Vincent Bowman is the Chair of the QRE Committee at the Aphasia Institute. He brings insight and experience from having been the Director of Research for the Heart and Stroke Foundation Ontario, where he led a multidisciplinary team specializing in research program management, science information, evaluation, and health professional education. Prior to joining the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Vincent was the Director of Grants and Partnerships for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Ontario Region. He has many years of experience as a leader in the not-for-profit sector, including senior executive roles in hospital and long-term-care foundations.
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.
Jan Carlisle is a Social Worker who was formerly in clinical practice at Sunnybrook and Baycrest, with a practice focus in gerontology. Her work was with clients and families on special care and palliative care units. She received her MSW from the University of Toronto. Jan had a previous career in various business settings in the retail industry in Cape Town, South Africa and in London, United Kingdom, where she was involved in administration and press and public relations. She is now retired.
Tannis Fast-Vetter has enjoyed a life-long career in music as a vocal teacher, music educator, choral director and festival adjudicator. She graduated with a MMus (Voice) from Western, MA (Ed. Admin.) from U of T, and holds an A.R.C.T. (Voice & Piano) from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has been a member of several professional music organizations for over 30 years. In addition to her private teaching studio, Tannis has also taught at private schools, colleges, conservatories and university. Her teaching philosophy has always been to help students find ways to communicate their musical stories more effectively. It is this philosophy that drew Tannis to the work at the Aphasia Institute helping members tell their stories. Tannis has volunteered in the Aphasia Institute’s conversation and music groups, book clubs, and Introductory Program. Tannis’ on-going interest in the role of music and the arts in care settings has led to facilitating a Music Journaling Workshop at Gilda’s Club, attending Music Care Conferences annually, as well as lectures and workshops in the growing field of music medicine.
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.
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.
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
Sherrill Meeks‘ association with the Aphasia Institute began in October 2009, 8 months after her husband’s stroke. After the Introductory Program, her husband joined the Toastmasters
Program and she continued to attend the Family Group. Their connection with the AI community has made a tremendous difference in their lives. Sherrill’s career background is Social Work. She initially worked in children’s services, but in the 15 years prior to her retirement in 2004, she worked at West Park Healthcare Centre. Her first position there was on an inpatient rehabilitation unit and then, for almost 10 years, she was part of an outreach team with the Seniors Mental Health Service. In both positions, many of the people with whom she worked had experienced acute or chronic life-changing medical events or conditions. Sherrill also worked with many of their family members. In addition, the Seniors Mental Health staff presented educational programs on topics related to geriatric mental health.
Dr. Donald Meeks is an Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Cross-appointed to the Addiction Research Foundation, now the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), he has over 30 years management and executive experience including service as Associate Director of the CAMH hospital, founding Director of the School of Addiction Studies and Coordinator of International Programs. Among other accomplishments, at the University of Toronto he was the founding chair of his Faculty’s Anti-Racism, Multiculturalism, Native Issues (AMNI) Project and a member of the President’s Advisory Committee on Race Relations and Race-Related Initiatives. For 33 years, Professor Meeks has functioned as an international consultant for the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, CARICOM and other international bodies in over 40 countries. These countries have included Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Hong Kong, Australia, the former Yugoslavia, Greece, the Netherlands, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago. Professor Meeks is Co-director of the Caribbean Institute on Alcoholism and other Drug Problems (CARIAD), which has conducted an annual summer school in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Tobago for the past 33 years. Dr. Meeks is widely published and has produced four training films in the area of substance abuse counseling. His awards include the Arbor Award (University of Toronto), the Harry Jerome Award for Professional Excellence (2004), being listed by the University of Toronto as one of the “Great Teachers from our Past (1995),” named to the Order of Canada (2006), and inclusion in Canadian Who’s Who (2007).
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 colleagues at the Aphasia Institute, she has been instrumental in the development of Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™) – an innovative tool for increasing communicative access to life participation and is currently working on a research project called A-FROM – Living with Aphasia: Framework for Outcome Measurement funded by a three-year grant from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care through the Ontario Stroke Strategy. A-FROM is a conceptual guide for thinking about outcome measurement in aphasia and is in line with the thinking of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Aura 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.
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.