Local Site Principal Investigators

Dr. Benoît Cossette Université de Sherbrooke Dr. Benoît Cossette Université de Sherbrooke E-mail: Benoit.Cossette@USherbrooke.ca Benoit Cossette, B.Pharm, PhD, is an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Sherbrooke, researcher at the Research Center on Aging in Sherbrooke and pharmacist at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS. He holds a Junior-1 research career award from the Fonds de recherche du Québec–Santé (FRQS). His research program centers on medication use among older adults with projects on transitions of care and on the optimal use of medications in primary care as well as acute and long-term care.	Dr. Lauren Griffith McMaster University Dr. Lauren Griffith McMaster University Tel: (905) 525-9140, ext. 21416 E-mail: griffith@mcmaster.ca Lauren Griffith is a professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI) at McMaster University where she holds the R McLaughlin Foundation Professorship in Population and Public Health. She completed her PhD in epidemiology at the University of Toronto and master’s degree in biostatistics from the University of Michigan. Her research interests include physical functioning, disability, and aging, and has worked extensively in the areas of multimorbidity and frailty. She has published multiple papers using population-based data from cohort studies, such as the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), as well as administrative data. Dr. Griffith is a co-principal investigator of the CLSA and the lead of the McMaster CLSA Data Collection Site.	Dr. David Hogan University of Calgary Dr. David Hogan University of Calgary E-mail: dhogan@ucalgary.ca David B. Hogan is a specialist in geriatric medicine. Born in Baie Comeau, Quebec, his education took place at St. Francis Xavier University, Dalhousie University, University of Alberta, University of Ottawa and the University of Western Ontario. In 1990, he moved to the University of Calgary where he founded the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, and became the first Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Calgary, which he still holds. His research interests include cognitive impairment and dementia, drug therapy, falls, frailty and health services for older Canadians. Dr. Hogan has contributed to more than 335 peer-reviewed publications and has participated in a number of provincial and national research and data synthesis initiatives, including the Canadian Study of Health and Aging and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging.
Dr. Jacqueline McMillan University of Calgary Dr. Jacqueline McMillan University of Calgary E-mail: mcmilljm@ucalgary.ca Jacqueline M. McMillan is a specialist in Geriatric Medicine. She was born in Kelowna, B.C. and completed her undergraduate and medical education at the University of British Columbia in the Okanagan and Vancouver, followed by Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine training at the University of Calgary. Dr. McMillan completed a Master of Community Health Sciences, Health Services Research and research training with the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons Clinical Investigator Program. Her clinical and research interests focus on aging in persons with HIV, including frailty, dementia, polypharmacy, falls, loneliness and social isolation and continuing care for persons with HIV.	Susan Kirkland Principal Investigator, Dalhousie University Susan Kirkland Principal Investigator, Dalhousie University E-mail: Susan.Kirkland@dal.ca Susan Kirkland is a professor and clinical research scholar in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology and the Department of Medicine at Dalhousie University, Halifax. She is the associate director (population studies) of the Geriatric Medicine Research Unit at Dalhousie, affiliate scientist at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, and a founding member of the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health. She is trained as an epidemiologist, with expertise in epidemiological methods, health services utilization and women’s health and aging. She is also a co-principal investigator of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.	Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose University of British Columbia Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose University of British Columbia E-mail: teresa.ambrose@ubc.ca Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD, PT, is Professor and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Health Aging in the Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia. She is a Co-Director of the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility UBC and Director of the Vancouver General Hospital Falls Prevention Clinic. Dr. Liu-Ambrose is the CLSA Data Collection Site Lead at UBC and Co-Chairs the CLSA Neuroimaging Working Group. She is also an associate member of the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.
Dr. Verena Menec University of Manitoba Dr. Verena Menec University of Manitoba E-mail: Verena.Menec@umanitoba.ca Dr. Verena Menec is a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Menec’s main research interests lie in the areas of healthy aging, determinants of healthy aging, social isolation and loneliness, and age-friendly communities as a way to promote healthy aging.	Dr. Vanessa Taler Bruyère Continuing Care Dr. Vanessa Taler Bruyère Continuing Care E-mail: vtaler@uottawa.ca Vanessa Taler is a professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and a scientist at the Bruyère Research Institute, where the CLSA data collection site is located. She has a BA in linguistics from University of Auckland, New Zealand; an MA in linguistics from McGill University and a PhD in biomedical sciences, with a specialization in neuropsychology, from Université de Montréal. Dr. Taler’s research is supported by NSERC. Her research interests focus on language and neurocognitive processing in older adults and people with cognitive impairment and dementia. Her current research focuses on the impact of bilingualism on language and cognitive processing; development of neuropsychological testing materials for detection of dementia; and changes in brain activity in cognitive impairment and dementia.	Dr. Andrew Wister Simon Fraser University Dr. Andrew Wister Simon Fraser University E-mail: andrew_wister@sfu.ca Andrew Wister, PhD is the Director of the Gerontology Research Centre, and a Professor in the Department of Gerontology, in which he has been a faculty member for 30 years. He is an internationally recognized expert on aging research, issues, policies, and training. Dr. Wister is the past Chair of the National Seniors Council of Canada. He was awarded the Distinguished Member Award, Canadian Association on Gerontology in 2014; the prestigious SFU University Professorship award (2015-2020); and is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. Dr. Wister was the primary architect of the MA and PhD Programs in Gerontology at SFU, and has served on the committees of over 80 successful graduate students. His extensive research career has produced has produced over 200 publications, including over 120 highly-cited peer-reviewed articles, in addition to numerous books, reports and other publications in the areas of population and individual healthy aging. Four noteworthy books include: Baby Boomer Health Dynamics: How Are We Aging? (2005) published by University of Toronto Press; Aging as a Social Process: Canada and Beyond, 7th Edition (2019) published by Oxford University Press; Fact Book on Aging in BC and Canada (2019) published by the GRC; and Resilience and Aging: Emerging Science and New Frontiers. (2020) (with T. Cosco, Eds.) published by Springer.
Dr. Christina Wolfson Principal Investigator, McGill University Dr. Christina Wolfson Principal Investigator, McGill University E-mail: christina.wolfson@mcgill.ca Dr. Christina Wolfson is a professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health and Department of Medicine at McGill University, and a senior scientist in the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. She is trained as a biostatistician and epidemiologist. Her program of research lies in the epidemiology of neurodegenerative disorders (dementia, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease) and in the health of older Veterans. She also maintains a methodological and statistical research program, the goals of which are to improve both the design and analysis of observational studies. As a principal investigator on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, she leads the Neurological Conditions Initiative and the Veterans Health Initiative. She is also the director of the CLSA Data Curation Centre and site principal investigator of the Montreal CLSA Data Collection Site and was the inaugural chair of the CLSA Interim Data and Sample Access Committee.	Dr. Arne Stinchcombe Bruyère Research Institute Dr. Arne Stinchcombe Bruyère Research Institute E-mail: astinchc@uottawa.ca Dr. Stinchcombe holds a PhD in Psychology and is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. He is Investigator with Bruyère Research Institute (BRI) and Director of the Healthy Aging Research Program (HARP) laboratory. His research focuses on the psychosocial aspects of health and aging, with a particular interest in community mobility issues and the health of 2SLGBTQ+ older adults.	Patrick Davidson Bruyere Research Institute Patrick Davidson Bruyere Research Institute E-mail: Patrick.davidson@uottawa.ca Patrick Davidson (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, where he is also a Scientist in the Bruyère Research Institute and an affiliate of the Brain-Mind Research Institute. He works on the cognitive neuroscience of human memory, executive functions, and emotion, including in aging and in brain injuries, disorders, and diseases.
Dr. Laura Anderson McMaster University Dr. Laura Anderson McMaster University E-mail: ln.anderson@mcmaster.ca Laura N. Anderson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Public Health in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University. Dr. Anderson’s primary area of research is population and public health with a focus on primary prevention of chronic diseases and life course epidemiology. She leads several CLSA studies understanding how obesity, modifiable chronic disease risk factors, and health inequalities change over time and as people age.	Dr. Mélanie Levasseur Université de Sherbrooke Dr. Mélanie Levasseur Université de Sherbrooke E-mail: Melanie.Levasseur@Usherbrooke.ca Mélanie Levasseur is an occupational therapist and full professor at the School of Rehabilitation of the Université de Sherbrooke. She is also a researcher and director of the Research Lab Connect at the Research Centre on Aging, CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS. She holds a doctorate in clinical sciences from the Université de Sherbrooke and was also a postdoctoral researcher in health promotion at the Institut de recherche en santé publique de l’Université de Montréal (IRSPUM). Professor Levasseur is a Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec Senior Researcher (#298996; 2021-2025). Funded notably by a Foundation Grant from the CIHR (#148466; 2016-24), her research program targets the development and evaluation of a continuum of innovative interventions to promote the social participation of older adults, including the personalised citizen assistance for social participation (APIC), the Lifestyle Redesign (programme Remodeler sa vie) and inclusive environments. Her works also focuses on actions to break ageism and on social robotics.	Tarek Amer University of Victoria Tarek Amer University of Victoria E-mail: tarekamer@uvic.ca I am an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Victoria. The aim of my research is to understand the relationship between age-related changes in cognitive control (the ability to focus on task-relevant while ignoring task-irrelevant information) and attention and memory processes. I completed my Ph.D. with Drs. Lynn Hasher and Cheryl Grady at the University of Toronto and my postdoctoral work with Dr. Lila Davachi at Columbia University and Dr. Daniel Schacter at Harvard University.
Dr. Phil St. John University of Manitoba Dr. Phil St. John University of Manitoba E-mail: pstjohn@hsc.mb.ca Dr. Phil St. John, MD MPH CCFP FRCPC, was born and grew up in Minnedosa, Manitoba. He is a Professor at the University of Manitoba and is the Head of the Section of Geriatric Medicine. He obtained an MD at the University of Manitoba, a Rotating Internship at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Internal Medicine training at the University of Manitoba, subspecialty training at the University of Ottawa and a Masters in Public Health (Epidemiology) from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. St. John’s research interests are in rural health, and the epidemiology of cognitive loss, frailty and depression. He is an affiliate of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba, the co-lead of the Manitoba site of the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging, and a co-investigator with the Manitoba Follow-up Study. His clinical practice is as a Consultant Geriatrician sited at Health Sciences Centre and Deer Lodge Centre.	Zhiwei Gao Memorial University Zhiwei Gao Memorial University Tel: (709) 864-6523 E-mail: Zhiwei.Gao@med.mun.ca	Dr. Gerry Mugford Memorial University Dr. Gerry Mugford Memorial University Tel: (709) 864-6681 E-mail: gmugford@mun.ca
Theone Paterson University of Victoria Theone Paterson University of Victoria E-mail: tpaterson@uvic.ca Theone S. E. Paterson is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Victoria, and a Michael Smith Health Research BC/Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation Scholar. She is also a Visiting Researcher at Baycrest Health Sciences Centre & the Rotman Research Institute, Affiliated Researcher at Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health, and is a registered psychologist in the provinces of BC and Ontario with declared competency in clinical neuropsychology across the lifespan. She is also the Chair of the Clinical Neuropsychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). Her focus is on neuropsychological research with clinical applications, with the aim of improving our understanding of the interplay between neurocognition and psychosocial functioning and predicting real-world health outcomes in aging and chronic illness groups. Aims of this work are to translate basic research to clinical settings through design and implementation of screening measures with utility in diverse groups, and to develop psychological and cognitive programs aimed at improving real-world outcomes.	Cara Brown University of Manitoba Cara Brown University of Manitoba E-mail: cara.brown@umanitoba.ca Cara is an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Cara lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 territory. Cara’s research aims to support adults with complex social and health needs to remain in their homes and communities using participatory approaches. Specific areas of study include improving continuity in care transitions from hospital to home, and expanding rehabilitation and interprofessional services in primary care.