About Us
Leadership
The Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery is a joint initiative of Heart & Stroke and Canada’s top stroke recovery research centres. It brings together leaders in the stroke recovery research community in Canada, who collaborate with scientists and clinicians around the world.
Our skills-based Board includes leaders in the health-care, charitable and legal sectors, industry, and research management.
With lean and experienced management and low overhead for networking, meetings, communications and travel, the CPSR is able to invest 84% of its funds directly into research and programs.
Mark Bayley is Program Medical Director & Physiatrist-in-Chief at UHN-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. He is a Professor at the University of Toronto in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine.
Mark has held a number of health system leadership roles including Chair of the Canadian Stroke Best Practices committee, the Stroke Evaluation Committee at Corhealth Ontario, and the Vice Chair of the Greater Toronto Area Rehab Network.
He has led large randomized controlled trials including the Stroke Canada Optimization of Rehabilitation by evidence (SCORE), Fluoxetine to open the Window of Stroke Recovery (FLOW) study, the Getting on with Life after stroke and the EVREST (Efficacy of Virtual Reality Exercises using Wii gaming technology in STroke Rehabilitation).
He has been very interested in implementing evidence at a health system level in the areas of stroke and brain injury rehabilitation initially through the stroke guidelines for Canadian Stroke strategy (www.strokebestpractices.ca), a smartphone app to determine post stroke arm rehabilitation (www.viatherapy.org) and guidelines for concussion and traumatic brain injury (www.braininjuryguidelines.org).
Dr. David Butler-Jones was the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and Deputy Minister for the Public Health Agency of Canada) from 2004 to 2014. He stepped down following a stroke in 2012. He was the first person to hold this office. Throughout his career, he has worked in many parts of Canada in both Public Health and Clinical Medicine. Since recovering from a stroke he has resumed an active role with a number of organizations.
He has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and has been actively involved as a researcher and consultant in public health issues. He is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba, as well as a Clinical Professor with the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine.
From 1995 to 2002, Dr. Butler-Jones was Chief Medical Health Officer and Executive Director of the Population Health and Primary Health Services Branches for the Province of Saskatchewan.
In professional organizations, he has served as President of the Canadian Public Health Association; Vice President of the American Public Health Association; Chair of the Canadian Roundtable on Health and Climate Change; International Regent on the board of the American College of Preventive Medicine; Member of the Governing Council for the Canadian Population Health Initiative; Chair of the National Coalition on Enhancing Preventive Practices of Health Professionals; and Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century.
He has received honorary degrees (LLD) from Carleton University (Ottawa) and York University (Toronto), as well as a DSc from the University of Waterloo.
He is recipient of The Canadian Public Health Association Robert Davies Defries Award, its highest honour.
The College of Family Physicians, ScotiaBank Family Medicine Lectureship.
And the Medal of Service from The Canadian Medical Association for, “his outstanding and exceptional contribution to health care in Canada”.
In 2017, he received the Presidents Award from the Public Health Physicians of Canada.
He is a member of the National Board for the a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and continues to speak, teach, mentor and advise on a range of issues in Leadership, Health Systems, Indigenous Health and Public Health.
Dr. Charbonneau received his B. Sc. And M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Ottawa and his Ph.D. degree in Photonics – Semiconductor Physics from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia in 1988. He joined the Institute for Microstructural Sciences of the National Research Council (NRC) in October 1988. From 1998 to January 2000, he took on the responsibility of Director of Components Technologies for the Institute of Microstructural Sciences at NRC, with managing responsibility of 160 FTE within the Institute. In late 2000, Dr. Charbonneau, along with three other colleagues, founded a company, Optenia Inc. a NRC spin-off in the communications technology sector. In 2002, Dr. Charbonneau returned to the NRC and, in May 2011, he was named Executive Director responsible for the strategic development of the Printable Electronic Flagship Program. In April 2013, Dr. Charbonneau took the position of Associate Vice-President, Research at the University of Ottawa. In 2017, he was named Vice-President, Research at the University of Ottawa.
Mr. Churchill-Smith, Q.C., is former senior partner with BLG. In addition to maintaining his own mediation and litigation practice, Mr. Churchill-Smith has been extensively involved in pro bono work. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for Pro Bono Legal Service 2015 from the Law Society of Alberta and Canadian Bar Association. He is Past-President of Pro Bono Law Alberta, Past-Chair of BLG’s National Pro Bono Committee, and a member of the Law Society of Alberta’s Pro Bono Task Force. He is also a coordinator of the Child Advocacy Pro Bono Project (a Joint Initiative of BLG, the Children’s Legal Education Resource Centre, and Pro Bono Law Alberta) and a past chair of the Volunteer Lawyers’ Service. Mr. Churchill-Smith is also a Council Member of the Foothills Medical Centre Development Council, 2007 to present (Foothills Hospital) and a past Member, Board of Directors, Womens’ Health Development Council (Grace Hospital).
Dr. Andrew Demchuk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences for the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He is also a stroke neurologist and Director of the Calgary Stroke Program, Alberta Health Services. Dr. Demchuk received his undergraduate degree in 1989 from the University of Regina, Saskatchewan. He then went on to complete his medical degree (with distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1993, followed by his residency in neurology from the University of Calgary (1993-97). Dr. Demchuk completed a fellowship in cerebrovascular disease (1997-99) from the University of Texas-Houston. Dr. Demchuk’s primary research interests focus on vascular imaging, where he is trying to establish target populations for new stroke treatments by selecting patients based on imaging tests performed in the emergency setting. In addition to his research and clinical activities, Dr. Demchuk is a member on a number of local, national, and international committees. He is the past board chair for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT, and Nunavut and he is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Stroke Consortium.
Janice Eng, PhD, is a professor in the UBC Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia and directs an interdisciplinary research team in neurological rehabilitation with several graduate students, post-docs and staff in the Rehabilitation Research Lab at the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. She is a recipient of a Senior Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research which protects her research time. She is also a faculty member of the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), UBC graduate program in neuroscience, and UBC Brain Research Centre. During her training years, she studied at the University of Toronto, graduating with an MSc in Biomedical Engineering and completed her doctorate in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Eng also completed her post-doctoral training in Neurophysiology at Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Eng’s research focuses on the development of innovative and effective rehabilitation interventions to improve functional abilities in people with neurological conditions. Her trainees have had backgrounds in physical therapy, occupational therapy, engineering, medicine, kinesiology, psychology or science. She studied as an undergraduate at UBC in the combined Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy (PT/OT) program.
Jean Lazarus is accountable for the operations of the Research Division at Baycrest, which includes managing the operating budget; overseeing the grants budget; managing the human resources function for the division; planning and allocating space requirements; and, representing the department on various centre-wide committees.
Debra Lynkowski received her law degree from the University of Alberta in 1986. Following this, she began a career in the non-profit sector and has worked at all levels – local, provincial/territorial and national. Ms. Lynkowski served as President and CEO of the Canadian Lung Association from 2013-2017, leading a process of revitalization and renewal, including the continued refinement and implementation of the organization’s National Respiratory Research Strategy. Prior to this, she held several leadership positions including the CEO of the Canadian Public Health Association and National Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for the Canadian Diabetes Association. In 2004, Debra joined the Canadian Stroke Network, in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, to help lead the Canadian Stroke Strategy, bringing together stakeholders and partners to develop and implement a coordinated and integrated approach to stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and community reintegration in every province and territory in Canada.
Diego Marchese is the Executive Vice President, HSF Canada. He previously held the roles of Vice President, Prevention Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and at the HSF BC and Yukon he was CEO, COO, and Vice President, Research and Health Promotion. Diego has more than 20 years of service with the Foundation, during which he has been an integral part of its leadership team nationally and provincially and has made outstanding contributions to its success in working towards its mission of healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Diego holds a Bachelor degree in exercise science and a Master’s degree in education with a focus on health education and program planning.
Rod McKay is director of Fidelity Capital Corporation; director and past chair of the board of Tourism Calgary; chair of Calgary Sport + Major Events; and, a member of the advisory committee of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Rod served as board chair of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. He is a fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Alberta. As a partner of KPMG, an international audit, tax and advisory firm, he held senior leadership positions in the firm in Canada and internationally. Rod has been active in numerous community-based health services and cultural organizations for many years.
Ms. Vivian-Scott’s 25 years in professional practice has led her in fields as diverse as engineering construction to corporate finance. The majority of her career has been occupied by the challenging task of commercializing university-based research discoveries into meaningful products and services. She took on the headship at Kinarm in 2009, becoming full-time in 2013. Her current role is very representative of the approach taken by PARTEQ Innovations, the technology transfer agent of Queen’s University, to commercialization: roll up your sleeves, develop an achievable business plan, get operationally involved, and run those entities through the early years. She manages sales, marketing, finance and the quality management system. Ms. Vivian-Scott has a B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (Waterloo) and MBA (Concordia). She holds a seat on the Ontario Brain Institute’s Industry Advisory Council.
Dr. Wilson trained as a physician in the U.K. with residencies in internal medicine and public health. She held faculty positions at the universities of Aberdeen and Ottawa before joining Memorial University in 2018, where she is responsible for providing academic leadership in education and research related to population and applied health research and professional public health practice, and supporting the institution’s social accountability mandate.
Dr. Wilson’s primary research interests are the population and health system implications of emerging genomic technologies, with the goal of generating credible evidence to inform real-world policy and practice, and support personal decision making by patients and consumers. She has participated in many Canadian federal and provincial bodies concerned with policy aspects of genetics specifically, public health and disease prevention more generally, and health ethics and the responsible conduct of research. She is a voting member of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.
With over 30 years of health care experience, Michael has worked in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations; both in the Canadian and U.S. health care systems. In Ontario, he held past positions as Vice-President, Information and Corporate Services and C.F.O. at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre; Vice-President, Finance and CFO at Markham Stouffville Hospital; Director of Financial Services at the Wellesley Hospital; and Vice-President, Finance at the Riverdale Hospital (now BridgePoint Health).
Michael’s private sector and U.S. experience was gained as C.F.O. and Chief Medicare Compliance Officer for the U.S. operation of Dynacare Laboratories (a $300M medical laboratory NASDQ company); Chief Operating Officer of a privately owned diversified holding company; Regional Vice-President for the Canadian operations of Gentiva Health Services (a $1.5B NASDQ home health care company), where he was responsible of full Canadian subsidiary operations; and Managing Director, Bayshore HealthCare (a division of Bayshore Health Group), where he conceived and orchestrated the purchase of and subsequent integration of Bayshore and Gentiva.
Michael is a graduate of the University of Toronto. He articled with Ernst and Young, Chartered Accountants and received his CA (now CPA) designation in 1984.
He is a the Board Chair of Plexxus (on Ontario Shared Service Organization), and past Board Member of CImTeC (Centre for Imaging Technology Commercialization), CPSR (Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery), Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation and Booth Centennial Hospital Linen Services. Michael has also participated on a number of health care advisory committees for U.S. information technology companies.
Dr. Sandra Black is the Director of Research for the Brain Sciences Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and was Head of the Division of Neurology at Sunnybrook from 1995 until 2006. She is Medical Director of the Regional Stroke Program for North and East Greater Toronto Area and Director of the L.C. Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Unit. As well, she is a Senior Neuroscientist at Sunnybrook’s Research Institute and at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest.
Sandra obtained her medical and neurological training at the University of Toronto and completed her postdoctoral research at the University of Western Ontario in Behavioural Neurology and Stroke prior to taking up her full-time appointment at Sunnybrook in 1985. She also pursued graduate work in the history and philosophy of science at Oxford University.
Her research has focused on the cognitive sequelae of stroke and stroke recovery, the differential diagnosis of dementia, and the use of neuroimaging techniques to elucidate brain-behaviour relationships in stroke and dementia. She has over 226 publications 46 invited publications and has been actively engaged in treatment trials for Stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia.
Neuroscientist and physical therapist Lara Boyd, PhD, is a Professor at the University of British Columbia and Canada Research Chair in Neurobiology of Motor Learning, a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Career Investigator and a Peter Wall Scholar. Dr. Boyd directs UBC’s Brain Behaviour Lab. Her work focuses on answering the question of what limits, and what facilitates, neuroplasticity. Dr. Boyd also serves as the Health Research Advisor to the Vice President, Research, at UBC and she is the university’s delegate to the Canadians Institutes of Health Research.
Dr. Dowlatshahi is a Stroke Neurologist at The Ottawa Hospital and an Assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, and Cross Appointed to Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa. He is the Scientific Director of the Ottawa Stroke Program and recently promoted to Scientist, Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He is also a member of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Dr. Dowlatshahi obtained his MD and PhD from McMaster University. He then completed a residency in Neurology at the University of Ottawa, followed by a Stroke Fellowship at the University of Calgary. He joined the University of Ottawa and OHRI in July 2010 and is both a Clinician Scientist and the Scientific Director of the Ottawa Stroke Program. In 2014 he was awarded the inaugural Department of Medicine Clinician-Scientist Chair Award, and a Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada New Investigator Award. His clinical research program in acute stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage focuses on multi-modal neuroimaging. Through collaborative trials and observational studies, Dr. Dowlatshahi hopes to discover a treatment for intracerebral hemorrhage.
The main focus of Dr. Dukelow’s research involves understanding the mechanisms of stroke recovery and facilitating stroke rehabilitation through the use of technology. In particular, his lab is developing robotic assessment tools to accurately quantify sensorimotor dysfunction following stroke. They are currently focused on determining the importance of proprioception and vision in functional recovery. Additionally, they are developing novel robotic therapies for individuals with stroke.
Dr. Dukelow also serves as the Research Director for the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s resident training program.
Dr. Lagacé’s lab uses a variety of molecular, cellular, histochemical and behavioral techniques to identify the mechanisms that produce new neurons in the adult brain and to determine their functional role in the healthy and pathological brain. For example, work in the lab is delineating the molecular mechanisms that regulate survival of adult-generated neurons and the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis in regulating survival.
They are also examining the role of Presenilin proteins in adult neurogenesis in their work related to Alzheimer’s disease. These studies are providing insights into the basic biological processes that underlie the regulation of the potentially powerful adult generated neuron. This work complements behavioral studies that are elucidating the functional role of adult neurogenesis in normal physiology, as well as optimizing functional recovery in animal models of human disease. For example, as members of the HSF Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, a large number of studies in the lab are using novel models to examine whether the pronounced birth of new cells post stroke are functionally important in recovery and optimize regeneration and recovery of function during stroke recovery.
Dr. Meltzer’s research deals with the neural mechanisms responsible for understanding and producing language, with an emphasis on multiple partially redundant pathways. The study of multiple pathways for information processing is essential to future developments in stroke rehabilitation, as functional and structural assessments can be made of an individual’s capacity to exploit spared pathways to recover cognitive and linguistic abilities. Behavioural intervention strategies could be tailored to an individual’s post-stroke neuroanatomical status for maximal effect. Furthermore, physiological interventions such as noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can be targeted and optimized for individuals to bring about the desired recruitment of brain networks to achieve functional restoration and compensation.
His work has explored the potential of magnetoencephalography (MEG) as a mapping tool in neurolinguistics, providing the spatial and temporal resolution necessary to measure the involvement of specific neural pathways on a time scale relevant to everyday language use. In current work, his team is using MEG to evaluate the brain’s response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), two techniques that may help promote beneficial plasticity in recovery from brain injury, but are as yet poorly understood.
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Inness is a physiotherapist by background. Dr. Inness’ work aims to integrate research and clinical knowledge to develop optimal approaches that promote safe, independent mobility and participation in exercise and physical activity along the continuum of stroke recovery. To this end, she is an advocate for research: clinical partnerships and provides leadership to Toronto Rehab – UHN’s Balance, Mobility & Falls Clinic, which was co-developed with Dr. William McIlroy and Dr. Mark Bayley, and a partner with CPSR since inception in 2010. The Clinic was developed to deliberately integrate clinicians and researchers in a patient care setting, provide a hub for knowledge exchange and a platform to test and adapt new innovations within the context of the practice setting and real-life complex patients, which can then immediately translate to practice.
Dr. Ploughman is a recognized expert in neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation in stroke and multiple sclerosis. Her research focuses on the effects of aerobic exercise, intensive training paradigms and lifestyle habits on the brain challenged by injury, disease and aging. Dr. Ploughman was a Canadian Institutes of Health Research post-doctoral fellow and her work is published in journals such as Stroke, Neuroscience, Brain Research and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is the Principal Investigator for the Canadian Survey of Health, Lifestyle and Aging with Multiple Sclerosis; the largest study of aging with MS in Canada with over 740 participants from 10 study sites. Dr. Ploughman continues to practice as a neurological physiotherapist in St John’s and her Recovery and Performance Laboratory is located in the Rehabilitation Research Unit (RRUNL), L.A. Miller Centre, St. John’s NL.
Dr. Andrew Demchuk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences for the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He is also a stroke neurologist and Director of the Calgary Stroke Program, Alberta Health Services. Dr. Demchuk received his undergraduate degree in 1989 from the University of Regina, Saskatchewan. He then went on to complete his medical degree (with distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1993, followed by his residency in neurology from the University of Calgary (1993-97). Dr. Demchuk completed a fellowship in cerebrovascular disease (1997-99) from the University of Texas-Houston. Dr. Demchuk’s primary research interests focus on vascular imaging, where he is trying to establish target populations for new stroke treatments by selecting patients based on imaging tests performed in the emergency setting. In addition to his research and clinical activities, Dr. Demchuk is a member on a number of local, national, and international committees. He is the past board chair for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT, and Nunavut and he is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Stroke Consortium.
Before joining the CPSR in 2013, Ms. Lafferty served for 12 years as the Executive Director of the Canadian Stroke Network, a non-profit entity funded by the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program. In that role, she oversaw programs and initiatives including the development and implementation of the Canadian Stroke Strategy and the Canadian Stroke Congress. Ms. Lafferty is Chair of the Board of The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and currently serves on the Board of Governors of The Ottawa Hospital and the Board of Directors of CorHealth. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the Canadian Vascular Network and co-Chairs the Steering Committee of the Canadian Stroke Trials for Optimized Results initiative. In 2006, Ms. Lafferty and her husband founded Watson’s Pharmacy and Compounding Centre, which has two locations in Ottawa. Prior to 2001, Ms. Lafferty was a Principal Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Lafferty holds a BSc from Queen’s University and a Master of Science in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. In 2010, Ms. Lafferty was recognized by the Ottawa Business Journal as one of Ottawa’s “Top 40 under 40” for her contributions in the health sector.
Cathy joined the CPSR in 2013 after 12 years as Communications Director at the Canadian Stroke Network. She leads the CPSR’s communications and outreach efforts. Cathy worked in the media for 17 years as a newspaper reporter, specializing in health issues, and as a news editor. She is a past winner of the Hollobon Award (HCPRA) for medical reporting and was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from Hypertension Canada in 2011 for raising awareness of excessive sodium in the food supply. She has also worked in communications with municipal government and the non-profit sector. Cathy has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Master’s degree in Journalism from Carleton University.
Farrell has been working with the CPSR since its earliest days. He started as the Toronto regional manager, expanded his role into the manager of scientific operations and now is leading the research and training programs agenda. After completing an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience and biology at the University of Toronto, he went on to complete a Master’s degree at the Institute of Medical Sciences at U of T. His research topic was “The Topography of Hemispatial Neglect” in which he explored brain-behaviour relationships in stroke patients who were experiencing hemispatial neglect (characterized by a failure to attend to half of space). He has published more than 10 journal articles and more than 20 abstracts. In 1997, he received the FROSST award for research excellence in Nuclear Medicine Sciences based on his research project. Prior to coming to the CPSR, he spent four years working as a clinical trial coordinator at Sunnybrook in stroke and dementia studies.
Tina Nagratha coordinates the annual and long-term budget planning processes for the CPSR. She is responsible for development and coordination of financial planning cycles and develops finance-related working papers to aid long-term planning. She also works closely with CPSR’s auditors and Audit and Finance Committee to plan and implement the annual financial audit. Tina is a Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) and also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Toronto. Before joining CPSR, she served as Director of Finance at other not-for-profit organizations, including The Kidney Foundation of Canada (Eastern Ontario Chapter) and Communications and Information Technology Ontario (CITO). Tina has been a long-time volunteer and member of the Ottawa Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and has served as an Executive Board Member and Chapter Treasurer.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Equity, diversity and inclusion: Heart & Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery
We believe that equity, diversity and inclusion enrich the Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery (CPSR) and strengthen the quality and relevance of our research. The CPSR strives to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion in all facets of the organization – from our training program, which attracts and retrains the next generation of researchers, to all levels of leadership, our advisory committees, our scientific community, our staff, and our research participants.
As part of our recruitment strategy, we aim to ensure our Board of Directors and CPSR committees are balanced to include representation of women, Indigenous communities, visible and non-visible minorities, and persons living with physical, cognitive, communication and psychological disabilities from stroke.
We work to provide care partners and patient advocates a voice, and to ensure all CPSR research programs are accessible to eligible participants regardless of diverse gender identities, economic, cultural or religious backgrounds. Our research review system ensures fair treatment of all scientific proposals and applicants by referees. We provide fair, flexible and accessible work environments.
We value the perspectives of a full spectrum of experiences and ideas with the goal of building a more innovative and inclusive research network that advances recovery from stroke, one of Canada’s biggest health challenges.
There are more than 405,000 Canadians — from all communities and all sectors of society — living with long-term disability from stroke and the number will double in 20 years.
Annual Reports
CPSR annual reports showcase research advances, high-impact scientific publications, partnerships, clinical trials, technological advances and innovation, our training program, knowledge translation activities, outreach and financial management.