Dr. Bilikis Banire: What she’s learned as a KBHN trainee
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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.” |
Ash Seth: Innovating Neurodevelopmental Care with KBHN
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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.” |
Trainees & Alumni
Meet some current and alumni members of KBHN’s National Training Program:
Danika DeCarlo-Slobodnik
Danika DeCarlo-Slobodnik recently earned her Master of Arts in Criminology from the University of Ottawa. Danika’s research focuses on increasing our collective awareness and understanding of diverse circumstances that exist for some children, parents, and families so that we can critically rethink our standards of normalcy and respond to all families’ needs in child-centred and trauma-informed ways.
Dr. Adrienne Perry
Dr. Adrienne Perry is a registered clinical Psychologist and Board Certified Behaviour Analyst. She is a full Professor in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, at York University.
Dr. Alicia Hilderley
Alicia Hilderley is passionate about promoting active brains and active bodies for kids of all abilities. She has degrees in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD, University of Toronto) and Kinesiology (MSc, BScHon, McGill University) and extensive experience in adapted physical activity settings as a coach and professional Kinesiologist (PKin).
Dr. Annie E. Richard
Annie Richard is a Research Associate with the Pathways in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Study team, working at the Autism Research Centre, IWK Health Centre, Halifax. Her research interests focus on comorbidities in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Dr. 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.
Dr. Bilikis Oluwatoyin Banire
Dr. Bilikis Banire is a dedicated researcher and advocate specializing in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with a multidisciplinary research focus encompassing human-computer interaction (HCI), persuasive computing, eye-tracking, affective computing, and machine learning—all aimed at advancing the understanding and treatment of autism and mental health.
Dr. Elizabeth G. Condliffe
Dr. Condliffe is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on improving clinical interventions to promote neuroplastic change and reduce multisystem impacts of impairments throughout the lifespan of people with cerebral palsy and other causes of long-term neurodisabilities.
Dr. Fakhri Shafai
Fakhri Shafai, PhD, MEd, studies sensory issues, anxiety, and emotion processing differences in ASD. She first worked as a behavioural intervention specialist, educational aide, and science teacher before earning her Master's degree in Education.
Dr. Genevieve Currie
Dr. Genevieve Currie is a family partner researcher, and nurse researcher focused on families’ experiences in caring for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), as well as family engagement in health care and research.
Dr. Mahdieh Yousef
Mahdieh was a research assistant at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta and worked on projects on neurodevelopmental disabilities in children. Her areas of interest include clinical neuroscience, kids’ mental health, and research methodologies in community-based studies.
Dr. Mojghan Gitimoghaddam
Dr. Mojgan Gitimoghaddam is a family physician by training and currently a PhD candidate at University of British Columbia in BC., under supervision of Dr. Jean-Paul Collet. Mojgan's research is focused on learning and development of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities through maximizing the effect of community-based physical activity programs.
Dr. Preeti Kar
Preeti Kar is postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia, researching brain development in infants and young children after various prenatal and postnatal experiences (e.g., breastfeeding, prenatal alcohol exposure, prenatal maternal depression).
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.
