Research Trainees

Nicole is a PhD Student in Counselling Psychology at McGill University under the co-supervision of Dr. Deborah DaCosta and Dr. Annett Körner. Her Master of Arts (Counselling Psychology) and Bachelor of Arts (psychology) were also done at McGill University. Nicole’s research is focused on optimizing health-related quality of life in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA), and patients with cancer. In her newest project, Nicole is examining sleep disturbance in people with IA.

Jenyo is a graduate student in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. Wei Zhang. She holds a Master of Public Health degree and has several years of experience in program evaluation within healthcare settings. Her research interests focus on the application of biostatistics in health outcomes research, with a particular emphasis on seniors’ care and chronic disease management.

Jordyn Burgar is a Masters of Science student in Public Health at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Allyson Jones. Jordyn completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Calgary while playing varsity hockey. After playing a year of hockey overseas, she started her Masters working on a project for the collaborative management of early osteoarthritis (OA) between pharmacists and physiotherapists. This research will examine the effectiveness of pharmacist screening for early OA with referral to physiotherapy to improve patient symptom management.

Vienna Cheng is a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) under the supervision of Dr. Mary De Vera. She is a practicing pharmacist who completed her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) training at UBC. Vienna has a keen interest in pharmacovigilance and improving patient health outcomes through drug safety research.

Vienna’s goal with her MSc thesis is to evaluate the perinatal impact of arthritis medications on neonatal outcomes among females with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Dani Contreras is currently a Masters of Science student at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Cheryl Barnabe. She completed her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Calgary. Her honours thesis focused on characterizing a “normal” metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT). She also collaborated with biomedical engineers to compare joint space parameters between healthy and arthritic metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints. Dani’s current research will investigate acute care visits for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSCs) for persons with inflammatory arthritis (IA).

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Jamon is completing his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Jackie Whittaker (UBC) and Dr. Adam Culvenor (La Trobe University). Jamon graduated from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Health Sciences and Masters of Physiotherapy Practice before completing a postgraduate Masters in Exercise Science (Strength & Conditioning) at Edith Cowan University. He has held several academic positions at La Trobe University, including Lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Sessional Academic in the Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology & Pharmacology, and Research Officer within the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre. Jamon’s research interests primarily lie within the advancement of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation protocols, in particular the prevention and management of early knee osteoarthritis in young adults following ACL injury and reconstruction.

Narsis is pursuing a PhD in the Experimental Medicine program in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Antonio Aviña-Zubieta. She is studying potential retinal side effects of the Plaquenil / Hydroxychloroquine medication which is used in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous prospectively. Her thesis project title is “RetINal Toxicity And hydroxyChloroquine Therapy: A Prospective Population-based Cohort Study (INTACT)”.

She earned her MD and then completed her ophthalmology residency and retina specialty fellowship at the SBMU University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran. She is a clinician-scientist with about 10 years of experience in research in the fields of ocular basic science as well as epidemiologic and clinical research. She has over 50 publications and over 600 citations for her publications on Google Scholar and Scopus databases.

Krista Dagsvik earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences in 2022 and is a current Master of Science student specializing in Health Services Research at the University of Calgary. She is supervised by Dr. Glen Hazlewood. Her research investigates the readability and applicability of health outcome descriptors by partnering with patients, clinicians, and researchers to ensure these descriptors are useful, accurate, and consistently understood. The refined health outcome descriptors will be used in a valuation study that explores patient preferences when making treatment choices. Before coming to the University of Calgary, Krista worked as a paramedic for over 10 years which shaped her commitment to improving patient safety and the overall patient experience in the healthcare system.

Julia Downey is a Master’s student in epidemiology at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Glen Hazelwood.

In 2017, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from UBC Okanagan and subsequently went on to work as an oncology clinical research coordinator in both British Columbia and Alberta. Alongside her work in clinical trials, she led several research projects evaluating outcomes for surgical patients with melanoma and identifying prognostic indicators of lymph node recurrence.

Julia’s interest in clinical research and trials is what motivated her to pursue a master’s degree in community health science. Her current research focuses on using patient preferences to inform non-inferiority margins for clinical trials in rheumatology.

Manuel Ester (Manny) is working as a post-doctoral associate with Dr. Claire Barber at the University of Calgary’s McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. He completed his BSc in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University. He completed his MSc in Molecular Techniques in Life Science at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and his PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary, specializing in the use of technology to support long-term physical activity habits.

Manny is interested in applied health research that leverages health behavior change, technology-based interventions, and implementation science. His research with Dr. Barber will include an implementation pilot for patient-initiated follow-up care in rheumatoid arthritis as well as an upcoming physical activity behavior change project.

Dan Gillespie is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Claire Barber and Lauren Beaupre. He also works as a physiotherapist and Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Alberta in Camrose, Alberta. In January 2024, he completed his PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on telehealth strategies to enhance access to rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities, particularly those in rural and remote communities who face barriers to in-person care. Dan is a co-investigator on the ARMS UP project, a CIHR-funded initiative supporting rural Albertans with shoulder pain through virtual physiotherapy. He is also interested in learning more about the economic impacts of telehealth delivery models within the healthcare system. He will contribute to research on co-designing a toolkit aimed at promoting physical activity in the management of rheumatoid arthritis with Dr. Claire Barber and Dr. Manuel Ester.

Maribeth is an MSc student in the Graduate Program of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Linda Li. She received her Bachelor of Science and Master in Physical Therapy from the University of the Philippines. Maribeth is a clinician-researcher focused on geriatric rehabilitation, informed by the concepts of patient safety, quality improvement, and gender sensitivity. Her research projects include the investigation of clinimetric properties of a strength assessment tool for patients with stroke and the development and implementation of falls prevention and arthritis program for older adults.

Maribeth is currently involved in a patient-initiated research about tools to help people with chronic pain communicate with health professionals about the nature of their pain. She intends to further understand the underpinnings and dynamics of shared decision-making between patient and health professionals in the context of physiotherapy.

Beyond her studies, Maribeth travels to learn history and culture. She also volunteers for an organization devoted to keeping our reefs and seas plastic-free.

Racheal Githumbi is a Research Associate and PhD trainee specializing in Epidemiology at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Claire Barber. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Biomedical Technology from the University of Alberta and Calgary, respectively. Presently, Racheal’s research interests are centred on using administrative and electronic health record datasets to inform all interest holders within the healthcare system.

Her current projects are focused on fostering a province-wide learning health system using quality measures in Rheumatology and applying an implementation science lens to adopting evidence-based practices that amplify the patient voice. Through this work, Racheal hopes to contribute to advancing equity in health by developing sustainable and meaningful microlearning environments between patients, providers, and health system leaders.

She is currently pursuing a one year post-doctoral clinical and research fellowship in the emerging field of Autoinflammatory Diseases under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Kastner at the American National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and Dr. Diane Lacaille at Arthritis Research Canada.

Upon returning to British Columbia, she plans to establish a quaternary Autoinflammatory Disease clinic and prospective cohort while completing a Master of Health Science at UBC. Using these tools, she aims to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of autoinflammatory diseases in adults in British Columbia and collaborate with international clinical and translational research efforts while providing consultative expertise in the management of autoinflammatory diseases.

Kara has a MSc in Clinical Psychology, and undergraduate degrees in Psychology and International Development Studies. She is currently completing her PhD in Community Health Services under the supervision of Dr. Cheryl Barnabe. Her thesis research involves understanding the factors that complicate management of arthritis and supporting improved community care to prevent hospital use. The foundation to all her clinical and academic work is bringing parsimony to complexity.

Dr. Judith Jade studied International Health (BSc) and Medicine (MBChB) at University College London and University of Leicester, respectively. She has completed her rheumatology residency training in the United Kingdom. She is undertaking a clinical and research fellowship at UBC under the supervision of Dr. Kun Huang and Dr. Fergus To. Her work focuses on Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy (IIM), to develop expertise in treating this complex disease. She is completing research at Arthritis Research Canada on cancer trends in IIM.

I am a French rheumatology resident who completed her medical studies at the University of Paris Cité. During my residency, my work focused on inflammatory rheumatism induced by immunotherapy (my thesis topic) and the mortality risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis associated with interstitial lung disease. I am furthering my education with a Master’s degree in public health at the University of Paris Saclay, during which I will undertake a 6-month internship at the research center of the University of Montreal Health Centre under the supervision of Professor Sabrina Hoa. Our work will focus on the association between immunosuppressive treatments and the risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic sclerosis.

Derin is enrolled in a Master of Science in Experimental Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Diane Lacaille, studying the effects of treating metabolic comorbidities like obesity and type 2 diabetes on patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. He plans to pursue a PhD, focussing on pharmacoepidemiology and models of care. His goal is to establish an interdisciplinary metabolic-rheumatology clinic in order to better characterize and manage the unique needs of patients with excess adiposity and inflammatory arthritis.

Jenny is a post-doctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Ian Graham in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, and Centre for Implementation Research at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. She is also a visiting post-doctoral fellow at Arthritis Research Canada. Jenny’s research interests lie in relational ethics, integrated knowledge translation and qualitative methodologies. Her post-doctoral work is centred around ethical issues experienced in partnerships between patients and academics in research.

Justin Losciale earned his Bachelor in Science degree in Kinesiology from California State University, Northridge (USA) in 2013 and earned his clinical Doctorate in Physiotherapy from Duke University (USA) in 2017. He went on to complete a post-professional residency in sports physiotherapy at The Ohio State University (USA) in 2019. Today, Justin is a PhD student in Rehabilitation Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Jackie Whittaker at UBC. Justin’s research will focus on understanding the interactions between modifiable risk factors for knee osteoarthritis after knee injuries. This research will guide clinicians to the key items to target rehabilitation efforts in individuals following a knee injury.

In her post-doctoral fellowship, Natalie is building upon her skills in analyzing large data sets to assess the natural history, long-term effects of medications, and contributors to negative outcomes in patients with lupus and other forms of inflammatory arthritis. Natalie held a CIHR Doctoral Research Award during her Ph.D. and has been granted a three-year CIHR Fellowship Award for her post-doctoral research.

Kasra is an international medical graduate from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Experimental Medicine at the University of British Columbia. He has started his research under the supervision of Dr. Diane Lacaille. Using administrative data analysis, Kasra will be investigating the risk of adverse events, such as infections, malignancies, and mortality, associated with different classes of biologic agents used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Mohammed Mujaab Kamso is a Biostatistician trainee at the Cardiovascular Research Methods Centre (CRMC) at the University of Ottawa as a Postdoctoral research fellow. He is under the supervision of Dr George Wells and Dr. Glen Hazlewood. He recently earned his Ph.D. and has extensive experience in evidence synthesis. His research focused on developing novel semi-automated methodologies for trial identification and evaluating the certainty of evidence in Network Meta-Analyses (NMAs). Utilizing his expertise in R statistical software, Kamso designed rules, algorithms, and Shiny dashboards to streamline these processes. He is an active member of an international collaborative research group, where he implements innovative strategies to improve the evidence base for various interventions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He plans to integrate his formal education and work experience into the design and analysis of clinical trials. By contributing to the generation of new information via clinical trials, he aims to further refine and optimize methodologies in the critical areas of rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular health research, among others.

Anthony is pursuing a Master’s degree in Statistics at Simon Fraser University under the supervision of Dr. Hui Xie. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Statistics from The University of British Columbia in 2024. In September 2022, Anthony began a co-op position at Arthritis Research Canada, where he became involved with the Canadian Research Group of Rheumatology in Immuno-Oncology (CanRIO) and continues to work with them to this day. In his role, he focuses on conducting statistical analyses to examine the occurrence of immune-related adverse events in patients undergoing immunotherapy.

Tosin is pursuing her MSc in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. Claire Barber. Her research focuses on improving care pathways for patients with Giant Cell Arteritis.

Originally from Calgary, she completed her undergraduate degree in nursing at the University of British Columbia before returning home for her graduate studies. Her thesis project analyzes regional practice patterns in Southern Alberta to guide the development of more effective care strategies for patients with systemic vasculitis.

For his PhD thesis, André will be looking at the relationships between rheumatic diseases and occupational outcomes, such as work disability, presenteeism and absenteeism. He will evaluate data obtained from “Making it Work”, a study designed to understand the effectiveness and cost-utility of a multidisciplinary e-learning program at preventing work cessation and improving at-work productivity. The research project resources were granted by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).

John is a master’s student in Rehabilitation Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Jackie Whittaker at the University of British Columbia. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree at UBC in 2019. John’s research will seek to understand the cause of muscle function decline resulting from knee joint injuries. This research will guide the development of preventative and therapeutic interventions to enhance muscle function and reduce burdensome musculoskeletal conditions.

Vivienne is a PhD student at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University under the supervision of Dr. Hui Xie. She completed her Bachelor of Science Degree majoring in quantitative and population health sciences at Simon Fraser University in 2019. Upon graduation, she started working at Arthritis Research Canada as a research trainee. Her PhD research focuses on using novel statistical models to evaluate the impact of biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) on the risk of different outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis patients including risk of total joint arthroplasty, severe infection and cardiovascular events. The study’s findings will help policymakers make decisions about how to regulate and manage bDMARDs as an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.