Talya Wolff is the Manager of Patient Services and Experience with the Joint Department of Medical Imaging and Lab Medicine Program at University Health Network.
Talya is a graduate of the University of Toronto Master’s of Health Administration program. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Canadian College of Health Leaders and is a Director and Chair of the Quality Committee for Transcare Community Support Services. Talya is also a Speech-Language Pathologist by training, focusing her clinical work on pediatric populations in the rehabilitation and community settings
Sandra E. Black, MD, FRCPC, holds the inaugural Brill Chair in Neurology, Department of Medicine,University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. She received her medical and neurological training at the University of Toronto, completed postdoctoral research at theUniversity ofWestern Ontario in behavioural neurology and stroke, and also pursued graduate work in the history and philosophy of science at Oxford University. She directs the Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, and is a Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest. She is Medical Director of the Regional Stroke Centre for N&E GTA and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Site Director for the Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery. She was Head of Neurology at Sunnybrook (1995-2006) and currently directs the LC Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Unit. Her research interests include Stroke Recovery and Vascular Cognitive Impairment, diagnosis of dementia and the use of neuroimaging to study brain-behaviour relationships. She has published over 350 papers and is actively engaged in clinical trials of Stroke and Stroke Recovery, Alzheimer’s and Vascular Cognitive Impairment. In 2001, she received the Mel Silverman Award for Outstanding Mentorship from the University of Toronto’s Institute of Medical Science in 2009 and University of Toronto, Department of Medicine Mentorship award.
Natalie Gierman is the Senior Manager, System Change, Research & Strategic Initiatives with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She received her Master of Health Sciences (MHSc) from the University of Toronto. Her fifteen year career in public health and the nonprofit sector has focused primarily on research, policy development, advocacy, and government relations. Natalie has had the opportunity to live and work in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario which has provided her with a wide breadth of experience in policy implementation in very different economic, social and political environments. In her current role, she actively engages with partners to initiate strategies that aim to facilitate clinical practice and system change at a provincial and regional level. She is a passionate advocate for equitable health care access so every person receives the quality care they deserve. When she isn’t glued to her phone or computer, Natalie enjoys art, live music, getting outdoors and travelling.
Rhoda Reardon attended the University of Toronto where she completed the combined physical and occupational therapy program. She practiced occupational therapy for 18 years in general inpatient rehabilitation, geriatrics and vocational assessment and rehabilitation. While in clinical practice, Rhoda served a three-year term on the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario Council where she chaired the Quality Assurance Committee. She was a guest lecturer in the Occupational Therapy Programs at Queens University, McMaster University and the University of Toronto.
She left clinical practice in 1992 when she joined the Institute for Work & Health, a non-profit research organization based in Toronto. During her tenure at the Institute, she was involved with developing an accreditation program for the workers compensation system, “Regional Evaluation Centres”; led a project with the Ontario Insurance Commission around selection, implementation, and evaluation of a network of “Designated Assessment Centres” intended to serve claimants and auto insurers in dispute about medical and rehabilitation benefits, and, was a lead player in developing the Institute’s knowledge transfer and exchange function.
Rhoda joined the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in 2006 and during her ten years there, she was Manager of the Research and Evaluation Department. Notable achievements in this role include building the research and evaluation team; re-defining the College’s role in physician education; re-designing the physician peer assessment program; co-chairing a national initiative responsible for the development and publication of the “Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain”, and playing a key role in the conceptualization and implementation of a pan-Canadian project with medical regulatory authorities to further understanding of the factors that influence physician quality of practice.
She retired from full-time work in 2016 and since has acted in a consultant role with a wide variety of projects and partners using her skills in process facilitation, program development and evaluation.
Elyse Shumway is a speech-language pathologist in private practice. She is a consultant to the Aphasia Institute and specializes in educational technology, training development, community rehabilitation and vocational communication intervention. Recent projects at the Aphasia Institute include facilitating a new community of practice to encourage knowledge exchange in the area of communicative access, designing training modules for website display and hosting the broadcast of on-line training sessions. Since receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her masterʼs degree from the University of Kansas, Ms. Shumway has done additional graduate work at the University of Toronto in the areas of adult education and instructional technology. She has worked in a number of teaching hospitals, in both clinical and management positions, including acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care settings. Ms. Shumway has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has taught post-graduate courses at the University of Toronto in cognitive-communication rehabilitation for individuals with post-traumatic brain injuries.
Camilla Todesco is a graduate of Assumption University of Windsor and the University of Ottawa, St. Patrick’s College, having achieved a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and psychology and a Masters degree in Social Work. She specialized in the field of adoption of biracial children and then spent many years in mental health and addictions. Camilla has served on the boards of social services agencies, is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Aphasia Institute, and is also a client of the Aphasia Institute.
George Kopulos is a retired Chemical Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in manufacturing and management. He received a BASc and an MBA from the University of Toronto. He is proud to be a volunteer with the Aphasia Institute in various programs such as Conversation, Outreach, and New Beginnings for over 12 years. George is also the volunteers’ representative on the Aphasia Institute’s Board of Directors. He has served as a church treasurer and the marketing chair for a community choir and a musical theatre company.
Dr. Aura Kagan is the Executive Director and Director of Applied Research and Education at the Aphasia Institute. Aura received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto’s Institute of Medical Science and is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Together with past and present colleagues at the Aphasia Institute, she has been instrumental in the development of Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™) – an evidence-based and innovative tool for increasing communicative access to life participation, as well as A-FROM – Living with Aphasia: Framework for Outcome Measurement – based on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).
Aura is a member of the Canadian Stroke and Aphasia Team initially constituted with support from a CIHR planning grant and which played a key role in the development of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations relevant to aphasia and communication. She has published and presented extensively in the area of aphasia and communicative access.
Rochelle Cohen-Schneider, B.A. (Sp. & H.Th), M.Ed., Reg. CASLPO, is the Director of Clinical and Educational Services at the Aphasia Institute in Toronto, Canada. She has worked in the field of aphasia for almost her entire career spanning over 35 years. She studied Speech and Hearing Therapy in South Africa and completed a Masters Degree in Education in Toronto. Her interests include clinical education, continuing education and working within a social model of aphasia.
Maria Martinez is the Director of Finance and Operations at the Aphasia Institute. Maria has a Master in Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Global Business Management from Humber College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of the Pacific in Lima, Peru. Maria has more than 15 years of experience in Business Operations, General Administration and Finance, in various business settings, including the health care and not-for-profit sectors.
The Advisory, Research and Ethics Committee is responsible to the Executive Director and provides advice on all matters referred to the Committee by the Executive Director and on all research proposals.
Membership on the Committee is comprised of at least three (3) external representatives with areas of relevant expertise and experience, and the following representatives from the Aphasia Institute: one member, one family member, and one volunteer.
The initial appointment is for three (3) years. The appointments are renewable.
Bi-monthly
Fifty (50) percent of members (excluding ex-officio members) to be in attendance when voting, on research proposals, and others matters coming before the Committee.
The Committee Administrator is responsible for receiving all research proposals; ensuring that they conform to the Research Guidelines, forwarding copies of the proposals to the Committee members, and communicating with the individual submitting the proposal. The Committee Administrator is also responsible for the creation, recording and distribution of all meeting agenda, minutes and other materials, as well as any Committee correspondence to external parties.
The Committee is responsible for providing ethics advice regarding the program and other matters where appropriate.
The Committee also serves as the review Committee for all research proposals. The Research Guidelines will be reviewed annually and will provide the framework for acceptance or rejection of the research proposals. Input will be provided to the Committee by the staff of the Aphasia Institute regarding organizational issues relevant to each research proposal.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Chair(s):
- Provide leadership to the Committee and at the bi-monthly meetings;
- Ensure there are actions and follow-up from the meetings;
- Ensure annual review of the Terms of Reference of this Committee
- Ensure annual review of the Research Guidelines of the Aphasia Institute
- Supervise the Committee Administrator by overseeing the administrative responsibilities associated with the Committee:
Roles and Responsibilities of the Membership:
- Represent professional or functional areas;
- Attend all meetings
If a member cannot attend, he/she must
- notify the chair of absence;
- provide input/feedback to the Chair prior to the meeting and/or submit a proxy vote for matters requiring decision;
- Review all pre-circulated material and be ready to participate in the discussions during the meeting;
- Notify the Committee Administrator 10 days before a scheduled meeting of additional agenda items;
- Communicate to their representative group discussion items and group decisions of the Committee;
- Solicit from their representative group issues/ideas/solutions for discussion at the Committee meetings.