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Kids Brain Health Network can actually push boundaries in terms of getting people to support families of children with any neurodevelopmental disability. The programs brings different people together with different perspectives, in terms of how research can support them, what are the methods that can be used in the research, and how to take the research beyond that level into practice.
I have learned so many things in terms of implementing the research. Not only to understand the theory but how to put it into practice, every step that you need to to do make it a reality for the users is something I’ve gained from this experience. I would like to encourage spreading the message not only across Canada, but outside Canada. In my own country, I will try to extend the message to see what people do here at Kids Brain Health Network. It’s an amazing organization because of the different perspectives built into it.” ~ Dr. Bilikis Oluwatoyin Banire |
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I graduated from the University of Calgary School of Public Policy, and right after that I got my first internship along with KBHN and Mitacs support. My core background has always been in neurodevelopmental disabilities, and when I learned that KBHN is also striving to make change for the lives of people with NDDs and their caregivers, that really got me excited.
Being a researcher gives me the opportunity to learn many things about the core issues that individuals and families with NDDs are facing, and how to synthesize that knowledge with the support of evidence-based research… and to use that knowledge so that people can relate to cutting-edge issues. Most importantly, the idea of influencing policy and practice through evidence-based change is something that really excites me. I think the learning curve has never stopped for me, and I’m a believer in lifelong learning. I have wonderful support from mentors who are pioneers in their fields, and learning from them is a dream come true.” ~ Ashish Seth |
Trainees & Alumni
Meet some current and alumni members of KBHN’s National Training Program:
Abagail Hennessy
Abagail Hennessy, B.A., is a first year M.A. student in the School and Applied Child Psychology program in the faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario. Abagail has a keen interest in supporting children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) through her research.
Alexandra Minuk
Alexandra Minuk is a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University and Projects Manager of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Education Research Group (Add*Ed).
Alice Kelen Soper
Alice Soper completed her Master’s degree in Global Health at McMaster University in 2020. Currently, she is working at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research as a Clinical Research Assistant and is a PhD student at the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University.
Amy Pietrantonio
Amy Pietrantonio is a Ph.D. candidate in Anatomy and Cell Biology and Collaborative Program in Developmental Biology at the University of Western Ontario.
Ann Yang
Ann is currently a student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) pursuing a Master of Public Health. Following her own personalized pathway of Inclusion and Diversity in Health Systems, her strong passion for health and well-being guides her through an expansive professional journey.
Ayesha Siddiqua
Ayesha Siddiqua is a Senior Epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada and an Assistant Professor (Part-Time) in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University.
Behnaz Bahmei
Behnaz is a Ph.D. candidate in the school of mechatronic systems engineering at Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC. During her academic studies, Behnaz has focused on addressing clinical problems using artificial intelligence techniques.
Brittany Finlay
Her research focuses on analyzing disability policy in Canada to evaluate the extent to which policy is meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities. Her work focuses on comparing and contrasting the design and delivery of disability programs across the country, and determining the barriers and facilitators to accessing disability programs in Canada.
Camille Bordeleau
Camille is a cognitive neuroscience undergraduate student at the University of Montreal. She is passionate about neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder.
Carly Magnacca
Carly’s research focuses on evidence-based interventions for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and those that support these individuals (i.e., caregivers and clinicians).
Celia Kwan
Celia is currently a fourth year medical student at the University of British Columbia. Prior to medical school, she completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree at McMaster University with a specialization in Child Health.
Christiane Gwendolin Roth
Christiane Roth is a Research Associate in the Disability Policy Research Program at the University of Calgary - School of Public Policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the KBHN National Training Program, or if you want to learn more, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact training@kidsbrainhealth.ca.
