SFU-UBC Implementation Science Training Initiative

Dr. Bev Holmes

President and CEO, Michael Smith Health Research BC 

Bev is a health research system leader with expertise and experience in and passion for the funding, production and use of research evidence to improve health.  She sits on research advisory groups across Canada and internationally, is an associate editor at Implementation Science Communications and participates in the National Alliance of Provincial Health Research Organizations. An adjunct professor at SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences and UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, Bev is also a Chartered Director (Degroote School of Business, McMaster University). She has held a number of management positions in non-profit agencies.

Bev received her MA and PhD from SFU’s School of Communication. She and partner have four children and two grandchildren; they gratefully make their homes on the traditional, unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) First Nations.  

Dr. Linda Li

Professor and Harold Robinson/Arthritis Society Chair at the Department of Physical Therapy, UBC

Senior Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada

Dr. Linda Li is Professor and Harold Robinson/Arthritis Society Chair at the Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, and Senior Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada. She also holds a Canada Research Chair in Patient-oriented Knowledge Translation. Dr. Li’s research focuses on the integration of digital tools in rehabilitation, including the use of wearables and apps to promote physical activity in people with arthritis, and in older adults to prevent falls. Dr. Li’s work in knowledge translation and implementation science has led to a new line of studies on strategies for engaging with patients and the public in the research process. Her work has been recognized by a Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Rheumatology Professionals in the U.S. In 2019, she was inducted as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Heather McKay

Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC 

Principle Scientist, Active Aging Research Team, UBC

My research program spans the life course from childhood to old age. I am best known for: (i) health promotion: study of upstream factors (e.g. physical activity) that promote the health of children, youth and older adults; (ii) implementation science: study of design, implementation and scale-up of health promoting interventions in school (children, youth) and community (older adults) settings, and (iii) knowledge exchange: creating partnerships with community and government stakeholders to move research outcomes into action to promote health at the population level.

I lead the multidisciplinary Active Aging Research Team (AART) at UBC. My research evaluates the role of novel, scalable health promoting interventions on children’s health and on older adult health, mobility and social connectedness. I adopt an implementation science/knowledge mobilization lens to evaluate factors that influence implementation, adaptation and scale-up (dissemination) of effective health promoting interventions as a means to improve health on a population level. 

Dr. Meghan Winters

Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU 

CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in Gender and Sex in Healthy Cities
Researcher, Centre for Aging Smart, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
Founder & Lead, Cities, Health, and Active Transportation Lab

Meghan Winters is a Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She leads the Cities, Health, and Active Transportation Lab (CHATR Lab), with a research focus on how city design impacts mobility, safety, and health, and on equity considerations within cities’ policies and plans.  She and her team work with decision-makers and community groups at the intersection of health, urban planning, and transportation to generate actionable evidence and tools to shape livable, sustainable, and equitable cities. With her PHAC/CIHR Applied Public Health Chair, Meghan is building out the REACH-Cities (REsearch and ACtion for Healthy Cities) program, which aims to promote research, tools, and partnerships that foster increased gender and social equity in our cities.

Meghan leads interdisciplinary and intersectoral teams across the country working in the healthy cities space, such as the INTERACT team, and CapaCITY/E. She has been recognized with the CIHR IPPH’s Trailblazer Award, as an SFU Distinguished Professor, and was a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. Out of the office, Meghan aims to spend the maximum time outside, biking, camping, picnicking, and exploring with her family in tow.