence the use of potentially inappropriate medications and how, after using these medications, the patient’s health outcomes varied depending on the physician they saw. With pharmacists’ scope of practice being expanded rapidly across Canada, her postdoctoral work (under the supervision of Dr. Colin Dormuth) aims to evaluate the impact of these changes on patients’ health, as well as on the health system at large. Her work draws on methods from epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, health services research, and policy evaluation. She has substantial experience analyzing large, population-based administrative datasets from across Canada and the United States. She has also worked as a community pharmacist, specializing in care of older adults in assisted living and residential care settings.
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Pharmaceutical Care, Primary Care, Pharmacoepidemiology, Health Services and Policy Research
