Cross-sector collaboration is essential in this work
The researchers and industry professionals showcased here are critical members of our community. Our research community relies on a vibrant network of industry leaders to help shape research agendas, inform our analysis, and co-create knowledge translation and mobilization strategies.
A small but mightly core team supports the Health in All Data community:
Dr. Lorie Donelle
HEALTH IN ALL DATA CORE TEAM
Lorie Donelle was inspired to launch Health in All Data from her research across health literacy, equity, and digital health.
She is an Associate Professor at Western University in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing and a Scientist with the Lawson Health Research Institute in London Ontario and is an inaugural member of Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN). She holds an endowed research chair – the Arthur Labatt Family Chair in Nursing focused on digital health. Dr. Donelle’s research addresses health promotion specific to issues of health & digital health literacy(s), social justice, and digital health. Her research investigates technology-enabled models of healthcare and the relationships between health information technologies and client/clinician health practices. Dr. Donelle contributes to International and national advisory committees for health literacy and digital health.
Gina Uppal
HEALTH IN ALL DATA CORE TEAM
Gina leads partnerships and community engagement strategy for the Health in All Data community. Gina is a communications and community engagement expert,
having led cross-sector initiatives at large organizations, regional nonprofits, and grassroots community networks for over 10 years. Gina is currently the co-founder of The On Canada Project, where part of her work involves leading a learning design studio to help leaders embed justice and equity into their work learning experiences that help people unpack complex topics. As the world of work evolves, supporting this learning journey is critical for building a culture that allows diverse perspectives to shine. This not only leads to better products and services, but creates transformative experiences for people to grow personally and professionally. Gina grounds her work with an academic background in health equity and public policy from Western University and American University (Washington, DC) where she studied as a Killam Fulbright scholar. She combines this with a decade of experience leading conversations about equity, justice, and systems change in healthcare, nonprofit, and technology sectors. Gina loves creating spaces for leaders to learn, build relationships, and steward systems initiatives.
Julie Tran
HEALTH IN ALL DATA CORE TEAM
Julie completed an MPH at Western University, and brings her expertise in visual storytelling and graphic design to support the Health in All Data team
with research and design for infographics across our projects. Julie’s professional interests lie in the responsible use of AI in digital healthcare and public health, communicable and non-communicable disease epidemiology and health informatics. She aims to integrate her knowledge and skills in research and communications into opportunities for improving population health outcomes through ethical innovation and thoughtful design and implementation processes.
Leigha Comer
HEALTH IN ALL DATA CORE TEAM
Leigha is a Research Associate at Western University and supports the Health in All Data team with knowledge translation projects.
Leigha is a PhD student at the Sociology program at York University where she researches chronic pain, drug use, and the impacts of panic around opioid-related harms on people with chronic pain and their access to opioids for pain management.
Meet Our Research Community
Bibi Imre-Millei
Master’s student, Queen’s University Project coordinator, Gender Lab at the Centre for International and Defence Policy
Bibi is a Master’s student at Queen’s University. She has researched the use of swarm drones in surveillance as well as the use of biometric data in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Bibi also works as a project coordinator at the Gender Lab at the Centre for International and Defence Policy.
Brie O’Sullivan
PhD Candidate, Health Information Science, Western University
Brie is a PhD candidate at Western University in the Health Information Science program.
Brie’s research focuses on the use of medical drone technology in public health systems.
Dr. Anita Kothari
Associate professor, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University
Dr. Kothari is an associate professor at the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western University. Her expertise is in health research methodology,
population health, and health policy and services. She has partnered research alignments in the area Public Health systems and services.
Dr. Anwar Haque
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Western University
Dr. Haque is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Western University.
Anwar is currently the director of the Western Information & Networking Group (WING) Lab, where he conducts cutting-edge research in emerging network technologies and smart systems.
Dr. Bradley Hiebert
Research Associate, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University
Dr. Hiebert is a Research Associate in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western University focusing on rural health, masculinity, and how
digital health technologies (drones) impact health and health information behaviours.
Dr. Elysée Nouvet
Assistant Professor, School of Global Health Studies, Western University
Dr. Nouvet is an Assistant Professor in the School of Global Health Studies at Western University, a medical anthropologist, and a member of the
Humanitarian Health Ethics research group at McMaster University.
Dr. Jacob Shelley
Assistant professor, Faculty of Law and School of Health Studies, Western University Co-director of the Health Ethics, Law and Policy (HELP) Lab
Dr. Shelley is an assistant professor jointly appointed to the Faculty of Law and School of Health Studies. His interest is on the use of law in the prevention
of disease; currently investigating the policy responses to COVID-19. He is a co-director of the Health Ethics, Law and Policy (HELP) Lab along with Dr. Maxwell Smith.
Dr. Jacquie Burkell
Associate Vice-President (Research) Associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Sciences, Western University
Dr. Burkell is the associate Vice-President of Research at Western University and an associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Sciences
with a research focus on the social impact of technology and examines how technological mediation changes social interaction and information behaviour.
Dr. Joanna Redden
Assistant professor, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University Co-director, Data Justice Lab
Dr. Redden is an assistant professor with the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University. She is co-director of the Data Justice Lab and works
on projects mapping the implications of predictive and automated systems and redressing data harms.
Dr. Jodi Hall
Professor, School of Nursing, Western-Fanshawe program
Dr. Hall is a professor in the School of Nursing, Western-Fanshawe program. Her expertise is on the impact of surveillance, policing, and criminalization on
oppressed communities.
Dr. Maxwell Smith
Bioethicist and assistant professor, School of Health Studies, Western University Co-Chair, Ethics Table, Ontario’s COVID-19 Health System Response
Dr. Smith is a bioethicist and assistant professor in the School of Health Studies. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Ethics Table within Ontario’s COVID..
Dr. Smith is a bioethicist and assistant professor in the School of Health Studies. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Ethics Table within Ontario’s COVID-19 Health System Response and is a member of WHO’s Working Group on Ethics and COVID-19.
Dr. Sandra Regan, RN
Deputy Registrar and Executive Director of Education, Policy, and Practice, British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives
Sandra is the Deputy Registrar and Executive Director of Education, Policy, and Practice at the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives.
Sandra’s work focuses on education program review, practice support and consultation, health policy, and research.
Dr. Saverio Stranges
Professor and Chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine
Dr. Stranges is a professor and Chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Schulich School of Medicine), is a public health physician and epidemiologist
with expertise in population-based studies and global health.
Dr. Tommy Cooke
Postdoctoral fellow, Surveillance Studies Centre, Queen’s University
Dr. Cooke is a postdoctoral fellow at the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen’s University.
He is leading a multidisciplinary collaboration recording and analyzing the lifecycle of location metadata on smartphones.
Mehak Sawhney
PhD candidate, McGill University
Mehak is a PhD candidate at McGill University who has worked with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and the MS Merian-R.
Tagore International Centre of Advanced Studies in India. Her work focuses on urban soundscapes, sound, and surveillance through machine learning.
Muhammad Zakar
MSc Candidate, Department of Computer Science, Western University
Muhammad is a MSc candidate at Western University in the Department of Computer Science.
Ozge Girgin
PhD candidate, Queen’s University Research assistant, Surveillance Studies Centre
Ozge is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University and a research assistant with the Surveillance Studies Centre.
She researches the use of digital technology in Turkey and, most recently, has been investigating the use of mobile health applications by young adults in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spencer Huesken
PhD candidate, Queen’s University Research associate, Community Health and Social Innovation Hub
Spencer is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University and a research associate with the Community Health and Social Innovation Hub.
Spencer researches the intersections between media, information, Big Data, and meaning making in relation to health and labour.
Meet Our Advisors
Ari Chanen, PhD
AI Expert, Consultant to companies
Ari is a Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert that supports organizations plan, develop, and execute strategies to leverage AI in their businesses.
Ari earned his knowledge of AI through a BS and MS in Computer Science / AI from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney in Australia. He has applied this knowledge to large companies, Silicon Valley startups, public service corporations, and hedge funds.
Dia Rahman
Product & Delivery at Deloitte Digital – Digital Health & e-Commerce
Dia is a user researcher with a specialization in digital health & wearables. Her master’s thesis is on the commercialization of digital health and wearable
technology in Canada. Through her studies, frontline work experience in startups, and personal experiences, she has developed an acute focus on understanding the impact that medical systems and products have on patients and their caregivers, families, and on healthcare care teams.
Dr. Waël Hassan
Founder, KI Design
Wael is the founder of KI Design, a big data analytics solutions company with clients across public sectors such as nuclear power, international aid, hospitals,
and Fortune 500 companies. Previously he spent 7 years at Service Ontario and eHealth Agency in ehealth information management. PhD in Privacy Policy Governance and Legal Compliance.
Karen Jacquart
Innovation Manager, Canada Health Infoway
Karen works as the Innovation Manager for Canada Health Infoway which is an organization that accelerates the development, adoption and effective use of digital he..
Karen works as the Innovation Manager for Canada Health Infoway which is an organization that accelerates the development, adoption and effective use of digital health solutions across Canada.
Marina Massingham
CEO, AiFred
Marina is the CEO of Aifred, an AI clinical decision support tool for mental healthcare providers, and recently named finalist in the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE.
Marina also previously co-founded a pharmaceutical startup TeOra Health, acquired by Aequus Pharmaceuticals in 2015.
Mark Casselman
Digital Health Canada
Mark is the CEO of Digital Health Canada, and sits on advisory boards for Tech-Access Canada at Mohawk College and the Ontario Telemedicine Network.
Mark also previously led PWC’s mHealth practice, spent 6 years at the University Health Network Center for Global eHealth Innovation, and founded a health tech company.
Matthew German
Head of Surveillance Technologies, Blue Dot
Matt leads the surveillance and clinical modelling teams at BlueDot Global,l helping governments and businesses track over 150 infectious diseases around the world.
BlueDot was among the first in the world to identify the emerging risk from, and publish a scientific paper on, COVID-19
Nikki Gladstone
Rights Con, Access Now
Nikki is the Director of RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age and a board member of the human rights organization Equitas.
Before this Nikki worked with the Wilson Center’s Digital Futures Project on the foreign policy implications of emerging technologies, and as a Graduate Fellow with the University of Toronto’s Digital Public Square, where she conducted research on online civic engagement tools.
Priya Bathija
Adjunct Professor at Loyola University Chicago College of Law
Priya is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago College of Law and the former VP of Strategic Initiatives for the American Hospital Association
While at AHA, she supported hospitals as they promoted value and affordability by implementing strategies that improve outcomes, lower costs and enhance patient experiences. She also led the organization’s work on maternal and child health, social determinants, and was a member of AHA’s Health Equity Strategies team.
Rhea Mehta, PhD
Cofounder, Bowhead Health
Rhea is the co-founder of Bowhead Health, a health technology company that builds blockchain-powered data management solutions to help researchers
recruit and collect data from patients around the world. All data is encrypted, and owned by patients on the Better App, which uses smart-contracts to securely share de-identified data with researchers.
Sarah Ali
Digital Health Project Manager, North York General Hospital
Sarah is a Digital Health program Manager at North York General Hospital where she leads strategic initiatives for implementing a digital health strategy with
stakeholders across the hospital. She previously spent 3 years at University Health Network developing the Patient Portal, and 6 years at MaRS supporting various data innovation projects.
Shaneel Pathak
Cofounder, Zamplo
Shaneel is the cofounder of Zamplo, an app that helps patients manage and organize their health data. Shaneel chairs a data working group that is publishing
a Declaration of Personal Health Data rights and obligations in Canada, and is active in health communities across Canada including SPOR-PIHCI and Imagine Citizens.
Susan Anderson
CIO, Ministry of Health Nunavut
Susan is currently the Chief Information Officer at Nunavut Ministry of Health, previously spent 7 years in leadership roles for the Health Information Technology
and Systems Division at Alberta Health, where she played a pivotal role in transforming Alberta’s healthcare system into one of the most digitally connected in North America. At the forefront of Alberta’s Electronic Health Record implementation, she helped steer the expansion of EHR data sources, deployment to users, integration for physicians and pharmacists, and introduced public access to EHRs. Susan is also a Director on the board of Canada’s Health Informatics Association (COACH), and was previously the Co-Chair of the Executive Director Council for Alberta Health and the Chair for National Community of Interest for EHR Governance. She helped to develop the Professional Certification Examination for Canadian Health Informatics with COACH, which stands as Canada’s most recognized certification of its kind.
Tayyaba Jiwani, PhD
Policy advisor, Ontario’s Health Data Platform
Tayyaba is a policy advisory working with the Ontario’s Health Data Platform in response to the pandemic to allow researchers access to data to detect, plan, and
respond to the COVID19 outbreak.
Tazin Khan
Founder of Cyber Collective
Tazin is dedicated to helping more people understand their data rights. She is the founder of Cyber Collective, a community-centered research organization that
hosts workshops to explore the ways data and privacy impact consumers. They have hosted 10 creative research sessions with over 1,200 global attendees and have partnered with UCLA’s Center for Critical Internet Inquiry.
Victoria Heath
Program Manager, Open Lunar Foundation
Victoria leads governance and strategy at Montreal AI Ethics Institute. She also has her hands in many cool projects at the intersections of data, science, and
technology having worked for the Open Lunar Foundation, the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, and Access Now’s RightsCon.
Zain Ismail
Director, Consumerism & Digital Health, AVIA Health Innovation
Zain serves as a Director in AVIA’s Center for Healthcare Consumerism. He serves as a subject matter expert in digital health, focused specifically on growth and
patient engagement for AVIA’s network for 55 health systems. Zain is a recognized healthcare innovator, having, with experience leading innovation in health systems in Canada, the USA, and Kenya.
Zen Tharani
Board Member, Digital Health Canada Founder & CEO, Xenex Consulting Inc.
Zen is a Digital Health professional with 22 years of experience in the social services sector across Canada and internationally. He is the Founder and CEO
of Xenex Consulting Inc. (xenexconsulting.com) and was elected to the Digital Health Canada Board. He is committed to the sustainability, prosperity, and evolving role of the health informatics field both locally and globally. He was awarded the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award in 2021. His commitment is to champion the interests of the digital health sector and bring forward a diverse point of view that continues to shape this sector. He is an avid believer in collaboration and strives everyday to create an environment based on values of trust, authenticity, and empowerment.