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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:
Dr. Samantha Micsinszki
Samantha Micsinszki is a registered nurse with a PhD from the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. Her doctoral work examined factors associated with sleep quality in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Dr. Samantha Noyek
Samantha Noyek is a CHILD-BRIGHT Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health. She is currently conducting research focused on the cross-Canada implementation of the BRIGHT Coaching program.
Dr. Sarah Hutchinson
Dr. Sarah Hutchison is postdoctoral fellow at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia.
Dr. Stephen Gentles
Dr. Stephen has a background in health information and clinical epidemiology, and his program of research is aimed at helping parents of children with development disabilities by developing knowledge and tools to support the important roles they play in navigating and implementing care and intervention.
Dr. Tatiana Ogourtsova
Dr. Ogourtsova is an occupational therapist with MSc and PhD in neurorehabilitation and two postdoctoral trainings in neurodevelopmental disabilities/pediatrics.
Dr. Trish Domi
Her doctoral worked examined hand re-organization following childhood stroke using multi-modal brain imaging techniques. As a post-doctoral fellow, she shifted from studying mechanisms of recovery to mechanisms of injury to the brain in a juvenile rat model of stroke.
Jeffrey McCrossin
Jeffrey McCrossin is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Social Work at McGill University where he also completed an M.Sc.(A.) in Couple and Family Therapy (2019).
Jessi Lewis
Jessi Lewis, M.Sc., is a doctoral student in the University of Victoria’s Clinical Neuropsychology program and received her B.Sc. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. Jessi's research interests include development and use of accessible, evidence-informed supports for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) as a way to improve health-related quality of life, equity, and inclusion.
Jessica Hanson
Jessica is a second year M.Sc. student at McGill University, studying rehabilitation science. She pursued a master's degree to expand her knowledge in the field of pediatric neurodevelopmental disabilities, and contribute to innovation and advocacy for this community.
Kaela Shea
Kaela started her academic career at the University of Guelph where, through Biomedical Engineering, she specialized in signal processing in conjunction with a foundation in anatomy and pathology. A Master’s degree at the University of Waterloo continued her education and launched her into research.
Lauren Trafford
With a combined lens of clinical and educational research, Lauren is studying the special interests of children and teens with autism.
Lori-Ann Sacrey
Lori Sacrey received her PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge, where she studied skilled reaching movements in neurotypical babies and adults, as well as adults with Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
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.
