Governance

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

The External Institute 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.

External Institute 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

Liisa Galea, PhD

• Senior scientist and the inaugural womenmind Treliving Family Chair in Women’s Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
• Women’s Health Research Cluster Lead, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
• Affiliate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia

Anne Monique Nuyt, MD

• Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Université de Montréal
• Chief, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte-Justine
• Past President, Pediatric Chairs of Canada

Charles Nelson, PhD

• Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
• Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Director of Research, Developmental Medicine Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric Developmental Medicine Research, Boston Children’s Hospital

Wyeth W. Wasserman, Ph.D.

• Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia
• Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
• Senior Scientist, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
• Past Executive Director, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

Updated June 2025

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