Connie Putterman, Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Translational Research at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine
Founder, Parent Advocate, The Canada/Israel Autism Research Initiative
Toronto, Ontario
Connie has been involved in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities and autism research for over 19 years. As a parent advisor and family partner to research, she has been involved in a leadership and governance capacity with CIHR SPOR’s CHILD-BRIGHT Network, Ontario Brain Institute’s POND Network, and McMaster’s CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research to name a few.
In her professional role as Family Engagement in Research (FER) Co-ordinator for CAMH, Connie facilitates partnerships and create opportunities for families and researchers to engage as partners in mental health research in a large hospital based research setting.
Connie was part of the visionary team that co-designed the Family Engagement in Research (FER) course at McMaster University/Canchild Research Centre funded by Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN). Together, they have trained over 300 researchers and families and grown the program to include a newly created FER Leadership Academy for champions of FER.
Connie also was the visionary behind the Canada/Israel Autism Research Initiative, fostering collaborations in autism research between the two countries, new partnerships, and advancing opportunities for new funding sources for autism research.
Connie studied an MBA at Western University’s Ivy Program and more recently graduated with a Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Translational Research at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine (2019).
Over her long career, Connie has consulted in the corporate sector focusing on disability and employment inclusion initiatives and marketing/ business development. She is committed to promoting the value of family involvement in research to have more impact on people to whom it matters most.
