KT Canada Summer Institute 2025
2025-06-17 - 2025-06-19
2025 KT Canada Summer Institute
KT Canada is pleased to be co-hosting this year’s Summer Institute with:
BC SUPPORT Unit
Health Research BC
Knowledge Translation Program, Unity Health Toronto
Ontaro SPOR Support Unit
Simon Fraser University Knowledge Mobilization Hub
University of British Columbia Knowledge Exchange Unit
InformationGuests & SpeakersApplyAgendaSponsors and PartnersTestimonialsProgramWe are pleased to announce the Knowledge Translation (KT) Canada Summer Institute to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from June 17-19, 2025. It’s being held at the Simon Fraser University Harbourfront Centre. The theme for this Summer Institute will be “KT and learning health systems”.
In the context of a learning health system (LHS), expertise in knowledge synthesis and implementation practice/evaluation are essential. This is illustrated in Figure 2 of this document from the Ontario SPOR Support Unit, which presents the Learning Health System Action Framework. An LHS environment also provides opportunities for KT scientists to address research questions that advance KT/implementation science, e.g., they might explore the contexts that enable meaningful patient engagement in implementing stroke management guidelines in a health authority.
The Summer Institute incorporates both the science and practice of KT. Trainees from the Summer Institute may pursue careers in KT science, KT practice, or both, across various settings.
With the theme of KT and LHS, we will feature a career panel that includes KT/implementation scientists working in LHS environments. They will share how their KT training has shaped their work.
The Summer Institute provides participants with the opportunity to increase their understanding of knowledge translation research as well as opportunities and challenges in this field. The Summer Institute will also provide participants with the chance to network with colleagues including national and international KT experts.
The Summer Institute is aimed at graduate students, post-doctoral and clinical fellows, junior faculty who study issues relevant to KT, and those who want to learn more about how to advance their research skills in this area. We encourage applications from a wide range of disciplines that span all of CIHR’s research themes (clinical, health services, and population health).
Registration
Registration fee for trainees and fellows will be $480 CAD
Registration fee for junior faculty and research staff will be $1,075 CAD
Please note, accommodations are not included in the cost. We have reserved space with several hotels in the area.
Email Meghan.Storey@UnityHealth.to with questions.
Speakers and facilitators will be a mix of KT Canada faculty and local experts. We will be adding speakers to this page as we get closer to the event.

Elder Ruth Alfred is of Mamtagela ancestry through her Grandfather Price Bruce, Grandmother Julia Nelson-Bruce and mother Florence Bruce-Stadnyk, and Ukrainian through her father Andrew Stadnyk. Ruth was born and raised in Alert Bay, marrying into the Namgis Nation. She left Alert Bay in 1986 to find work when the fishing industry collapsed. She raised two daughters as a single parent, eventually moving to North Vancouver in 1990 after both girls went on their own. Ruth has six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She and her partner have lived in North Vancouver for 38 years.
Ruth worked various jobs in retail until becoming the Elder Program Coordinator at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre for two years. She worked at the Pacific Association of First Nations Women for 15 years until her retirement in 2017. In 2018, Ruth became a member of the Elder Knowledge Keepers at Indigenous Health and Wellness, which she was a part of until recently. She was the Elder in Residence at Heatley Community Health Centre and Ravensong Clinic, doing one-on-one sessions with patients.
Ruth also does patient visits at Lions Gate Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. For over 23 years, she worked as an outreach worker for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the Downtown Eastside, assisting with housing, medical assistance and support at hearings for Residential School Survivors after helping them with their claim forms for restitution.
Ruth attended North Island Secondary School, the North Island College Early Childhood program and the Native Education College Office Administration Program.
Dr. Skye Barbic is a registered occupational therapist, Canada Research Chair in Integrated Youth Services, and an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Barbic’s focus of research is on learning health systems, measurement-based care, and the implementation of youth centered interventions. She is passionate about systems transformation through community engagement, meaningful measurement, and innovation.
Dr. Lupin Battersby is SFU’s Director, Knowledge Mobilization (KM). In this role she provides training, consulting and mentoring, and is working to support better institutional recognition for KM and research impact. Her KM interest was sparked 20 years ago when holding two contracts, one as a clinical counsellor, the other a research assistant, and she experienced first-hand the gap between research and practice. Since that time, she has worked in roles in and out of academia with a primary focus on the challenges and opportunities to mobilize research in various areas including health services, equity, mental health, housing, aging, and climate action.

Dr. Simonne Collins is a CHILD-BRIGHT Network post-doctoral fellow based at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. Simonne’s research focuses on enhancing the implementation of interventions that improve child and family health. This includes exploring the uniqueness of children’s context and how we can leverage existing structures in a child’s life (i.e. schools and extended caregiver circles) to increase implementation success. Simonne is applying her research findings to support the IWK Health’s Learning Health System initiative. Simonne’s background is in neuropsychology, having completed her PhD in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University in Australia in 2022. Simonne has experience in leading co-designed research in pediatric populations with developmental health conditions.

Dr. Janet Curran is a Professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University and a Research Chair in Quality and Patient Safety at IWK Health, Nova Scotia Health and Dalhousie University. She is the Implementation Science Co-lead for the CHILDBRIGHT Network and the Scientific Lead in the Strengthening Transitions in Care lab at IWK Health where her program of research is focused on co-designing and evaluating best practice and policy change interventions to improve transitions in care for patients and families. Her co-design work is informed by collaborating with multiple stakeholders including patients, parents and caregivers, healthcare providers, and policy makers.

Dr. Maoliosa (Mo) Donald, PhD is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She is trained as a health services researcher, implementation scientist, and physical therapist. Her research interests include interventions that support person-centered care, and innovations that address the evidence-practice gap. Mo has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement in the implementation of health innovations. She is interested in applying theories, methods, and frameworks to determine factors that promote or impede implementation, adaptation, and sustainability in ways that are effective and practical for various contexts.

Dr. Christine (Tina) Fahim (PhD, MSc) is a Scientist for the Knowledge Translation Program, St. Michael’s Hospital and leads the Team for Implementation, Evaluation and Sustainability (TIES). She is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and an Associate Scientist in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Fahim is a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s governing council. She obtained her MSc in Health Systems at the University of Ottawa followed by a PhD in Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact from McMaster University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Fahim’s research focuses on the science and practice of knowledge translation to implement evidence-based interventions at the provider, organization, and health systems levels.

Dr. Clayon Hamilton, PhD, MHA (c), is a health system leader focused on advancing innovation and improvement through evidence-informed strategies and partnerships. Trained as a health services researcher at Western University and the University of British Columbia, his expertise includes patient experience measurement, patient engagement, and knowledge mobilization. He has held leadership roles across British Columbia’s healthcare system, including health authorities, non-profits, and at the Ministry of Health as an embedded scholar. Currently, he is the Knowledge Exchange and Mobilization Leader at Foundry Central Office, leading a team supporting the Learning Health System Initiative and other knowledge mobilization efforts across the Foundry network of centres delivering integrated youth service. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Bev Holmes 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.
She gratefully makes her home on the traditional, unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples.

Dr. Kerry Kuluski is the inaugural Dr. Mathias Gysler Research Chair in Patient and Family Centred Care at the Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners and Associate Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (University of Toronto). She is an Applied Health Services Researcher and a Social Worker by training. She received her PhD in Health Services and Policy Research from the University of Toronto. Following that she was a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford. At the U of T she supervises graduate students, and developed a course on Patient and Caregiver Engagement in Research where she is Course Director. She is Associate Editor for an International Peer Reviewed Journal, Health Expectations. She leads a program of research on the experiences of people with chronic health issues and their caregivers. Her goal is to improve quality and health system performance by working in partnership with patients, family caregivers, and care providers.
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. 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. Her 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. She held a Canada Research Chair in Patient-oriented Knowledge Translation in 2014-2024. 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. Jasmin Ma is an assistant professor of teaching in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, a Clinician Investigator with Arthritis Research Canada, and an Investigator with the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. She was named a UBC Knowledge Mobilization Scholar for her work in bridging her role as a kinesiologist and researcher, working with clinicians and community members to provide physical activity participation opportunities for people with diverse physical abilities. She leads the Movement 4 All (M4A) lab which focusses on i) training heath and exercise professionals to integrate inclusive physical activity as a key healthcare strategy and ii) supporting strength training behaviour change among people with chronic disease and disability, particularly people with spinal cord dysfunction and rheumatoid arthritis.

Monica Mamut is the Unit Director for the BC SUPPORT Unit, part of Michael Smith Health Research BC. She is a seasoned senior leader with two decades of experience spanning research, operations, senior leadership, and governance across Canada. She brings a rich blend of academic and practical expertise, inclusive of a Master in Health Administration from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, which complement her multidisciplinary approach to leadership. Monica is deeply committed to fostering meaningful, strategic engagement with communities to drive sustainable and positive transformation within British Columbia’s health and health research ecosystems. Monica is married, mama to two, puppy parent to one and lives in North Vancouver.

Dr. Sonia Singh is a hospitalist physician and osteoporosis consultant in the Fraser Health Authority, based at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock. New recipient of a five year Michael Smith Health Research BC Health Professional Investigator award, Dr. Singh has been successful with a number of research operating grants in the area of osteoporosis and fall prevention, including an Implementation Science Team grant from the Michael Smith Health Research BC for “Breaking the cycle of recurrent fracture: Scaling up a secondary fracture prevention program in Fraser Health to inform spread across British Columbia”. She sits on the Knowledge Mobilization Platform for Osnet, a national research network supporting bone health research in Canada and holds academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU.

Dr. Sean Spina (RPh, BSc(Pharm), ACPR, PharmD, FCSHP) is a leader in pharmacy practice advancement and a key contributor to the development of Learning Health Systems at Island Health. As a Regional Clinical Pharmacy Manager and researcher, he has been instrumental in integrating data-driven decision-making and continuous learning into healthcare delivery. His work focuses on leveraging real-world evidence to improve patient care by engaging patients, families, clinicians, and decision makers in the research process to optimize clinical workflows. Dr. Spina has participated in multiple innovative projects, including Island Health’s Hospital at Home initiative, and actively collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to advance healthcare transformation. He also holds an adjunct faculty position at the University of British Columbia, where he mentors the next generation of healthcare professionals in applying learning health principles to clinical practice. He has authored several published articles on these topics and has received numerous local, provincial, and national awards for his work on clinical practice and patient care. Website: http://profiles.islandhealth.ca/sean-spina
Dr. Sharon E. Straus (CM, MD, MSc, FRCPC) is a Geriatrician and Clinical Epidemiologist who trained at the University of Toronto and the University of Oxford. She is the Director of the Knowledge Translation Program; Executive Vice President, Clinical Programs and Chief Medical Officer, Unity Health Toronto; and Professor in Department of Medicine, University of Toronto. She authored more than 650 peer-reviewed publications and 3 textbooks in evidence-based medicine, knowledge translation and mentorship. Since 2015, she has consistently been in the top 1% of highly cited clinical researchers as per Clarivate and has an H-index of 126. She holds more than $80 million in peer-reviewed research grants as a principal investigator. She has received national awards for mentorship, research and education. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Medicine, from the University of Montreal, is a Fellow in the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a Member of the Order of Canada.
Dr. Jennifer Walker is a Haudenosaunee member of Six Nations of the Grand River with a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences (Epidemiology) from the University of Calgary. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health Data and Aging at McMaster University and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact.

Dr. David Roger Walugembe – Program Manager Research Programs, Health Research BC. David is a Program Manager, Research Programs at Health Research BC. Previously he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus. Prior to that, David was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Solidarity for Vaccine Equity (SOLVE) Project under the Science of Health Equity Learning Lab (SHELL), in the Faculty of Health and Social Development, University of British Columbia, Kelowna Campus. He holds a PhD in Health Information Science from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Public Health from James P. Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University in Bangladesh and a Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science from Makerere University in Uganda. Prior to enrolling for his Ph.D., David worked as a Project Manager for the Knowledge Translation (KTNET) Africa Project, supporting 8 sub-Saharan African countries to translate their research findings into policy and practice. For his Ph.D. research project, David used the Normalization Process Theory to explore variations in the implementation of an evidence informed health system level policy intervention aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes in a low-income context. His research and teaching interests include implementation science, integrated knowledge translation, health systems and policy research, maternal and child health, health equity, stakeholder engagement and sustainability.

Applications are now closed, many thanks to all who applied.
Stay updated via our social media and/ or newsletter:
LinkedIn: @Knowledge Translation Program
Bluesky: @KTCanada and @KTProgram
subscribe to the KT Canada newsletter. Agenda topics:

Intro to KT: What is it and isn’t
Intro to learning health systems and KT
Workshop: Enhancing communication skills
What are theories, models and frameworks and how do I choose one?
Patient & public involvement in research
Intersectionality and KT
KT interventions
Outcomes evaluation
Panel: Career paths in KT
Panel: KT and learning health systems
Speed mentoring meetings
Small group work, facilitated by KT experts

We extend a huge thank you to our sponsors and partners!

See what past Summer Institute participants are saying:

“I really liked the engagement with other trainees and faculty members. It was a very collaborative experience.“
“I think the institute was structured very well. There was a good variety of lectures, workshops, and breaks. I never felt too overwhelmed or fatigued. The content was directly relevant to me and my work in patient engagement.“
Ellen Wang – “Growing understanding of knowledge translation practice and research“
Download the program here.

KT Canada Seminar Series - Dr. Codie Primeau
2025-06-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto)
Presenter: Dr. Codie Primeau
Presentation topic: Citizen Science: An approach to engage the public and co-develop research questions
Register here: https://bit.ly/3FDNAM8
Download the flier here.
Learning objectives – by the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
1) Understand what citizen science is and how it can enhance public engagement by breaking down barriers to inclusivity in health research.
2) Explain how citizen science can actively involve patients and the public in co-creating and prioritizing research driven by community priorities.
3) Discuss an example of ongoing citizen science work with 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities with chronic pain and how the approach supports meaningful community participation in the full research program.

Bio
Dr. Codie Primeau (he/him; il) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Physical Therapy at Western University and an Affiliate Scientist with Arthritis Research Canada. His research focuses on arthritis, pelvic health, chronic pain, and 2S/LGBTQIA+ health, with an emphasis on equity, inclusion, and patient and community engagement. He studies clinical and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy and surgical interventions and works to improve access to affirming care. He also leads initiatives to strengthen 2S/LGBTQIA+ representation in physiotherapy education and collaborates with national and community-based organizations with the aim to enhance health outcomes for underrepresented communities.
Email Meghan.Storey@UnityHealth.to with questions.

View the recording here: https://youtu.be/8ZgGnmKkWcg?si=T_MdnYIyCLLXbKjs
