The governance of WCHRI is defined in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Alberta Health Services (AHS), the governors of the University of Alberta (U of A), the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation (SCHF) and the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation (RAHF) / Alberta Women’s Health Foundation (AWHF).
The Oversight Board is made up of representatives from the U of A, AHS, SCHF and AWHF. The board ensures that WCHRI meets the highest standard of good governance, including accountability and transparency and delivers quality, innovative research. The board provides strategic direction and is responsible for making sure that legal and regulatory requirements are met, approving the annual budget and monitoring WCHRI’s overall performance.
Oversight Board members
Brenda Hemmelgarn | Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, U of A (Chair) |
Verna Yiu (Brenda Hemmelgarn, Designate) | Provost & Vice-President Academic, U of A |
Aminah Robinson Fayek (Jason Acker, Designate) | Vice President, Research & Innovation, U of A |
Sarah Forgie | Chair, Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, U of A |
Jane Schulz | Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, U of A |
Lawrence Richer | Vice Dean, Research (Clinical), Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, U of A |
Tammy Hopper | Dean, Rehabilitation Medicine |
Hanne Ostergaard | Director, Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta |
Natalie McMurtry (Marc Leduc, Designate) | Vice President, Provincial Clinical Excellence, AHS |
Christine Westerlund | Senior Operating Officer, Stollery Children’s Hospital, AHS |
Janie Clink | Senior Operating Officer, Royal Alexandra Hospital, AHS |
Karen Faulkner (Katherine Sweet, Designate) | Interim President & CEO, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation |
Delphine Brooker | Board of Trustees representative, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation |
Sharlene Rutherford | President & CEO, Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation |
Dianne Balon | Board of Directors representative, Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation |
Ex -officio (non-voting members) | |
Sandra Davidge | Institute Executive Director |
Todd Alexander | Institute Associate Director |
Tom Stelfox | Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, U of A |
Updated November 2023 |
The Scientific Advisory Committee is made up of internationally renowned research leaders. The committee provides an external viewpoint and advises WCHRI on a number of topics relevant to institute structure and strategy—research themes, operations, mentorship, leadership, evaluation, etc. The committee also offers WCHRI a mechanism to build national and international collaborations with other like-minded institutes and networks.
Scientific Advisory Committee members
Stephanie A. Atkinson, PhD, DSc (honoris causa), FCAHS, FASN
- Professor, Department of Pediatrics
- Associate Member, Department Biochemistry & Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University
- Special Professional Staff, McMaster Children’s Hospital
Annette Majnemer, OT, PhD, FCAHS
- Vice Dean, Education, Faculty of Medicine
- Professor, School of Physical & Occupational Therapy, McGill University
- Director, CHILD-BRIGHT Network
Patrick McGrath, OC, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS
- Professor, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University
- Former Vice President Research, Innovation and Knowledge Translation for the IWK Health Centre and the Nova Scotia Health Authority
- Director of Research, Developmental Medicine Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
- Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric Developmental Medicine Research, Boston Children’s Hospital
- VP Research, Women’s College Hospital (WCH)
- Professor, Department of Medicine and Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto
- RTO/ERO Chair in Geriatric Medicine
The Program Advisory Committee is made up of U of A cross-faculty representatives. The committee represents member interests and advises WCHRI’s executive director on programs and operations, which includes:
- providing guidance on the development, prioritization and alignment of WCHRI programs and services;
- assisting in the determination of performance indicators and reviewing actual performance against those indicators;
- assisting in the dissemination of key WCHRI outcomes and results; and,
- providing guidance on operational and business issues, especially issues that would compromise the success of WCHRI.
Theme leads are appointed within the Program Advisory Committee by the executive director. Their role is to provide more focused attention towards:
- developing a community of member researchers within each theme area;
- identifying opportunities to better support theme areas through existing programs and operations; and,
- assisting with ongoing strategic planning by developing goals and objectives that will support theme area development.
Program Advisory Committee members
Todd Alexander | Associate Director, WCHRI |
Rhonda Bell | Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences WCHRI theme lead for pregnancy and developmental trajectories |
Amit Bhavsar | Associate Professor, Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry |
Sandra Davidge | Executive Director, WCHRI |
Matt Hicks | Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry |
Stephanie Montesanti | Associate Professor, School of Public Health |
Colleen Norris | Cavarzan Chair in Mature Women’s Health |
Jacqueline Pei | Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education |
Lesley Pritchard | Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine |
Alexa Thompson | PhD student, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry |
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum | Professor, Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry |
Updated March 2023 |
The WCHRI Trainee Advisory Committee is composed of in-training members representing the following areas:
- member faculties/departments;
- research theme (child, maternal, women);
- levels/types of training (graduate, postdoctoral, residency).
The Trainee Advisory Committee is aimed at engaging in-training members in WCHRI programs and activities. The Trainee Advisory Committee reports to the Program Advisory Committee and is responsible for the following areas:
- representing in-training member interests in WCHRI;
- providing feedback and suggestions to improve WCHRI programs and trainee engagement;
- providing career, mentorship and skill-building opportunities and resources;
- advising on WCHRI Research Day workshops, topics and format;
- other topics as determined by the committee and approved by Program Advisory Committee.
Trainee Advisory Committee members
Member | Supervisor | Position | WCHRI Theme | Department/Faculty |
Cornelson, Shannon | Undergraduate student | Women | Native Studies | |
Joly, Vannesa | Jacqueline Pei | PhD student | Child | Education Psychology |
Gill, Jasmine | Sophia Pin | Medical student | Women | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Giovannoni, Marina | Sophia Pin | Medical student | Women | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Martens, Matthew | Jason Dyck | Postdoctoral fellow | Child | Pediatrics |
Mathias, Holly | Elaine Hyshka | PhD candidate | Women | School of Public Health |
McWeeny, Robert | Yifeng Wei | Masters student | Child | Psychiatry |
Misaghi, Ehsan (delegate chair) | Andrew Waskiewicz | MD/PhD candidate | Child, Pregnancy | Science |
Olukotun, Mary | Bukola Salami | PhD candidate | Child | Nursing |
Patel, Vaishvi | Sue Ross | Medical student | Women | Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Persad, Kaya | Gary Lopschuk | Masters student | Child | Pediatrics |
Rubio Atonal, Fernando | Maria Ioannou | PhD candidate | Child | Physiology |
Sawchuk, Taylor | Peter Metcalfe | Medical student | Child | Surgery |
Thompson, Alexa (chair) | Carmen Charlton | PhD candidate | Pregnancy | Laboratory Medicine & Pathology |
Tichenor, Erin | Tim Barlott | Masters student | Women | Rehabilitation Medicine |
Tiernan, Keatton | Kate Storey | Masters student | Child | School of Public Health |
Watson, Adrianne | Anastassia Voronova | PhD candidate | Child | Medical Genetics |
WCHRI Senior Staff | Tanya Voth | WCHRI |
Updated February 2023