Bios

Alex Jadad, MD, DPhil, FRCPC

Convenor

Born and educated in Colombia, Dr. Jadad obtained his medical degree in 1986, specializing in Anesthesiology. As a 20-year-old medical student he was the leading medical expert on cocaine in Colombia and an internationally sought after speaker. In 1990, he joined Balliol College and the Oxford Pain Unit at the University of Oxford, where he obtained a doctorate in pain management, knowledge synthesis and meta-analysis. He came to Canada in 1995, where he held a number of positions at McMaster University, including Chief of the Health Information Research Unit, until 2000, when he moved to University Health Network in Toronto.

In addition to his roles for geni and the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, where he is Chief Innovator and Founder, Dr. Jadad currently holds the Rose Family Chair in Supportive Care and the Canada Research Chair in eHealth Innovation. He is also Professor in the Departments of Anesthesia; Health Policy, Management and Evaluation;   and Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto, and a Staff Physician at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Dr. Jadad has received numerous awards, including a National Health Research Scholars Award from Health Canada in 1997, a Premier’s Research Excellence Award in 1999, and a New Pioneers Award in Science and Technology in 2002. In 2004, he received the Canadian Latin Achievement Award, for his important contributions to the relationship between Canada and the Hispanic World.

He was named one of Canada's “Top 40 under 40” in 1998, and in 2005, “Top 40 under 40” alumni chose him as one of the “Best of the Best” for his achievements in Health and Science. He was also recently selected by Colombia’s scientific community as the scientist who has probably had the greatest impact in the country’s history.

 

Ann Murray

Administrator

As Administrator for geni, Ann utilizes her previous expertise in the field of resource management (financial, human and physical) to provide operational and administrative support for this initiative. The broad range of experience she has gained in those areas through working on two continents over a number of years will serve her well in facilitating the goals of geni.

Before joining the geni team, Ann previously worked with Alex Jadad at McMaster University and joined him at University Health Network in 2000. There she was part of a small but significant team that successfully worked with Alex to secure funding for, and develop, the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation. Prior to this, Ann had an interesting and varied career including managing a 700 acre sheep farm in the North of Scotland, working as a Tracer on geological surveys, and was a Development Officer within the Human Resources Department of an international brewery, where she developed an appraisal and promotion system for staff.

As can be seen from the photo, she also has a particular passion for horses!

 

Laura Heller

Project Development Manager

Laura is currently the geni lead on webcasting for training and information dissemination purposes. With a degree in Information and Library Science, and 20 years of experience in multimedia production, Laura has supported numerous knowledge management and public engagement initiatives, both in and outside the health sector.

She brings extensive project development and management experience to geni. Prior to joining the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation and geni teams four years ago, she managed a number of initiatives at the Canadian Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Canadian Health Network and more.

Laura has a deep and long-standing interest in the use of Information and Communication Technologies to empower the public. She is particularly interested in helping to develop the use of ICTs outside Canada, with a focus on Latin America, where she has lived and worked on many occasions.

 

David Mason

Technologist

David, a software developer and technical expert, has a long-term involvement in innovative online services and the Internet, including prototyping, design and programming, as well as involvement in broader issues of implementation. Where possible, David uses and endorses Free and Open Source Software.

 

Dijana Vasic

Marketing Officer

Born and raised in former Yugoslavia Dijana completed her Bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of Belgrade in 1994, and emigrated to Canada in 1999. In Yugoslavia, Dijana worked at Energoinvest, the largest consulting firm overseeing power industry projects all over the world. Afterwards, she was a business manager for ‘EuroMag Inc’.

In January 2002 Dijana joined the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation.  Since then, she has worked as the Executive Assistant for Dr. Alex Jadad and as Administrative Coordinator for the Centre.   

Dijana’s main professional interests are Business Management, Marketing and Event Coordination. She is currently completing the Business Management II certificate course at Ryerson University, Toronto. She has successfully organized eHealth Seminars, Workshops, and other different public events at the Centre.

Currently, Dijana is the Marketing Officer for geni. She manages public relations and marketing for all geni activities and works closely with geni’s Convenor and other team members to make the world a better place

 

Doina Lupea

Project Development Manager

Doina Lupea is a physician with a Master’s degree in Health Administration from the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto.
Born in Romania, Doina earned her medical degree from the University of Bucharest in 1987. After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, Doina became actively involved in humanitarian projects led by the International Red Cross. In 1995, Doina, her husband and their two children came to Canada.
Doina’s life-long passion and hope is to help make this world a better place for everyone – with the help of emerging technologies. She believes that the Internet may be used as a tool to improve equity in health worldwide. 

 

Jackie Bender BSc MSc PhD(C)

Research Associate

Jackie is currently completing a PhD in Health and Behavioural Sciences in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto, with a sub-specialty in Health Care, Technology & Place.

Jackie has a keen interest in the role of existing and emerging information and communication technologies in meeting the information and support needs of people with chronic conditions. For her doctoral studies she is exploring the role of social networking websites as supportive care resources for breast cancer patients in pain.

Jackie brings extensive trans-disciplinary knowledge and work experience to GENI. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Neuroscience at McGill University, and a Master of Science in Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto; she holds two Canadian Institute for Health Research Doctoral Fellowships, one in Health Care, Technology and Place, and the
other in Cell Signaling in Mucosal Inflammation and Pain; and she has experience working with multi-disciplinary teams.

As a former member of the Canadian National Gymnastics Team, Jackie is also keenly interested in promoting health and physical activity among youth. She remains an active contributor to the sport community as a member of the Gymnastics Ontario Ethics Committee.

Murray Enkin

Philosopher

Murray Enkin is a still-active octogenarian, trying to promote better health through improved communication, research and education.

After graduating in medicine from the University of Toronto in 1947, he was a general practitioner in rural Saskatchewan, eventually relocating to Hamilton, Ontario to specialize in obstetrics. He joined the faculty at McMaster University with the opening of the medical school, first in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, then in the department of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. He has also worked at Oxford University, where he conducted extensive research on obstetric care.

Dr. Enkin has published three books (with a fourth in progress) as well as numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and has received honorary degrees from Ryerson and McMaster Universities in addition to several other honors.

In recent years he shifted his attention from so-called ‘hard evidence’ to the philosophy of science and the inherent complexity of health care.  He brings his maturity and experience in these areas to geni.