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Goal 1: Centres for Leadership in Childhood disability
Leading Childhood Disability: Bloorview Hires New Talent
Bloorview hires five new clinical and social scientists
As Bloorview takes a leap forward in achieving our goal of providing global leadership in childhood disability, we are pleased to announce the recruitment of five new academic professionals to assist us in achieving this vision.
This is a key step forward in achieving the key goals in the Strategic Plan 2007-2012 Infinite Possibilities. Through the Strategic Plan, Bloorview will ensure that children with disabilities have access to the best care possible, face fewer barriers and live full and meaningful lives.
We are extremely pleased with the success of our initial phase of strategic recruiting:
- Evdokia Anagnostou, MD: Clinician Scientist,
Area of interest: Psychopharmacology and Neuroimaging for Autism Spectrum Disorder - Jessica Brian, PhD, Clinical Development Psychology: Clinician Investigator,
Area of interest: Early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder - Gillian King, PhD, Social Psychology: Senior Scientist (part time),
Area of interest: psychosocial aspects of disability and the development of models of service delivery - Sally Lindsay, PhD, Sociology: Scientist,
Area of interest: Inclusion and participation - Amy McPherson, PhD, Health Psychology: Scientist,
Area of interest: Engaging children in the health care process
Each of these hires will be joining Bloorview’s Centres for Leadership in Childhood Disability, and will have an appointment with the Bloorview Research Institute and University of Toronto and other universities. These new additions to the Bloorview team help us build a critical mass of academic clinicians and stellar scientists whose work will benefit clients and families and help transform the field of childhood disability.
This is an important step in Bloorview’s growth as an academic health sciences centre and positions Bloorview to lead in the delivery of world-class, exemplary care. New approaches to treatment and study of the barriers facing children and their families will quickly translate to the front lines of care here at Bloorview, as well as provincially, nationally and internationally. Not only will Bloorview be at the forefront of developing innovative models of care and integration, with this world-class talent we will also be able to attract the brightest and best students and staff. This powerful combination will support the highest quality of care.
This investment in new academic talent wouldn’t have been possible without the support from our donors through the Bloorview Kids Foundation. During these difficult economic times, we are extremely grateful for the important role that our donor and philanthropic community are making in advancing the field of childhood disability.
Profiles
Evdokia Anagnostou
Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou comes to Bloorview from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where she was Assistant Professor and clinical director of the Seaver Autism Center of Excellence. Evdokia has taken on the role of Clinician Scientist at Bloorview and is cross-appointed to the Division of Neurology at SickKids. Evdokia is a child neurologist, having completed medical school at McGill University in 1998 and her residency in child neurology in 2003. She subsequently completed a research fellowship at the Seaver Autism Center of Excellence in New York.
Evdokia’s research focus is on the psychopharmacology and neuroimaging of autism. Her research at Bloorview will focus on clinical trials to test novel compounds for the treatment of autism and related disorders. In collaboration with neuro-imaging researchers at SickKids, she also plans to study the developmental trajectory of abnormalities in the frontostriatal circuitry in autism, and explore the mechanisms of treatment response and side effects generation using fMRI, MR spectroscopy and DTI techniques.
Jessica Brian
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Jessica Brian to the Clinician Investigator position in the Centre of Leadership in Child Development. Jessica will be a key person in supporting the clinical and academic advancement of this Centre and the Strategic Plan.
Jessica has been with Bloorview for the past four years, in her role as Psychologist in the Child Development Program. She has a Masters and PhD in Clinical Development Psychology from York University. Jessica comes with a rich history of clinical and research activities within the field of Autism and she is particularly known for her work in early identification and very early intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorders. In her new position, Jessica will continue to develop her research program in this area, as well as continue to work with our clinical teams to advance practice.
Gillian King
Dr. Gillian King comes to Bloorview from the Child and Parent Resource Institute in London, Ontario where she was a Scientist. Gillian is a familiar face at Bloorview, as she has been working with us on a part-time basis over the past few years in the role of Senior Scientist. We are pleased that Gillian has accepted a formalized part-time role with Bloorview as a Senior Scientist. Gillian has a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Western Ontario, and holds the positions of Associate Clinical Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, and Adjunct Research Professor in the Faculty of Education, Lecturer in the Department of Family Medicine, and Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Western Ontario.
In her new role with Bloorview, she will continue to build her research in the area of children’s participation and social inclusion, as well as psychosocial aspects of disability, family resilience, expertise in service delivery, and models of service delivery. She has authored or co-authored over 95 articles in professional journals, has been an investigator on more than 35 grants, and has been an author on over 180 peer-reviewed presentations. Gillian has 20 years of management experience in research and clinical positions, along with experience in teaching and consulting, and working in collaborative partnerships.
Sally Lindsay
Sally comes to us from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, where she held a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) post-doctoral fellowship. She is an accomplished young scientist, having over 20 peer-reviewed publications and presented at over 29 local, national and international conferences. Sally is a health sociologist by training with an MA and a PhD graduate degree in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario (UWO). During her fellowship, Sally examined the social barriers and inequalities facing chronically ill and marginalized populations. Sally was also awarded a CIHR strategic training post doctoral fellowship in interdisciplinary primary health care research through the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine at UWO. Prior to this Sally completed a post doctoral fellowship in England where she gained experience in the UK's "Expert Patient" model and was awarded Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding to explore the socio-cultural mechanisms of engaging patients in self-care.
Sally joined Bloorview on Monday, March 2nd as a Scientist in the Centre for Leadership in Participation. In her new role at Bloorview, Sally’s research will focus on the broad area of inclusion and participation. Her particular focus will be on disability self-management, socio-cultural barriers and inequities encountered by children and youth with disabilities and their families, transition through the health care system, and the impact of health services and policy on access, utilization, equity and inclusion of children with disabilities and their families.
Amy McPherson
Dr. Amy McPherson comes to Bloorview from the University of Nottingham in the UK, where she was a Lecturer in Health Psychology and had her own scientific research program in the psychological impact of chronic illness on children and their families. Amy has a BSc. from the University of Westminster and a PhD in Health Psychology from the University of Nottingham.
In her role as Scientist, Centre for Participation and Inclusion, Amy’s research will focus on the involvement of children with long-term conditions in their care and promoting health by improving patient choice and empowerment. This is an under-researched area that has enormous potential to provide findings of immediate relevance to the provision of care for children.