Expertise

Manon Lemonde, RN, PhD, is an associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences. She is the Director of the Age with Dignity Campus of Care and Best Practices Research Center. Her research domains are related to chronic diseases in the adult population including seniors. In addition, she puts the emphasis on projects about healthy aging and providing support for those living at home. She also collaborates with projects about those living with dementia and cognitive impairment. The development of technology as a resource for these populations is also part of her program.

Dr. Sun is a research collaborator at the Aging Gracefully across Environments using Technology to Support Wellness, Engagement, and Long Life, Network Centres of Excellence (AGE-WELL-NCE). Her research projects include:

• Patient safety in home care.
• Self-care in chronic disease management.
• Ethics in relation to assistive technology access and procurement.
• Use of information communication technologies for patients with dementia and their caregivers.
• Use of social and recreational programs to promote social inclusion for older adults.
• Development of remote-monitoring technologies for older adults in the community.
• Health services and policy research in gerontology.
• Best-practice guidelines utilization in home care.

Dr. Vivian Stamatopoulos holds a Master of Arts (Sociology) and Doctor of Philosophy from York University (Sociology). Her research interests focus on child and youth-based caregiving (young carers), unpaid family caregiving and long-term care (LTC). She is also a leading advocate for LTC residents in Ontario and has provided almost 300 expert media interviews on the topic of long-term care over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill Kapralos is an Associate Professor within Game Development and Interactive Media program and the maxSIMhealth Laboratory at Ontario Tech University, and the Technical Lead of the Collaborative Human Immersive Interaction Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. His current research interests include: immersive technologies, serious gaming, multi-modal virtual environments/simulation/reality, and spatial sound generation.

He was recently awarded a Greek Diaspora Fellowship. He is a past recipient of an Australian Government 2018 Endeavour Executive Fellowship, a past recipient of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship, a past recipient of an IBM Centres for Advanced Studies Faculty Award, and a past co-recipient of a Google Faculty Award. Bill is currently part of various interdisciplinary research efforts that are investigating the use of technology to assist older adults. For example working with (and funding from) the City of Oshawa and the Oshawa Senior Community Centers 55+ (OSCC55+), his team has developed a unique and engaging learning platform that has coupled serious games and a gamified learning management system to teach age-friendly cultural competencies to the City of Oshawa municipal staff (the system is currently being used by the City of Oshawa). He is also part of two interdisciplinary research efforts that are investigating the application of immersive virtual learning environments (iVLEs) for training caregivers (healthcare professionals and loved ones) of persons living with dementia (PLWD). Finally, he is also actively investigating the accessibility of iVLEs, the majority of which ignore accessibility issues making them difficult to access by older adults.

Dr. Kelly Kay is an experienced health leader, bringing more than 30 years of varied health system experience to her full-time role as Executive Director of Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario, an entity focused on providing system infrastructure for clinical geriatric services in Ontario Canada. Kelly holds a Master of Arts in Leadership (Health Specialization) from Royal Roads University and a PhD from the University of Toronto.

Kelly has held senior health leadership roles at national, provincial, regional and local levels leading in organizations and programs focused on interprofessional team-based care, primary care and geriatrics. She has participated in several quality standards development committees at provincial and national levels and is a previous member of the Canadian Frailty Network’s Citizen Engagement Committee (2015-2020). Kelly currently serves on the City of Toronto’s Advisory Committee on Seniors Services and Long-Term Care.

Kelly is an adjunct professor at Ontario Tech University and a Research and Teaching affiliate with the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include health system co-design with older adults and interprofessional team-based care models. She is an enthusiastic advocate who fosters collaboration with older adults and health professionals to create new possibilities for integrated, person-centred care for older adults and their caregivers living with complex health needs in Ontario.

Kelly lives with her husband and dogs in Scarborough and is a proud grandmother.

 

Attila is relatively new to healthcare and research. Before he became a Registered Practical Nurse in 2021, he spent ten years teaching in high school and 20 years in the metal forming industry as a tool designer.

He was introduced to research during his college years and kept up with this interest during his university years. He is now in his fourth year of the RPN to RN bridging program at Ontario Tech University. He is a research assistant in five different research projects. He is also a proud recipient of the WeRPN 2023 Award of Excellence in Research.

Jeanette Jemmott grew up in Barbados, surrounded by older adults, which gave her early exposure to the aging process. After moving to Montreal with her husband and having two children, Jeanette pursued her interest in Gerontology and Family Life Education. She studied Gerontology at College Marie Victorin and Family Life Education at Concordia University, where she also participated in various seminars and short courses, including a Pastoral Practicum at the Royal Victoria Hospital and Remotivation Therapy connected with The Douglas Hospital.

As a student at Concordia, Jeanette completed her internship at Henri Bradet, one of four English seniors' homes, and was subsequently hired as the Pastoral Coordinator. In this role, she collaborated with the social worker to implement the Companionship/Animation program, which supported residents without nearby family by providing regular visits, activities, and personalized gifts. The program yielded positive results, enhancing the well-being of the residents.

Upon relocating to Ontario, Jeanette worked in social services at two long-term care facilities, where her listening and support skills greatly benefited seniors and their families. Despite a shift in her role towards marketing, she remained dedicated to senior care. After moving to Oshawa, she joined the Seniors Centre and accepted a part-time position in the Peer Support Programme, further honing her skills.

Jeanette's journey comes full circle as she now supports her aging mother, navigating the challenges of entering a retirement home, supporting her through the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently transitioning her into a long-term care facility. Her lifelong commitment to elder care and family support underscores her dedication to improving the lives of older adults.

Farzana Rahman (MSc., MPH) is an accomplished research assistant with a strong focus on aging population research, particularly in the areas of public health and long-term care. She holds a Master of Health Sciences from Ontario Tech University and is currently pursuing her PhD. Farzana has made significant contributions to projects aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults, especially those with dementia. Known for her comprehensive research skills, effective project management, and dedication to personalized care planning, Farzana is committed to advancing health solutions that support the aging population. Her dedication to personalized care planning and advancing health solutions reflects her deep commitment to enhancing the lives of older adults.

Donald Mastin has been a primary caregiver to his wife, who has Alzheimer’s Disease, for 15 years. As a dedicated advocate for caregivers, he contributed to "Is anyone listening to Canada’s Caregivers?" published in HealthyDebate. He has participated as a care partner and contributor in several projects, including enhancing primary care practice for dementia patients through eConsult and assessing IT maturity in Ontario’s long-term care homes, published in BMJ Open. His work includes an environmental scan of primary care models for dementia published in the Canadian Journal on Aging. He is a co-recipient of the Future Innovator Award from The Change Foundation and has served on committees for the Community Based Dementia Care Working Group and the eConsult in Long-Term Care Advisory Committee.