Pride in Patient Engagement in Research - PiPER

Cathy Craven, BA, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FASIA (she/her)
PiPER Lead,

I am the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute/ University of Toronto Chair in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Rehabilitation, Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Medical Director of the Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program and Senior Scientist at KITE Research Institute within University Health Network (UHN). I also lead the PiPER initiative, Chair the PiPER Steering Committee, and sit on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research SUPPORT Unit (OSSU).

Curtis Black, BHSc (he/him)
PiPER Digital Research Associate

Curtis Black is a Research Associate with the PiPER team and has been proud to be part of this initiative since September 2022. Curtis is a sixth-generation Canadian with ancestors from Northwestern Europe. He has lived in various cities throughout Ontario: Pickering, Bowmanville, Ottawa, and Kingston. He is now living in Toronto where he enjoys spending time kayaking around Humber Bay in warmer weather and taking in the theatre scene during the colder months.

Curtis attended the University of Ontario: Institute of Technology where he completed an Honour’s Bachelor of Health Science in Health Science, specializing in Human Health with a minor in Forensic Psychology. While working at Queen’s University he built his skills in clinical research, research administration, and project management, which he uses to further the goals of patient engagement in research at UHN. He currently contributes to PiPER Research Day planning, digital initiatives for integrating PiPER values, and working groups facilitating financial compensation for patient partners.

Michael Voth, MSc, CQA (he/him)
PiPER Team Member

I am the Senior Manager of Clinical Research Quality and Compliance where I provide leadership in the planning, conduct and reporting of quality and risk management activities within UHN Research. In my role on the PiPER team, I provide strategic support, facilitate collaborations, and advise on UHN policy and standards, developing and delivering training, and performing internal quality audit and compliance activities to ensure we meet the expectations of our external funders, regulators and community for high quality research at UHN.

Amanda Weston, BA (she/her)
PiPER Team Member

I am a Research Quality Associate and provide educational programs for UHN quality initiatives and support the professional practice portfolio. In my role on the PiPER team, I help find integrative ways to engage patients in the UHN research enterprise. I also work with people with lived experience, staff, and researchers to create educational videos about research, patient engagement in research, and related topics.

Ask me about our educational videos!

Dawn Richards, PhD (she/her)
PiPER Consultant

I am an analytical chemist by training, however living with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis has profoundly impacted my career. In my role with the PiPER team, I am helping set up some of the foundations related to patient engagement in research at UHN. Specifically, I am contributing to the development of role descriptions for patient partners, establishing a patient engagement community of practice, and facilitating work related to other patient engagement events.

Anisa Morava, BSc, MA, PhD (she/her)
PiPER Team Member

Anisa Morava is a Research Associate I - Patient Engagement at UHN. Anisa arrived in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 2001 from Japan where she was born to Albanian parents and spent her formative years. Anisa learned English at the age of five. She has had the pleasure of living in a few different cities in Ontario, including Guelph and London and is now living in Toronto.

Anisa completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University and her Master’s and PhD in Kinesiology at Western University. During her time at McMaster, she explored the use of Goal Management Training as an executive function intervention in Acquired Brain Injury. During her graduate studies, she examined the use of acute exercise-based intervention to promote cognitive functioning and stress reduction in young adults. She has experience with systematic reviews and exercise-based intervention studies. She is passionate about patient engagement and looks forward to building our community of practice at UHN.

Julie Vo, BSc, MSc (she/her)
PiPER Team Member

Julie Vo is a Research Associate at the University Health Network, supporting the Pride in Patient Engagement in Research (PiPER) initiative. Julie is a first-generation Canadian who is proudly connected to her Vietnamese roots. In the heart of her family home in Ottawa, she often spends her time in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes. You’ll now find her discovering hidden gems in Toronto or venturing into the diverse culinary landscape of the city.

Julie attended McMaster University for her undergraduate studies where she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Life Sciences. With a growing passion for improving the healthcare landscape, she obtained her Master of Science degree in Health Promotion from Western University. Her research expertise lies in knowledge translation, digital health, and implementation science. Julie currently leads the development of educational resources aimed at fostering health equity, promoting quality education, and creating economic opportunities for diverse communities. Her goal is to bridge the gap between research, practice, and public understanding of patient engagement in research for individuals from all walks of life.

Erin Smith, BSc, MPH (she/her)
PiPER Team Member

Erin Smith is a Research Associate on the Pride in Patient Engagement (PiPER) team at the University Health Network. Erin is a fourth-generation Canadian with ancestors of British and Greek-Macedonian heritage. She is proud to have called Toronto, or Tkaronto, home for most of her life. Erin enjoys spending time year-round in Ontario’s wilderness and provincial parks, specifically Algonquin Park and Haliburton.

Erin attended the University of Guelph for her undergraduate studies where she completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Biomedical Science. She obtained her Master’s of Public Health from McMaster University, where she conducted a project that engaged community members to improve communication and public messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Erin’s previous work experience has included a focus on health promotion and the social determinants of health, as she worked at a local public health unit to help support equity-deserving populations in Northern Ontario. She is passionate about patient engagement and developing equitable research processes and health outcomes for all patient populations served by UHN.

Matheus J. Wiest, PhD (he/him)
PiPER Team Member

Matheus Wiest (or just Mat Vee-st) emigrated from the traditional territories of the Tupi-Guaranis (Brazil) to Treaty 6/Metis Nation of Alberta Region 4 (Edmonton) in 2011 to complete his PhD training, where he studied how to improve rehabilitation for people living with physical disabilities.

He has been part of UHN since 2017, working in rehabilitation research and on provincial and national initiatives improving the quality of care for people living with brain and spinal cord injuries. At PiPER, Mat is the Patient Engagement in Research Manager, overseeing the team activities and working as a facilitator to meaningfully engage patients and their carers in the research produced at UHN. He is a football fan and an occasional fisherman.

Lindsie Blencowe BSc (Hons), MSc, CCRA, PhD (she/her)
PiPER Team Member

Lindsie Blencowe is the PiPER Digital Manager, supporting Pride in Patient Engagement in Research (PiPER Digital) at UHN. Lindsie is a second-generation Canadian with strong familial ties to both Canada and Scotland. In her spare time, Lindsie enjoys coordinating her local knitting guild and spending time camping with her family.

Lindsie is a biochemist and clinical researcher by training and has more than 22 years of experience working in health research. She received her Honours Bachelor of Science from Queen's University and her Master of Science degree and Clinical Research training at McMaster University. She obtained her PhD from the University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Science.

Lindsie has also been a UHN patient for more than 20 years. Her personal and professional experiences at UHN make Lindsie passionate about engaging patients as partners in our research programs. Lindsie has previously been involved in many knowledge translation and patient education projects at UHN. Most recently, she worked with patient partners on a patient-focused podcast series. Lindsie has diverse interests and skills which include graphic design, web-app and website development.