Data management is the process of collecting, cleaning and managing data while adhering to regulatory standards and practices. Our data managers are involved in all stages of the research process, with a focus on assuring overall accuracy, integrity and quality of the data.
Data Clerk
Ms. Maria Agda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce. She joined the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network at CHÉOS as a Data Clerk in 1993. Maria maintains databases and creates and maintains filing systems for confidential documents according to established procedures.
Prior to joining CTN/CHEOS, Maria worked for CIBC & Chevron main office.
Senior Data Manager
B.Sc.
William Chau joined CHEOS/CTN as a Senior Data Manager in 2019. He is responsible for supporting and executing data management activities for clinical trials. Prior to joining CHEOS/CTN, he worked for the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.
Data Management Operations Lead
BA (Hons), Certified Clinical Data Manager
A university-educated and industry-certified clinical data management professional with 17 years’ experience, Erica is the Data Management Operations Lead at CHÉOS/CTN. She is responsible for the organization and execution of CHÉOS/CTN data processes and strategies, including all data capture, storage, and retrieval processes. In addition to comprehensive data management activities for specific trials, from study start-up to database lock, Erica provides team oversight for the data management team and support staff, scope forecasting and projections, and cross-functional collaboration on work processes and standard operating procedure development.
Data Manager
Elisa joined CHÉOS in January 2021. She has previously worked at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) and the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD). Elisa holds a Bachelor of Science in genomics from UBC.
Data Manager
MD, B.Sc.
Nisha joined CHÉOS and the CTN in January 2020 as a Data Manager. She has clinical research experience from Hamilton Health Sciences (ON), Sick Kids Hospital (ON) and Mount Sinai Hospital (ON). She recently worked as a medical doctor at a high volume community hospital in Mumbai, India. Nisha holds a B.Sc. in biotechnology and molecular biology from the University of Waterloo and an MD from St. Matthews University School of Medicine.
Our project managers are experts in the regulatory, policy, budgeting, and implementation requirements for clinical research studies. Project managers are integral to the success of any research project, acting as a bridge between different members of the research team and other service providers.
Project Manager
B.MLSc., MPH
Ms. Judy Chiu is a Project Manager working with Drs. Nick Bansback and Wei Zhang.
Project Manager
Allison joined CHÉOS and the CTN in February 2021 as a Project Manager. She has 11 years of clinical research coordination experience from the Department of Neurology, and the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Recently, she spent 4 years as a Clinical Project Manager at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre in the area of spinal cord injury research. Allison holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of British Columbia and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional with the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA).
Project Manager
MBBS, MPH, CCRP, CCRA
Mr. Jayaraman is an experienced clinical research professional who is involved in project management, site management, site coordination, and monitoring for CHÉOS/CTN studies.
Project Manager
B.Sc.
Salima Jutha is a clinical trial specialist with over 14 years of experience in coordinating and managing clinical trials. She obtained her B.Sc. in Biology from SFU and has taken specialty courses in clinical research at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her expertise is in ensuring GCP compliance at the site and sponsor level, Health Canada regulatory submissions, and safety and project management.
Recent projects include the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI) study, for which she had a dual role as both trial coordinator and clinical project manager. She currently is the Clinical Trial Manager for the Study to Assess Long-Term Opioid Maintenance Effectiveness (SALOME) and also coordinates other CHÉOS-delegated studies.
Senior Project Manager
B.Sc., CCRP
Ms. Love joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) in October 2016. She is a certified clinical research professional with over 20 years’ experience in a variety of research settings, including at the site level, with sponsor-investigators, and at contract research organizations. Her primary role is to provide project management support to CHÉOS and CTN-supported investigators, as well as develop research training materials and programs.
Project Manager
B.Sc.
Tara Martin joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) as a Study Coordinator in 2018. She has more than 15 years of clinical trial experience working primarily in industry-funded research studies. She holds a BSc in Biopsychology from the University of British Columbia and is a passionate advocate for patients with disabilities.
Senior Project Manager
PhD
Judy Needham joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) as a Project Manager in 2017. She has more than 9 years’ experience providing leadership and oversight in the management and coordination of investigator-initiated and industry-funded clinical research studies and is an experienced research program administrator. She holds a Ph.D. in Natural Products Chemistry from the UBC and a Certificate in Clinical Research from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She is the current Advisory Committee Chair of the Clinical Research Professionals of British Columbia (CRPBC).
Project Manager
B.MLSc., DMLT, CCRP
Ms. Shoshana Parker is a Project Manager with CHEOS, currently managing studies reviewing the safety and efficacy of new asthma medications. She has been part of CHEOS as a research professional for 20 years and has worked on several different projects. Shoshana received certification from The Society of Clinical Research Associates and she also holds a Bachelor in Medical Laboratory Science from UBC and a diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology from the Michener Institute in Toronto (formerly the Toronto Institute of Medical Technology).
Project Manager
B.Sc., CCRP, PMP
Ms. Laura Zunino joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) as a Project Manager in 2019. She has extensive experience working with patients and health care professionals and specializes in the end-to-end management and monitoring of investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored clinical research. Prior to joining CHÉOS and the CTN, Laura worked for the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario in the areas of Haematology/Oncology and Infectious Disease research. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology from McGill University, a certificate in Project Management from the University of Toronto and is certified as both a Clinical Research Professional by The Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) and a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Our operations team is responsible for the daily functioning of the Centre and for planning and implementing organizational improvements. This department includes finance, programs, administration, human resources, and computer systems.
Finance Coordinator/Payroll Clerk
Systems Administrator
Joey has a bachelor’s degree in Electonics and Communication Engineering. He worked for IBM/GBM as Network Specialist in the Middle East for 8 years prior to joining CHÉOS in 2008. At CHÉOS, he is responsible in System Administration of VMware and Network infrastructure, manages our Microsoft 365, Exchange and other Windows and Linux servers.
Finance Manager
BA, PCP
Ms. Shabnam Farasat joined CHEOS and CTN in 2007 and she leads all financial aspects of the centre. She holds a bachelor degree and is a certificated Payroll Compliance Practitioner
Operations Coordinator
Caro Lander joined CHÉOS and the CTN in May 2021 as the Operations Coordinator (HR Team). She has experience working with social services and non-profits, most recently in homelessness services as a Shelter Manager. She holds a BA from Oxford Brookes University in the UK, and certifications in nonprofit management and communications.
Program Operations Coordinator
Jennifer joined CHÉOS and the CTN in March 2021 as a Program Operations Coordinator. She previously worked at the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada as the Research and Health Promotion Coordinator, where she helped to manage the research portfolio and delivered various health initiatives, including the BC Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) Program. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition and Health from the University of British Columbia.
Accountant
Janice is an accountant at CHÉOS/CTN and maintains the financial reporting for Drs. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes and Peter Dodek. Her day-to-day tasks include, but not limited to, invoice processing, deposits, purchase orders, and assisting other accounting staff. She has been with CHEOS/CTN since 2008 and holds a diploma in Financial Management at BCIT/Capilano University.
Systems Administrator
BE, MSc Network Computing
Mohan has a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication, a master’s degree in Network computing, and eight years of of experience in systems, networking, and storage. He provides systems administration support at CHÉOS and dealS with Unix/Linux and VMware infrastructure
Program & Committees Coordinator
BSW, MBA
Ms. Jenna Pullen joined the Centre in 2019 as the Program & Committees Coordinator to help support committees and process effectiveness at both CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN). With a background in relationship management within post-secondary institutions and industry in Saskatchewan, Ms. Pullen also brings front-line social work experience in crisis intervention, mental health and a variety of justice roles. Ms. Pullen received a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Regina as well as a Master’s of Business Administration from Edwards School of Business.
Executive Coordinator
Carmen Rock joined CHÉOS in 2017 as Kristin Wesland’s and Erin Cherban’s Executive Coordinator. Ms. Rock graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Political Science and has spent her career working in health research. In addition to coordinating Ms. Westland’s and Ms. Cherban’s administrative portfolios, she is also working to expand CHÉOS’ training opportunities.
Executive Administrative Coordinator
B.Sc.
Ms. Nicole Shum joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) in May 2017 as the Executive Assistant to Dr. Aslam Anis. She provides overall coordination support for administrative, financial, and research activities, such as grant applications, finance tracking, and editorial duties. Ms. Shum also volunteers at the Student Biotechnology Network as Director of Finance. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia.
Community Engagement Coordinator
Michael Smith joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network in April 2021 as Community Engagement Coordinator. Michael has 20 years of work, volunteer, and lived experience within the HIV community, and aided with the initial coordination of the BC People Living with HIV Stigma Index Project through the Pacific AIDS Network.
Program Assistant
Christelle holds a certificate in Human Resources Management, SFU and is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Business Administration. She comes to CHÉOS from BC Cancer Research Centre where she was the HR Admin Coordinator. Christelle provides operational support to the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS) and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) National Centre, including human resources (HR), administrative, facilities, events, communications, and special projects assistance and works closely with CHÉOS/CTN research and administrative staff, as well as CHÉOS faculty.
Director of Operations
Ms. Kristin Westland joined CHÉOS in 2010 as Director of Operations after working as the Programme Manager for the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She is also the Chief Administrative Officer for the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network and has previously served as the Director of Operations for the provincial B.C. Centre for Improved Cardiovascular Health.
Senior Operations Manager
Ms. Gina Willis joined CHÉOS and the CTN in 2014. Involved in a range of centre operations, she manages the administration of financial, human resources, facility, communications, and operations functions, including CHÉOS’ research support and grant facilitation services. Ms. Willis previously worked for the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Simon Fraser University and has a certificate in Project Management.
Human Resources Manager
BA
Rana Young joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network in 2015 and supports the centre of 130+ staff and research personnel as Human Resources Manager. With a focus on organizational behaviour, Rana brings a wealth of experience from a variety of professional settings including health care, academic, and government agency sectors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Literature from the University of British Columbia.
Our regulatory and quality affairs department manages the infrastructure and guidelines for creating, maintaining, and enhancing administrative, regulatory, and quality assurance systems associated with conducting clinical trials and other research projects.
Director of Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance
Ms. Nohynek has the overall responsibility of developing, facilitating and executing regulatory strategies to support Network studies and to oversee the maintenance and compliance of quality systems.
She holds a B.Sc. (honours) from the University of Waterloo (1998), a M.Sc. from the University of Toronto (2000), and a RAC certification (2006) granted by the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS). She has more than ten years of industry experience that includes the development of regulatory strategies throughout various phases of clinical investigation, extensive interactions with regulatory authorities, and preparation and submission of applications to health agencies in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In addition, she has implemented and maintained quality systems, prepared for and participated in agency audits, and developed internal training programs.
Ms. Nohynek has worked for small to mid-size biotech and medical device companies as well as with large pharma. She is an executive member of RAPS’ Southern B.C. chapter and a professional member of the Canadian Association of Professionals in Regulatory Affairs.
Our research staff form the backbone of many of our research programs, assisting Scientists in developing research plans and protocols, conducting studies, and publishing results. This group includes research assistants, projects coordinators, evaluation specialists, and methodologists.
Research Assistant
Scott Beaumont is a Research Assistant working with Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes.
Project Coordinator
Ms. Mai Berger is a Project Coordinator with Dr. Amy Salmon. She is currently completing her MSc at the UBC School of Population and Public Health.
Project Assistant
Mattheus Bicknell joined CHÉOS in May 2021 as a Project Assistant for the Value and Limitations in Hospital Utilization and Expenditures (VALHUE) team. He is at McGill studying Economics and Psychology.
Research Assistant
Brittany Buffone joined CHÉOS in 2020 as a research assistant (pharmacy) working with Dr. Wei Zhang. She previously completed a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology at McGill University and an Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of British Columbia. Next, she will be pursuing a hospital residency with Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services.
Research Assistant
José Carvajal joined CHÉOS in June 2021 as a research assistant for Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes in the Program of Outcomes Research on Treatment with Injectables for Addiction (PORTIA) study. José holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Human Geography from the University of British Columbia and is currently working towards a Master of Arts degree in Geography at the University of British Columbia, focusing on environmental politics in the Arctic region.
Project Coordinator
Laura Dale is a project coordinator working with Dr. Bohdan Nosyk. She has a Bachelor of Science from McGill University and a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of British Columbia. Laura’s primary research interests are in the policies, programs, and systems surrounding substance use. She is interested in the translation of research evidence to facilitate policy decision-making with a focus on health equity and the social determinants of health.
Research Methodologist
Mr. Sameer Desai is a Research Methodologist at CHÉOS. He works closely with Dr. Joseph Puyat and CHÉOS statisticians to provide methodological and statistical support to hospital researchers. He has a M.Sc. in the field of Population Health and currently a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia.
Research Methodologist
Mr. Adam Easterbrook is a Research Methodologist at CHÉOS. He previously worked at the University of Alberta as a Research Associate. Adam’s research has focused on exploring the experiences of various marginalized/vulnerable groups, which has included engaging in several knowledge translation endeavours. Adam will be working with Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes’ team on the PORTIA study.
Research Assistant
Avarna Fernandes is a Research Assistant with Dr. Josie Geller.
Qualitative Methodologist & Program Coordinator
Saranee (MPH) joined CHÉOS in 2017 and works with Dr. Amy Salmon. She is a Qualitative Methodologist & Program Coordinator for the Knowledge Translation (KT) Program, and conducts research activities for various projects including: overdose response in the Fraser East, and integrative stepped care for youth experiencing barriers to mental health services. She also manages operational processes related to numerous KT projects.
Research Assistant
Ms. Aanchel Gupta is a research assistant working with Dr. Joseph Puyat. Aanchel is currently in the Master’s of Public Health Program at the University of British Columbia.
Community Research Assistant
Jennifer Hawkins joined CHÉOS in July 2021 as a Community Research Assistant, providing support on the Fraser East Overdose Response (FEOR) project. She has collaborated with Dr. Amy Salmon’s team since 2018, leveraging her position as a Community Health Specialist with Fraser Health to activate stakeholders around novel and relevant approaches towards addressing overdose in Chilliwack. Jennifer’s community development work is deeply rooted in her seminary training at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where she earned her Master of Arts.
Project Coordinator
Ihoghosa (Muyi) Iyamu is working as a Project Coordinator with Dr. Amy Salmon. He is a public health physician with a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid from the Humanitarian Aid Studies Center Almeria, Spain. He has over 6 years of experience in public health spanning across health insurance, mHealth, NCD control and HIV/AIDS programming. Most recently, he served as the documentation lead on the FHI 360 led Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services (SIDHAS) project, across 13 states in Nigeria.
Research Coordinator
Ph.D, RN, MSc
Soodabeh (Soodi) is a Research Coordinator for Dr. Peter Dodek, working with him on his “Moving from Moral Distress to Moral Integrity” project. Soodi completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Applied Ethics, SPPH in 2016, and is now a visiting professor at the same center. In addition to her role at CHÉOS and as a visiting professor, Soodi is a currently a professor at the Nursing Care Research Center (NCRC), Iran University of Medical Sciences.
Research Assistant
Ernest Lai joined CHÉOS in September 2019 as a Research Assistant for the project Value and Limitations in Hospitalizations and Expenditure (VALHUE). The specific focus of the study is patient quality improvement and the impact of wait times on a patient’s day to day life, through collecting and analyzing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) before and after elective surgery.
Ernest also divides his time as a Project Coordinator at Footbridge Centre for Integrated Orthopedic Care, analyzing data and working with orthopedic surgeons on how to better improve clinic operations and physician practice. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics and is a current candidate for the Master of Science degree in Population and Public Health, both at the University of British Columbia.
Research Coordinator
Anne Leclerc joined CHÉOS in April 2021 as Research Coordinator for Dr. Joseph Puyat’s Long-Term Care (LTC) project. She has experience leading research projects while working as a physical therapist for Providence Health Care. Anne holds a BSc in Physical Therapy from McGill University, a Project Management certificate, and a Master’s of Rehabilitation Science degree from the University of British Columbia.
Research Coordinator
Kurt Lock joined CHÉOS in 2005 as a Research Assistant for the North American Opioid Medication Initiative (NAOMI) clinical trial and then was employed as a coordinator for the Study to Assess Long-Term Opioid Maintenance Effectiveness (SALOME) in 2011. Kurt continues to assist in research projects at CHEOS while working on his Masters degree in Public Policy at SFU.
Project Manager
Lizzy is a Project Manager working with Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes on the Program of Outcomes Research on Treatment with Injectables for Addiction (PORTIA) study. She completed her Master of Public Health at Queen’s University with a focus on mental health, substance use, and stigma.
Research Assistant
Research Assistant
Mr. Derek Ouyang is a Research Assistant at CHÉOS.
Project Coordinator
Micah Piske is a Project Coordinator working with Dr. Bohdan Nosyk. She holds an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a BSc from the University of British Columbia. Her research has recently focused on the cascade of care for opioid use disorder, as well as maternal and neonatal health in the context of substance use and HIV.
Research Assistant
Harman Ranote joined CHÉOS in April 2021 as a Research Assistant for Dr. Joseph Puyat’s team. He is a recent medical graduate from Christian Medical College, India. His primary areas of research interests include psychiatry, mental health, substance use, and public health. He is currently working towards a residency position in Psychiatry/Family Medicine.
Research Assistant
Annes Song joined CHÉOS in April 2021 as a Research Assistant for Dr. Joseph Puyat. She is a registered nurse with the PHC Residential Care Interprofessional Research team and works with them towards addressing the challenges of caring for end-of-life residents in long-term care homes. Annes holds a BSc in Nursing and a BSc in Microbiology and Immunology, both from the University of British Columbia.
Research Assistant
M.Sc., B.Sc.
Ms. Julie Sou completed her M.Sc. at the School of Population and Public Health at UBC, where her thesis focused on social determinants of health and health access among female sex workers. She is currently working as a Research Assistant with Dr. Wei Zhang, Program Head of Health Economics at CHÉOS.
Research Assistant
Ms. Joanna Zelichowska is a Research Assistant for the Eating Disorders Program at Providence Health Care with CHÉOS Scientist Dr. Josie Geller.
Our programmers and developers are responsible for the design, implementation, and management of information technology solutions in areas of clinical research and health care delivery. This includes clinical systems design, systems architecture, software development, interface development, and health data exchanges.
Senior Application Developer/Analyst
Mr. Levon Ambartsoumian obtained a Masters in Mathematics from the Lomonosov Moscow State University and has a strong background in database management and IT systems’ design and development. At CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN), he is responsible for database and application servers’ deployment and administration. He also designs and supports IT applications for clinical and research programs.
Data Programmer
Stanko has been a relational database developer and software developer with the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network at CHÉOS. since 1997. He is specialized in designing, developing, testing, implementing, and maintaining new and existing databases, and creating management methods and systems to efficiently access information stored in databases. Stanko has developed GUI client/server and WEB data management, data manipulation, and data reporting applications using various programming languages and development tools.
Stanko has a master’s degree in Quantitative Economic Analysis from Sarajevo University, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Chief Information Officer
Dr. Piaseczny joined CHÉOS and the CTN in 1992. He has a master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Lodz (Poland–1978), and a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences, Health Informatics from the Medical Academy of Lodz (1984).
His work experience includes the B.C. Provincial Renal Agency, Circle Drugs, Ltd., and the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine. His professional interests include clinical trials, electronic health records, health registries, and administrative databases.
Senior Application Developer/Analyst
Victor joined CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) in 2012 as a database programmer and has a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He also works with the B.C Renal Agency (BCPRA) as an application developer.
Application Developer/Administrator
Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Physics, Oracle Certified DBA
Qi undertook a postgraduate course in Physics and also obtained a Computer Science diploma/certificate at University of Regina, Canada.
Qi previously worked on systems regarding pension, life insurance, and group insurance for Canada Life Assurance. Qi also worked at Power company and Sask Health, contributing to enterprise integration, application and database support, and was involved in planning, implementing, and testing variant systems.
Qi joined CHÉOS/CTN in 2018. Major responsibilities include planning/installing/configuring/supporting many databases and Oracle Health Science suite including InForm, Central Designer, Central Coding, as well as Cognos Analysis – the systems for the Data Management Team to design, create, and operate many online clinical trial applications for different organizations and companies. Qi has a strong interest in Database Administration.
Our statisticians and health economists provide consultation and analysis services to researchers in a wide range of areas. They are involved in all stages of research, including designing analysis plans, developing and validating statistical tools, modelling and assessing cost-effectiveness, and leading analysis and publication.
Health Economist
Statistician
Dr. Guan holds a PhD in Mathematics and a Master degree in Statistics, both from the University of British Columbia.
Prior to joining CHÉOS, Dr. Guan worked as a biostatistician at the Centre for Improved Cardiovascular Health (ICVHealth) with over 6 years of experience in the cardiovascular research setting. Her projects focused on evaluating factors associated short and long-term outcomes following various cardiac procedure in BC. She specializes in methodologies including mixed effects models for longitudinal data, survival analysis, meta-analysis and Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis. She is currently working the project which aims to identify care gaps for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in BC using Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium and administrative databases.
Senior Statistician
M.Sc.
Pharmacoeconomics Program
PubMed
Research Interests
Ms. Daphne Guh joined the Pharmacoeconomics program at CHÉOS after graduating with a Master of Science in Statistics from the University of British Columbia in late 1997. Over the years, she has worked with Centre Director Dr. Aslam Anis on several projects related to the provincial drug plan regulatory policies. Her research interests have been in biostatistics and issues/methods in analyzing administrative databases. Current research projects she is working on include the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI) clinical trial, a British Columbia population-based rheumatoid arthritis database, and a project on the cost of obesity–burden of illness.
Health Economist
Statistician
Megan received an MSc in statistics from SFU in 2020, with a thesis focused on survival analysis applied to retention in opioid agonist treatment. She works as a statistician under Dr. Bohdan Nosyk, leading and supporting statistical analyses for his research projects.
Senior Statistician
May holds a Master of Science in Statistics from Simon Fraser University and has over 10 years of experience providing support to clinicians and epidemiologists on clinical outcomes research in cardiovascular disease, and has been working with Karin Humphries for 15 years, including being part of the beginning of the BC Center for Improved Cardiovascular Health (ICVHealth) in 2013. Her expertise lies in working with administrative databases, carrying out complex linkages, and analyses.
Senior Statistician
PhD, M.Sc.
Dr. Terry Lee is a Statistician for the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network at CHÉOS. He received his PhD in Statistics from the University of Victoria and completed his postdoctoral research fellowship at Simon Fraser University in 2009. Part of his research involved collaborating with the Public Health Agency of Canada to develop and validate statistical tools for estimating hospital morbidity rate and cancer mortality rate in Canada. Dr. Lee’s work includes providing statistical consultation and analysis service to researchers in various areas, such as HIV/AIDS, obstetrics and gynaecology, gastroenterology, and critical care.
Statistician
Guiping Liu joined CHÉOS and in July 2021 as a Statistician in Dr. Hubert Wong’s team. For the past 10 years, he has been a Research Analyst at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health. Guiping has extensive experience working with patient-reported outcomes data, administrative data, population census, and survey data for the evaluations of health services and policy, and in-depth studies of patient-level health inventions. Guiping holds a PhD in Demography.
Statistician
Health Economist
M.Sc., MA
Ms. Tima Mohammadi is a Health Economist with the pharmacoeconomics program of research, the Advancing Decision-Making in Medicine (DcIDE) group at CHÉOS.
She has a MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and a M.Sc. in Socioeconomic Systems Engineering from the Institute for Management and Planning Studies (IMPS), Tehran. Tima has worked as a research analyst at Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE). She also held a faculty position at IMPS for seven years and conducted several research projects in economics evaluation and statistical analysis. Her research interests are focused on decision-analytic modeling and simulation, preference elicitation techniques (with a particular focus on using Bayesian methods in econometric analysis of discrete choice data), and health technology assessment.
Statistician
Monica holds a Master of Science in Statistics from Simon Fraser University and worked over 15 years analyzing outcomes from BC’s Intensive Care Unit database under Dr. Peter Dodek’s supervision. Currently she provides statistical support to multiple research projects as part of the CHEOS team.
Statistician
Dr. Peng completed a PhD in economics with a major in statistics from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, in China in 2001. She updated her background by completing a Master of Science degree with a major in statistics from McMaster University in Ontario in 2009. Dr. Peng worked as a senior research fellow at the Center of Bio-statistics at the University of Limerick in Ireland from 2010–2012. And she worked as a statistician at BC Center for Improved Cardiovascular Health (ICVHealth), from 2013–2019.
Dr. Peng has published widely and developed interests in statistics, particularly in survival analysis with frailty, bivariate survival analysis, longitudinal analysis and in the stability of regression models with categorical covariates.
Senior Statistician
M.Sc.
Ms. Hong Qian joined CHÉOS in June 2008. She holds a M.Sc. in Statistics from McMaster University. With over 10 years’ professional experience as a statistician working for research organizations, including the B.C. Cancer Agency and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York), Ms. Qian provides statistical support to multiple projects—specifically in the areas of osteoarthritis, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. She also provides advice on study design and statistical analysis for various short-term research projects.
Senior Statistician
PhD, M.Sc.
Pharmacoeconomics Program
PubMed
Research Interests
Dr. Huiying Sun has a PhD in Mathematics from Harbin Institute of Technology, China, and a master’s degree in Statistics from University of British Columbia. She joined CHÉOS as a statistician in 2000.
Dr. Sun’s primary interest is in statistical modelling and computing. Her work includes statistical and mathematical consultation and data analysis. She has worked on cost-effectiveness studies of interventions for various diseases, such as hypertension, hip fraction, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and HIV/AIDS. The methods used in these analyses include the Markov model, Monte-Carlo simulation, probabilistic sensitivity analysis, and Bayesian meta-analysis. She is also interested in the research of HIV/AIDS epidemiology, especially health-related quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients.
Statistician
Our communications experts are responsible for publicizing the success of our Scientists, staff, and organization as a whole. The communications department also assists researchers in the planning and implementation of knowledge translation, research communication, and recruitment strategies.
Communications Officer
Ms. Hannah Branch joined the communications department in the fall of 2019. She holds a degree in Human Biology from the University of Birmingham and has over eight years’ experience working in health care. Starting her career as commissioning editor of two medical journals, Hannah has since worked in other medical communications and PR roles, developing training materials and campaigns across a variety of health care areas.
Director of Communications
Michaela holds a Masters in Communications and has a breadth of experience working within health care non-profits, as well as large, publicly-traded organizations.
Currently on maternity leave
Phone: 604-682-2344 ext. 68306
Communications Coordinator
Louis Plottel is a Communications Coordinator at CHÉOS and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN). He holds a masters in Anthropology from SOAS University, London, as well as a BA from New York University Abu Dhabi. Louis works to bring a qualitative lens to public health research, with a particular focus on ethnographic methods and knowledge translation.
Phone: (778) 798-3396
Communications and Knowledge Translation Manager
Mr. Sean Sinden joined the Communications Department in February of 2016. He holds a Master of Public Health degree and a Master of Science degree from UBC. Sean works with CHÉOS Scientists and staff to communicate information about research projects and their results and implications to a variety of audiences.
Phone: 604-806-8829
Director of Communications (Maternity Leave Coverage)
Elaine Yong joined the team in December 2020 as a temporary transfer from her role as Senior Communications Specialist – Media Relations at Providence Health Care. Recently, she also held an interim position as the Communications Manager at BC Transplant. Prior to health care communications, Elaine spent more than two decades as a television journalist in newsrooms across the country.
Our Grants and Research Development department helps researchers find and secure research funding and other support opportunities. The department also leads internal development of collaborations, partnerships, and organizational funding and support.
Grants Associate
Rita joined CHÉOS in January 2021. Passionate about plain language, health information, and research for a healthier world, she brings to this position her dual medical and writing background.
Director of Grants and Research Development
Iva has led teams and collaborations across these sectors to advance R&D innovation. Her experience includes proposal development as principal and co-applicant, program funding and publication of manuscripts as both first and senior authors. Iva holds a BSc in Cell and Molecular Biology from Simon Fraser University and a Ph.D. in Cancer Research from the University of British Columbia.
