About Us

FOUNDER AND CLINICAL LEAD

Dr. Eliana Castillo (She/Her) is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary in Canada. Her medical and academic practice focuses on reproductive infectious diseases and implementation science. She is an emerging leader on vaccination in pregnancy and partners with patients to understand their journey during pregnancy, focusing on opportunities to engage in a dialogue about interventions that we know can protect mothers and babies. She works with the National Advisory Committee for Immunization, Society of Obstetrics and Gyneacologists of Canada, and the Canadian Association for Immunization Research, Evaluation and Education. Dr. Castillo completed her fellowships at the University of British Columbia and the Pontificia Javeriana University in Colombia, South America.

KNOWLEDGE SPECIALIST

Dr. Julie Bettinger, PhD is a Professor at the Vaccine Evaluation Center in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. She is an infectious disease epidemiologist whose research interests include vaccine safety and vaccine preventable diseases, as well as attitudes and beliefs around immunization uptake and use. She is the data center director for the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program, Active (IMPACT), an active surveillance network for vaccine preventable diseases and vaccine adverse events in 12 tertiary care pediatric hospitals across Canada and the principal investigator for CIRN’s Canadian National Vaccine Safety (CANVAS) network, which monitors the safety of flu vaccines each year and is monitoring COVID vaccines.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION & IMPLEMENTATION SCIENTIST

Dr. Andrea Patey (She/Her) is a Knowledge Translation & Implementation Scientist at IWK Health and holds a PhD in Health Psychology. She is also Co-Director of the Healthcare Improvement Fellowship at the Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety/Choosing Wisely Canada. Her work sits at the intersection of behaviour sciences and implementation research applying psychological theory and methods to explain and change health professional behaviours across a range of clinical settings to improve the delivery of care. The broad objectives of her work are to promote the use of theory and rigorous methods to improve the delivery of evidence-based healthcare through the development and evaluation of complex behaviour change interventions.

IMPLEMENTATION SCIENTIST

Dr. Maoliosa (Mo) Donald (She/Her) is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She is trained as a health services researcher, implementation scientist, and physical therapist. Her research focuses on using pragmatic approaches to identify strategies to improve person-centered care for individuals. Dr. Donald has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement in the implementation of health innovations. She is interested in applying theories, methods, and frameworks to determine factors that promote or impede implementation, adaptation, and sustainability in ways that are effective and practical for various contexts.

RESEARCH PROGRAM MANAGER

Marcia Bruce (She/Her) serves as the Research Program Manager for the Reproductive Infectious Disease team at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary and is a certified Patient and Community Engagement Researcher (PaCER) with specialized training in patient-oriented research. Leveraging her PaCER training and drawing upon her academic and lived experience as a patient, Marcia is dedicated to ensuring that the endeavors of the Reproductive Infectious Disease research team are patient-centred. In her role as Research Manager, her objective is to contribute to the enhancement of healthcare planning, research, policy, and practice, with a strategic focus on improving patient care within the health system to protect moms and babies from adverse outcomes stemming from preventable illnesses.

PATIENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT LEAD & PPRAC CO-CHAIR

Maria Castrellon (She/Her) is a certified Patient and Community Engagement Researcher (PaCER, University of Calgary). She holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Universidad de la Sabana (Colombia) and a post-diploma in Health and Community Services Management from Bow Valley College. The combination of her lived experience as a mom, her training, and her trajectory promoting behavioural changes through community engagement interventions with a focus on knowledge translation and participatory-action research brings to our team a meaningful connection to the community and a liaison to patients. Maria is committed to maternal health improvement based on patient-oriented research as a way to empower and gather diverse voices to make transformations that respond to the real needs of pregnant patients and their families.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION (EDI) SPECIALIST

Monica Surti (She/Her) is a Master of Public Health graduate specializing in Health Promotion from the University of Alberta. She also holds a First-class Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences degree from the University of Calgary. Monica's dedication to health policy and advocacy stems from her involvement in various initiatives combating anti-racism and advocating for equal healthcare access in Alberta. With a passion for health literacy, Monica brings a specialized focus on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) to the development and testing of VIP Canada and healthcare provider educational materials.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION SPECIALIST & DEVELOPER

Medea Myers-Stewart (She/Her) holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree specializing in Health Promotion from the University of Alberta. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a focus on gender and sexuality from the University of Victoria. Medea is a passionate advocate for the health and well-being of women and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. She holds extensive experience developing initiatives focused on healthy sexuality and reproductive care. Medea is skilled in community engagement, program development, facilitation, and digital health communications.