Meet our Team

Core Team Investigators:

Tania Janaudis-Ferreira is an Associate Professor with the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University and a Scientist with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada.The overarching goal of her research program is to improve rehabilitation care and outcomes in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and solid organ transplant candidates and recipients. She has been awarded several national grants as principal investigator from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Quebec Respiratory Health Network, Canadian Lung Association, Canadian Society of transplantation, and Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program.

Daniela Massierer is a Research Associate II with the Evidence Synthesis team at Evidera in Montreal, Canada. When she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Research Institute of McGill University (2018-2021), she co-led the development of the GETONTRAK website. During this period, Dr. Massierer was awarded four research awards (Canadian Society of Transplantation Research Training Award, Quebec Respiratory Health Research Network (QRHN) scholarship complement (twice) and McGill MedStar Award). She has published in various peer-reviewed journals and presented scientific studies in several scientific national and international conferences.

Nancy Mayo is the James McGill Professor in the Department of Medicine and the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy at McGill University (Division of Geriatrics and Division of Clinical Epidemiology). In addition, she is a Research Scientist at the McGill University Hospital Center Research Institute where she leads a research program on Function, Disability and Quality of Life for vulnerable populations. She received her BSc in Physical Therapy from Queen’s University and her MSc and PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University. Nancy has received many awards and honors during her career.Nancy is also a founding member of the Canadian Stroke Network and has served on the Board of Directors for the International Society of Quality of Life. Nancy is here with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Ruth Sapir-Pichhadze is an Associate Professor, Division of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University and a Clinician Scientist, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.Dr. Sapir-Pichhadze’s program is funded by Genome Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Fonds de Recherche du Québec. Her research focuses on the application of Precision Medicine strategies for the prevention of immune-mediated injuries. Specifically, she is interested in identifying genetic determinants of donor and recipient compatibility to optimize organ allocation schemes, inform personalized surveillance schedules, and establish individually tailored therapeutic regimens in kidney transplant candidates and recipients. The overarching goals of Dr. Sapir-Pichhadze’s research program is to optimize the quantity and quality of life of patients with kidney disease.

Vanessa Bouchard trained as a physical therapist before pursuing studies in rehabilitation research. During her doctorate degree she co-created the self-management book Getting on with your life with MS and developed an iterative approach to create and improve evidence-based self-management tools for people living with chronic disease. She now works for a hospital network as a knowledge broker and helps facilitate the implementation of best practice among clinicians and administrators.

Kaberi Dasgupta is a Physician, Scientist, and Professor of Medicine at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre. Her research focus is prevention, remission, and self-management support in diabetes. Her research is funded by the CIHR, Heart & Stroke Foundation, Lawson Foundation, and Diabetes Canada. She has published over 140 papers and her research has received a high level of media coverage because of its direct relevance to patients, practitioners, and policy makers. She is co-author of Diabetes Canada clinical practice guidelines on remission, physical activity, and type 2 diabetes pharmacotherapy.

Nicolas Fernandez is Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal. He is a researcher at the Continuing Medical Education Department where he develops research projects aiming to gain greater understanding into how health professionals learn. His work focuses on the contribution of experiential learning to professional competency development, particularly interprofessional collaboration. Since 2016, he is the Director of the Master’s program in Health Sciences Education at Université de Montréal and the Associate Editor-in-Chief of the journal Pédagogie médicale. He is also a kidney transplant recipient.

Deborah Da Costa is a scientist at the Research Institute, McGill University Health Centre and an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at McGill University.Her research focuses on the interplay between modifiable psychosocial and behavioural (e.g. exercise) factors and health status in various chronic illnesses and in relation to depression in populations at risk. This has laid the foundation for the knowledge-transfer phase of her program which focuses on tailoring and evaluating evidence-based digitally delivered behavioural and educational interventions to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to optimize their health and wellness.

Sara Ahmed is a Professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, and Associate Member in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Family Medicine, at McGill University.She leads a research program in person-centered digital health research and is the scientific director of the BRILLIANT learning health community project. She conducts research aimed at improving health outcomes for individuals with chronic diseases. Her research addresses the implementation of patient-reported outcomes (e.g. health-related quality of life, self-efficacy) and digital health solutions across trajectories of care to inform clinical and health system decision-making.

Marie-Chantal Fortin is a transplant nephrologist at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), a researcher at the Research Center of the CHUM and a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal.She is a researcher within the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP). Her research interests are related to transplantation ethics and patient and researcher partnership in research and clinical care. She is a member of the ethics committee of Transplant Québec, the Canadian Blood Services and the Collège des médecins du Québec.

Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Edmonton, AB, Canada