Presenters

Eliana Castillo | Co-Author

castillo@ucalgary.ca;
Dr. Eliana Castillo is Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, where her medical and teaching practice focuses on medical disorders in pregnancy and maternal infections. She has been active in the area of immunization during pregnancy, congenital CMV infection and maternal mortality at a local and national level through her work with the Society of Obstetrics and Gyneacologists of Canada, Alberta Perinatal Health Program and National Advisory Committee for Immunization.

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Rabea Chishti | Co-Author

rabea.chishti1@ucalgary.ca;
Rabea Chishti is currently a graduate student at the University of Calgary pursuing an interdisciplinary Masters of Education in Child Mental Health and Educational Neuroscience as well as Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER). Rabea’s passion and advocacy for maternal, infant and child mental health stems from her personal battle with intergenerational mental illness, motherhood and implications for her young children. Rabea is a strong proponent of the early childhood development theory; which is the current focus of her graduate studies, as it regards maternal health, experiences and interactions in the early years of life as formative for children’s brain development and social, emotional and cognitive capacities that follow. Through her education, lived experience and patient partner efforts, Rabea aims to enhance caregiving capacity and relationship building in diverse communities in order to strengthen infant and child mental health.

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Sarah Penny | Co-Author

sarah.penny@ucalgary.ca;
Sarah Penny is a dedicated patient research partner and currently a student in the Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program at the University of Calgary. Her passion for health research began in 2008 when her four-year-old son suffered a brain injury that left him severely disabled and medically fragile. As she navigated the complex medical space, she became acutely aware of the need for patient perspectives in health research and care. Sarah, her husband and other Canadian impacted by mitochondrial disease founded the charity Mitocanada, which supports individuals and families affected by mitochondrial disease. Through her work with Mitocanada, Sarah has gained valuable experience in advocating for patient and family involvement in research, as well as in fundraising, event planning, and community engagement. Sarah is also a member of the Alberta Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth Strategic Clinical Network Family Advisory Council.

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Barbara Tiedemann | Co-Author

barbara.tiedemann@ucalgary.ca;
Barb Tiedemann has a Master of Counselling Psychology degree from Athabasca University and is a student in the Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program at the University of Calgary. Barb is passionate about health/mental health promotion and early intervention, especially concerning children and adolescents. Barb enjoyed working as an Early Intervention Consultant, supporting families with infants and young children experiencing developmental delays and/or disabilities. While raising her own three children, she became increasingly aware of, and concerned by the social struggles preadolescent and adolescent girls experience, as well as their increasing and disproportionate rates of mental health disorder. Feeling compelled to preserve young girls’ mental health, Barb co-developed an 8-week school-based mental health promotion program for girls in grades 4-6. Barb dreams of employing the PaCER model of research with pre-adolescent girls to better understand their unique experiences and develop programs to promote and preserve their mental health.

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Iqmat Iyiola | Author, Co-Author

iqmat.iyiola2@ucalgary.ca;
Iqmat Iyiola is an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta and a current Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) student through the University of Calgary. Iqmat’s interest in maternal and child health research largely stems from her caregiver experience for her younger sister with several intellectual and physical handicaps. Iqmat enjoys examining the family/caregiver experience from the patient perspective and using the PaCER approach as a lens for improving health outcomes.

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Ingrid Nielssen | Co-Author

ingrid.nielssen@ucalgary.ca;
Ingrid is the Patient Engagement Coordinator for the Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit Patient Engagement Team, as well as the instructor for the Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program. She holds a graduate degree in Gender and Social Justice from the University of Alberta. She has a strong passion for advancing both the science and equitable praxis of patient and community engagement in health research with particular interest in understanding patient and family experiences of adverse events in pregnancy.

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Marcia Bruce | POC-Point of Contact, Co-Presenter, Author

marcia.bruce@ucalgary.ca;
Marcia Bruce is a patient research partner and a busy mom of three. After being diagnosed with celiac disease, she became interested in health research and transforming patient experience, which inspired her to become a Patient and Community Engagement Researcher (PaCER) through the University of Calgary. Marcia is currently contributing to a number of research projects and initiatives with Alberta Health Services and the University of Calgary in the areas of digestive health, chronic pain, women's health and reproductive infectious diseases, including CMV.

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Laija Beaulieu | Primary Presenter, Co-Author

lbeauli1@lakeheadu.ca;
Laija Beaulieu is a current Master’s student in the Social Justice Studies program at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Thunder Bay is located in Northwestern Ontario and is considered a remote and rural city that serves many surrounding communities. Laija’s academic career is inspired by her son who is affected by cCMV and has profound deafness bilaterally. Her son is the recipient of cochlear implants that electronically restores his hearing and Laija, as well as her family are incredibly grateful for this amazing technology. However, living in a remote and rural area has made accessing and receiving healthcare difficult for her family. Laija enjoys taking a qualitative approach to research and focuses on advocating for awareness of CMV and cCMV, as well as advocating for equity in accessing and receiving CMV-related healthcare services in remote and rural communities as these areas have poorer access to quality healthcare.

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Caroline Leroux | Author, Co-Author

caroline.leroux@ucalgary.ca;
Caroline Leroux is a Canadian manual care Osteopath who graduated from the Collège d’Etude Ostéopathique de Montréal (2017). She has been in practice since 2011 helping her clients with their physical rehabilitation and wellbeing. Caroline has recently taken a sabbatical from her practice to raise her family, which enabled her to join the Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program at the University of Calgary. Caroline was diagnosed with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) during her pregnancy and her daughter was born with congenital CMV (cCMV). As a result she experienced the numerous medical follow ups with her daughter, who has suffered significant hearing loss from CMV. With her clinical experience as an osteopath and having lived through the hardships of the virus (CMV and cCMV), Caroline cares deeply about advocacy for research and spreading CMV awareness.