WHO WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
Executive Committee
Meet the leadership team driving the vision and growth of HSITP, with expertise spanning health policy, system research, and organizational change.
Together, this leadership team drives the vision, growth, and sustainability of HSITP, ensuring it continues to build Canada’s capacity for Learning Health Systems.
The Executive Committee is responsible for shaping the strategic direction of HSITP, leading our Working Groups, designing and executing training and networking opportunities for each HSITP Stream, and championing the Platform’s commitments to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA).
Elena Lopatina
Christine Mulligan
Katie Aubrecht
Katherine Ford
Elizabeth Oddone Paolucci
Deepa Singal
Laura Desveaux
Shelley Vanderhout
Walter Wodchis
Gemma Kabeya
Christine Cassidy
Gary Teare
Matthew Menear
Farah Mawani
Malcom Doupe
Matthew Leyenaar
Natasha Gallant
Veronika Kiryanova
Working Groups & Committees
Collaborative Teams Driving Innovation in Health Systems Research Training
The HSITP is built on collaboration. Its working groups & committees bring together HSITP Leadership, fellows, mentors, persons with lived and living experience and other members of the Health Services and Policy Research community to focus on key priorities that strengthen both the platform and Canada’s broader health research ecosystem.
Each team tackles specific areas of strategic importance:
1. Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee
Equity is at the heart of Learning Health Systems , and the HSITP Training Platform is committed to making EDIA a foundation of all our work. The EDIA Committee, co-led by Dr. Katie Aubrecht and Dr. Farah Mawani, plays a key advisory role across all HSITP activities and initiatives, ensuring that EDIA principles are meaningfully embedded in the Platform’s design, delivery, and culture.
The EDIA Committee is both a strategic advisor and a driver of change—supporting continuous improvement while creating opportunities for members to lead or contribute to EDIA-focused initiatives in training, research, evaluation, communities of practice, and knowledge mobilization.
What the EDIA Commitee does:
- Embed EDIA across the Platform: Ensure equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility are meaningfully integrated into all HSITP streams, sessions, events, and governance.
- Foster inclusion and representation: Address barriers to participation and create transparent, inclusive processes that amplify under-represented voices and perspectives.
- Build capacity and lead initiatives: Strengthen EDIA knowledge and skills while creating opportunities for members to lead or contribute to projects in training, research, evaluation, and knowledge mobilization.
- Advise and monitor progress: Provide strategic guidance on platform design and culture while using evaluation frameworks to track and continuously improve EDIA efforts.
Katie Aubrecht
EDIA Committee Co-Lead
Farah Mawani
EDIA Committee Co-Lead
2. Curriculum and Training Innovation Working Group
The Curriculum and Training Innovation Working Group is responsible for designing and delivering the HSITP Training Platform’s programming across all streams. Guided by the Stream Leads, this group develops learning opportunities that are aligned with the Health Services and Policy Research (HSPR) Core Competencies, responsive to emerging health system needs, and focused on preparing fellows for success and leadership within the health system.
By fostering collaboration across streams, the Curriculum and Training Innovation Stream ensures that programming is cohesive, innovative, and impactful—building the skills and knowledge needed to advance Learning Health Systems
What the Curriculum and Training Innovation
Working Group does:
- Designs and delivers programming across Streams that prepares fellows for leadership in health systems research and practice.
- Aligns curriculum with HSPR Core Competencies while remaining responsive to emerging health system priorities.
- Leverages expertise of Stream Leads to ensure content reflects diverse perspectives and areas of focus.
- Fosters innovation in training by incorporating new approaches, methods, and technologies into curriculum design.
- Builds connections across Streams to create a coordinated, Platform-wide learning experience
Elena Lopatina
Stream 1 Co-Lead
Shelley Vanderhout
Stream 3 Co-Lead
Katherine Ford
Stream 1 Co-Lead
Deepa Singal
Stream 2 Co-Lead
Walter Wodchis
Stream 3 Co-Lead
Laura Desveaux
Stream 2 Co-Lead
Elizabeth Oddone Paolucci
Stream I Co-Lead
Christine Mulligan
HSITP Platform Manager
Gemma Kabeya
Stream 3 Program Manager
3. Evaluation and Impact Reporting Working Group
The HSITP is a complex, systems-level initiative. To understand its impact, we’re going beyond traditional effectiveness measures and using a developmental evaluation approach.
This approach applies systems thinking to capture the interconnected nature of health systems, while providing real-time feedback that supports continuous learning and adaptation. It is both flexible and rigorous, helping us respond to emerging needs and provide timely insights that align with the principles of Learning Health Systems.
The Evaluation Working Group leads this process, offering a contextualized understanding of how the HSI Training Platform is implemented, how it evolves, and how it contributes to sustained, equitable, system-level change.
Lead
Regional Cohorts
Strengthening connections and amplifying voices across regions.
Regional Leads play a key role in connecting and supporting the Health System Impact community across Canada by:
- Building Regional Cohorts of fellows, ECRs, alumni, health system mentors, and academic supervisors by facilitating regional networking activities.
- Bringing a regional lens to the Executive Committee, ensuring local initiatives and contextual needs are reflected in platform planning.
- Promoting collaboration across provinces and territories through an interjurisdictional, shared-leadership approach
Who’s your Regional Lead?
Connect with your Regional Lead to learn more about how to get involved with the HSITP community in your region!
Ontario
Shelley Vanderhout
Walter Wodchis
Alberta
Gary TeareQuebec
Matthew MenearBritish Columbia
Farah MawaniManitoba
Malcom DoupePrince Edward Island
Matthew LeyenaarSaskatchewan
Natasha GallantNova Scotia
Christine CassidyPlatform Advisory Committee
Tracy Wasylak
PAC Chair
The HSITP benefits from the insight and expertise of its Platform Advisory Committee — a diverse group of health system leaders, academics, policy experts, and organizational executives from across Canada.
Chaired by Ms. Tracy Wasylak, The Advisory Committee provides:
- Strategic guidance to ensure the HSITP aligns with evolving health system priorities.
- Support for Platform sustainability, helping the HSITP remain adaptable and resilient.
- Expert perspectives on how to integrate research, policy, and practice.
- Mentorship and knowledge-sharing opportunities for fellows and alumni.
PAC Members
Tracy Wasylak
Alberta Health Services; Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit; University of Calgary
Deborah Marshall
University of Calgary
Antoine Groulx
Unité de soutien SSA Québec; University Laval; University de Sherbrooke
Susan Hardie
Eviance; York University
Christiane Job McIntosh
Alberta Health Services
Celia Laur
Women’s College Research Institute; University of Toronto
Nicole Letourneau
University of Calgary
Corey McAuliffe
University of British Columbia
Amy Metcalfe
University of Calgary
Stephanie Montesanti
University of Alberta; Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Tom Noseworthy
University of Calgary
Samuel Petrie
Nova Scotia Health Authority; TRANSFORM HF, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network
Laura Rosella
University of Toronto
Denis Roy
Commissaire à la santé et au bien-être, Gouvernement du Québec; Laval University
Jennifer Tsang
Niagara Health; Canadian Community ICU Research Network; McMaster University
Stephen Bornstein
Memorial University
Adalsteinn Brown
University of Toronto
Stirling Bryan
University of British Columbia; Michael Smith Health Research BC; Michael Smith Health Research BC – BC SUPPORT Unit; Canadian Association for Health Services & Policy Research
Kimberly Fairman
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research
Chad Mitchell
Government of Alberta, Alberta Health
Robert Reid
Trillium Health Partners; Trillium Health Partners’ Institute for Better Health; University of Toronto
Lawrence Richer
University of Alberta; Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and Research Center
Kienan Williams
Alberta Health Services
Sandra Zelinksy
Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Rick Glazier
CIHR-ISHPR
Meg McMahon
CIHR-ISHPR
Kira London-Nadeau
Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine (Montréal, Québec), University de Montreal
Laura Kennedy
IWK Health Centre (Halifax), Dalhousie University
Anna Dare
Unity Health Toronto, University of Toronto
Elizabeth Vesnaver
BORN Ontario (Ottawa), Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute Inc/ University of Ottawa
Katie Aubrecht
St. Francis Xavier University
Program Partners
- Universities and research institutes — providing academic mentorship and training.
- Health authorities and health system organizations — embedding fellows in real-world environments where they can drive change.
- Community organizations and networks — ensuring diverse perspectives and lived experiences inform research and system design.
- Policy leaders and government agencies — aligning HSITP’s work with national and provincial health priorities.
