Our People
Dr. Stephanie Montesanti
Principal Investigator
Canada Research Chair in Health System Integration
Dr. Stephanie Montesanti is a settler Canadian of European descent who is grateful to live and work in amiskwacîwâskahikan, Treaty 6 Territory in western Canada. She is an Associate Professor and Scientist with the Centre for Healthy Communities in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, and Academic Lead for the Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit’s Learning Health System Team. She is an applied health policy and systems researcher. Dr. Montesanti’s research applies policy analysis, systems thinking, integrated knowledge translation, transdisciplinary and engaged research approaches for transforming health systems to be better equipped to address the conditions driving health disparities and disease burden among underserved populations in Canada and globally. She collaborates with health system leaders, decision-makers, front-line service providers, patients, and communities on research projects in the areas of primary health care improvement, mental health service delivery, patient-and-family centred care, and health system responses to domestic and family violence.
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Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Alberta (2015)
PhD, Interdisciplinary Health Policy PhD Program, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University (2013)
Graduate Diploma Certificate in Health Services and Policy Research, Ontario Training Centre (2012)
MA, Medical Anthropology, Department of Anthropology and Centre for International Health, University of Toronto
BA (with Distinction), Medical Anthropology (speciality) and Sociology (Minor), University of Toronto
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2022 Peace in Families Award
2020 Top 40 Under 40, Edify Edmonton
2018 Diversity Champion Award, School of Public Health, University of Alberta
2014 Faculty of Health Sciences Programs Excellence Award for Outstanding Thesis, Health Policy PhD Program, McMaster University
2013 Eyes High Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, University of Calgary
2012 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
2012 Population Health Improvement Research Network (PHIRN) Doctoral Award
2011 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
2007 Distinction Award, Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree, University of Toronto
2007 Dean’s Experience Enhancement Fund, Victoria College, University of Toronto
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SPH500 – Health Policy and Systems Research Methods
This is a specialization methods course that introduces students to the field of health policy analysis and teaches relevant concepts and methods that will provide students with basic skills required to conduct health policy and system research for the purposes of informing or explaining health policy development, to be critical consumers of health policy and system research, and media coverage of health policy issues.
SPH530 – This is Public Health
This course uses a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to respond to a specific public health crisis. PBL is based on the complex problems encountered in the real world as a stimulus for learning and for integrating and organizing learned information and concepts in public health in ways that will ensure its recall and application to future public health problems. The course introduces students to the history and evolution of the field, views of health and wellness, the determinants of health, social justice and health inequities, systems thinking, core public health functions, strategies and interventions to improve public health, intercultural competence, ways of knowing, and the role of evidence in public health planning and evaluation.
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P 587-968-1316
3-266 Edmonton Clinic Academy, 11405-87 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9
Research Staff
Karrie Darichuk
Financial & Administrative Assistant hh
As a fourth generation settler in Treaty 6 Territory Karrie is an alumna of the University of Alberta in Cultural Anthropology. In addition to an administrative career supporting research labs since 2004, she also has applied her arts background to project work for arts in education and arts in healthcare. Karrie supports the day-to-day operations of the CARE Lab’s research projects and its highly qualified personnel and trainees. She liaises with the business units of the University to support our valued relationships with both academic and community research partners and participants.
Emily Fleming
Research & Knowledge Mobilization Specialist
Emily was raised in the town of Devon on Treaty 6 Territory. Having graduated from the dietetics program at the University of Alberta in 2018, Emily has practiced clinical dietetics in various rural and urban primary healthcare settings. In 2022, Emily began her MPH specializing in Health Promotion while simultaneously coordinating community-focused projects in Women’s and Children’s Health and contributing to the CARE lab part-time as a graduate research assistant, supporting knowledge synthesis activities for the Indigenous Primary Health Care and Policy Research (IPHCPR) Network. Since finishing her MPH, Emily has joined the CARE Lab full-time as a Research and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, supporting and coordinating projects under the IPHCPR.
Nicole Orji
Research Coordinator mm
Nicole is a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) woman with maternal roots hail from Six Nations of the Grand River in southern Ontario and paternal roots hail from across the pond. She has spent 10 years working in Nistawâyâw (Fort McMurray) as a Librarian at the Wood Buffalo Regional Library advocating for accessible, barrier-free, and culturally safe programs and services for communities and individuals and then as an Outreach Manager with Waypoints working on violence against women. She has forged strong relationships in the Wood Buffalo region. She worked as the Coordinator of Member Supports and Special Projects with the Alberta Council of Women Shelters (ACWS), and now works at the CARE Lab leading project management, relationship-building and partnership development, and knowledge mobilization for the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (I-HeLTI) – Wood Buffalo Cohort Study and Community Wellness Worker Program with McMurray Métis Local.
Sarah Demedeiros
Research Coordinator hhhhh
Sarah is from the beautiful and traditional territories of the Lekwungen People, also known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Alberta, where she simultaneously worked as a clinical research assistant in the Department Pediatrics studying neonatal-perinatal care. Sarah is a Research Coordinator in the CARE Lab and coordinates projects related to domestic violence prevention and response in healthcare settings. She assists with data analysis, writing of manuscripts and reports, and knowledge translation activities. Sarah completed her MSc in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta and is the past President of the School of Public Health Students’ Association (SPHSA). Sarah has been accepted to the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public health to begin her PhD in September 2025.
Dionne Edgecombe
Implementation Research Coordinator
Dionne is a Métis community-based researcher supporting a CIHR-funded study on strengthening the Indigenous health workforce. She supports the implementation of a novel Indigenous Support Hub model for Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Alberta to improve clinical care for Indigenous patients. In this model, Indigenous support workers will participate in virtual case conferencing and collaborative learning with clinicians to provide guidance and advice on best practice care for Indigenous patients. Dionne works closely with the research team and PCN partner sites to support the roll-out and evaluation of the ‘Hub’ model. She is currently completing her Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University and has a bachelor’s degree in commerce.
Kaylen Duke
Community Engagement & Project Assistant
Kaylen Duke is the Community Engagement Coordinator and Project Assistant for the Aunties Within Reach Program and the CIHR Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (I-HeLTI). Kaylen is a proud member of the Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation, who was born and raised in Fort McMurray. Since joining Aunties Within Reach in December 2021, she has played a vital role in developing and implementing community programs. In her role, Kaylen plans community events, manages the AWR social media presence, and contributes wherever needed to ensure the initiative’s success and clients’ needs are met. Her passion for community engagement and dedication to her roots shine through in all her efforts.
Rhyann McKay
Postdoctoral Fellow - Implementation Science
Rhyann grew up in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory. Rhyann completed her PhD in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) people. She conducted research in partnership with community-based organizations to co-develop behaviour change interventions for and with people with lived experience of spinal cord injury. Following her PhD, she held a CIHR Health System Impact Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Alberta, applying Implementation Science to the planning and evaluation of a program to improve acute care practice in Alberta hospitals. Currently, she is a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Implementation Scientist in the CARE Lab, leading Implementation Science research on a CIHR-funded study that aims to establish an Indigenous Support Hub model within Primary Care Networks across Alberta to enhance primary care for Indigenous patients.
Barbara Verstraeten
Research Associate dd
Barbara recently became a Canadian citizen after immigrating from Belgium, where she obtained her medical degree. Her PhD in Health Sciences, a collaboration between Ghent University in Belgium and the University of Alberta, focussed on the effects of maternal stress during pregnancy and its long-term effects. Her passion for pregnancy, maternal, and child health and the developmental origins of health and wellness led Barbara to conduct postdoctoral research in Ghana and at the University of Alberta, developing, conducting, and analysing longitudinal cohort studies evaluating environmental impacts on pregnancy, maternal, and child outcomes, including the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and COVID-19 pandemic. Previously a postdoctoral fellow and now research associate with the CARE lab, Barbara supports qualitative and quantitative statistical data analyses for projects in the Wood Buffalo region in northern Alberta, including the Better Together Project and the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (I-HeLTI) – Wood Buffalo Cohort Study.
Erynne Sjoblom
Graduate Research Assistant
Erynne grew up in Northeastern British Columbia in the Peace River Valley along the Alaska Highway, and is completed her MSc in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Her MSc thesis was conducted in partnership with a Manitoba Tribal Council and a remote reserve community. This research examined the roles that language, culture, and community play in promoting and protecting mental wellness. She has also worked on various contracts with the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba. In the CARE Lab, she provides research assistance and project coordination support to various projects in the Wood Buffalo region in northern Alberta, including the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (I-HeLTI) – Wood Buffalo Cohort Study and Community Wellness Worker Program with McMurray Métis Local.
Sarah Stein
Graduate Research Assistant
Sarah was born and raised in amiskwacîwâskahikan, or Edmonton, on Treaty 6 territory, and is grateful to call this land home as a settler Canadian. Following completion of her BSc. in Nutrition and Food Science, Sarah started her career with Indigenous Services Canada, working with First Nations across Alberta in the area of community health promotion. Her passion for this work led her to begin her Master of Public Health degree at the University of Alberta, during which she is supporting the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (I-HeLTI) – Wood Buffalo Cohort Study as a Graduate Research Assistant.
Elliott Young
Graduate Research Assistant
Elliott is a member of Ermineskin Cree Nation, which is one of the four First Nations that make up Maskwacis. He has 13 years of experience in Indigenous relations, evaluation, community engagement, and policy development within government, non-profit and education. He was previously the Director of Engagement at pipikwan pêhtâkwan, an Indigenous owned and led public relations agency. He provides research assistance and project coordination support for the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (I-HeLTI) – Wood Buffalo Cohort Study and the Centre for Healthy Communities Research Thematic Area on ‘Supporting Healthy Indigenous Communities.’
Trainees
Erynne Sjoblom
PhD Student, Epidemiology ddddd
Erynne is a community-engaged scholar enrolled in the PhD Program in Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Montesanti. Her goals are to collaborate with Indigenous organizations to facilitate community-led research that weaves Indigenous methodologies and paradigms with Western science. Erynne’s PhD research is supported by a CIHR Doctoral Research Award, AbSPORU Graduate Studentship, and WCHRI Graduate Student Award.
Stephanie Reardon
PhD Student, Health Services & Policy Research
Stephanie’s PhD research will examine the capacity of patients to engage and advocate on decisions about their care. Her research will provide insight into what engagement and advocacy means to diverse patients on the basis of intersecting factors of gender, age and education. Stephanie is a trained social worker and is currently employed by Alberta Health Services as a Senior Consultant - Harm Reduction Services in Red Deer, Alberta
Elliott Young
PhD Student, Health Services & Policy Research
Elliott is enrolled in the PhD Program in Health Services and Policy Research in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Montesanti. His thesis research is supported by the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectory Initiative (I-HeLTI) – Wood Buffalo Cohort Study and will focus on the community-led design and implementation of an Indigenous-led Evaluation framework for community-based strategies. Elliott’s training is also supported with funding from a SSHRC Doctoral Award, a seed grant from the NEIHR:IPHCPR Network, and the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship.
Past Trainees
Winta Ghidei
Winta completed her PhD studies in the School of Public Health, University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Montesanti. Her thesis was titled “Determining Safe, Equitable and Accessible Virtually Delivered Interventions to Individuals Affected by Intimate Partner Violence: Perspectives of Survivors and Service Providers.” She is now a postdoctoral fellow with Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence at the University of Calgary.
Taylor Gill
Taylor Gill is maškékowak-Métis and English/French-Canadian. She is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, and her ancestors are from Norway House Nation in Manitoba. She is completed her MSc thesis in the School of Public Health, University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Montesanti, titled “Healthy Pregnancies and Beyond: Exploring the Experience and Teachings of Indigenous Grandmothers to Promote the Health of Future Generations of Indigenous people in Alberta.”
Danika Goveas
Danika completed her MSc thesis research in the School of Public Health, University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Montesanti. Her research was conducted in collaboration with the Indigenous Primary Health Care and Policy Research (IPHCPR) Network. Danika’s thesis is titled “Exploring Shifts in Indigenous Primary Health Care Policy Development in Alberta, Canada: A Case Study Analysis.” She is now a Research Analyst and International Event Planner at Health Workforce Canada.
Tara Azimi
Tara completed her PhD studies in the School of Public Health, University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Montesanti in September 2024. Her PhD research examined maternal caregiving experiences and support needs when caring for a child with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Tara’s PhD research was funded by a WCHRI Graduate Studentship and the Charles WB Gravett Memorial Scholarship. Tara is also a Provisional Psychologist.
Sarah Demedeiros
Sarah completed her MSc studies in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Montesanti in December 2024. Her research worked alongside the Grandmothers’ Wisdom Network to promote resilience and cultural healing of Indigenous mothers, families and communities. She was a recipient of the Patient and Community Engagement Training Award (PaCET) Program offered by the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI). Sarah will be pursuing her PhD at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health beginning September, 2025.