Emily Clark, MSc
Knowledge Broker
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Emily is a dynamic, driven and positive individual who is known for her ability to take large-scale, complex projects and turn them into manageable work plans with clear objectives, actions and timelines. Making a difference in public health is what drives her. She works closely with public health decision makers and practitioners to support them to achieve their goals for evidence use through workshops, training and collaborative projects. Read More
Emily brings her expertise in project management, writing and teaching to her role as knowledge broker with the NCCMT’s clients to implement evidence-informed decision making in their organizations. Her diverse portfolio includes developing and refining the NCCMT’s suite of products and services, networking and outreach to various audiences, and leading and supporting a range of knowledge translation projects. An accomplished facilitator, Emily has been invited to deliver several guest lectures to public health graduate students and has also delivered an in-house training series on research methodology to the NCCMT team.
In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Waterloo, Emily has earned two Master of Science degrees, one in biology from McGill University, and a second in health research methodology from McMaster University. Emily has a passion for research methodology and is always happy to discuss study designs or critical appraisal. She also contributes to various working groups at the National Collaborating Centres for Public Health on an ongoing basis.
In her personal time, Emily enjoys going on adventures with her children and learning new skills.
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Rawan Farran, MSc
Research Coordinator
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Rawan is a skilled facilitator with expertise in communications who is passionate about her work in supporting public health in Canada. As research coordinator, Rawan is a key player on the team, leading and supporting a broad range of projects associated with the NCCMT, Health Evidence™ and the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal—a website dedicated to providing the best available evidence on optimal aging to support staying healthy, active and engaged as we grow older. Rawan works hard to bring a global outlook to the public health sector, with a focus on making research and fact-based health information accessible and easy to understand for Canadians. Read More
In her current role with the NCCMT, Rawan screens research, conducts quality assessments and manages all social media platforms for the NCCMT and Health Evidence™. Rawan brings extensive educational, volunteer and employment experience to the NCCMT, all related to her dedication to the continuous improvement of Canada’s public health system. Prior to completing a Master of Science in Global Health at McMaster University, Rawan volunteered and worked with various health care organizations, including the Canadian Cancer Society, an inner city health centre and Hamilton Public Health Services. In addition to her Master degree, Rawan also holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University. Her ongoing commitment to research is evident: She has been published in the Journal of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine; assisted in the planning and implementation of several health and leadership summits; and developed and facilitated workshops and presentations at various local and national conferences.
She feels most fulfilled professionally when she receives feedback about how the NCCMT’s work is positively impacting the professional and personal lives of clients. When she’s not at work, Rawan can be found spending time with her friends and family. She loves to explore all things pop culture, and she is a fluent speaker of Arabic.
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Alyssa Kostopoulos, MPH
Research Assistant
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Alyssa brings her background in epidemiology and communicable disease, along with her experience at the local public health level, to her role as research assistant. With a keen attention to detail, she supports the research, dissemination and quality control of a variety of NCCMT products. Read More
Alyssa currently contributes to the development and dissemination of rapid reviews as part of the Rapid Evidence Service, as well as maintenance for the Health Evidence™ registry and other online resources. Alyssa also helps maintain the NCCMT and Health Evidence™ social media profiles and generic email accounts.
Alyssa earned both an undergraduate degree in Life Sciences and a Master’s degree in Public Health at McMaster University. Through her various student work placements at the local public health level, she developed an understanding of the importance of evidence-informed decision making and knowledge translation in public health. Alyssa is eager to learn and contribute to the NCCMT’s efforts in bridging research to practice and advancing evidence use in public health.
Outside of work, Alyssa enjoys staying active through a varied exercise routine. On the weekend, you can find her checking out a new restaurant or enjoying the outdoors at her family cottage.
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Alanna Miller, MPH
Research Assistant
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Alanna is a motivated and dedicated individual who brings her background in research, evaluation and writing to her role as research assistant. Like the rest of the team at NCCMT, Alanna is excited to use her knowledge and enthusiasm to help support the use of evidence-informed decision making in public health. Alanna’s current focus is on supporting the NCCMT’s COVID-19 response. In this role, she is helping with the planning, development, communication and knowledge translation of the special COVID-19 research projects, including two systematic reviews. Read More
In addition to an undergraduate degree in Life Sciences, Alanna has also earned a Master of Public Health from McMaster University. During her graduate studies, Alanna played an integral role in planning and executing the 2019 McMaster Public Health Student-Led Conference, which showcased academic, student and community research about the future state of public health. Alanna has also been involved with several local organizations, including completing a program evaluation project with Hamilton’s John Howard Society and serving as a first contact for harm reduction services at The AIDS Network in Hamilton.
Alanna is grateful and excited about joining the NCCMT where she has the opportunity to learn a variety of new skills and work with such a dedicated and knowledgeable team. Outside of the office, Alanna strives toward building connections in the Hamilton community. She enjoys attending Pilates classes, painting and exploring the trails and parks throughout the area.
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Kristin Rogers, MPH
Research Coordinator
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Kristin brings her keen attention to detail to make meaningful improvements that connect with big-picture outcomes. In her role at the NCCMT, she manages the Health Evidence™ registry and the NCCMT’s Registry of Methods and Tools. These two repositories work to make it easier to use the best available evidence in public health practice. As a research coordinator, she also supports evaluation of the NCCMT’s activities and impacts, including documentation of the organization’s knowledge translation efforts and networking and outreach that connects public health decision makers and practitioners across Canada. In all that she does, Kristin keeps her focus on closing the gap between knowledge and application by working to bridge the worlds of academia and practice in public health. Read More
Kristin holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Alberta and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Trent University. During her undergraduate studies at Trent, Kristin took a course on the sociology of health and illness, which sparked a passion for population and public health. Fuelled by this desire, Kristin pursued graduate work in public health, which ultimately led her to the NCCMT.
Kristin has represented the NCCMT both online in webinars and in-person at several conferences. A lifelong learner, she has actively pursued professional development in the areas of leadership, continuous quality improvement and project management. When she’s not at the NCCMT, Kristin enjoys spending time with family and friends.
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Susan Snelling, PhD
Senior Knowledge Translation Specialist
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Susan brings a practical, grounded approach to evaluation and public health practice. She is known for her clear communications, capacity to relate to people and skillful ability to facilitate difficult conversations. Using customized approaches, she supports the NCCMT’s clients in identifying strategies for finding and using evidence that will work in their roles, contexts and organizations. For Susan, the most rewarding part of her role is helping public health professionals feel confident in their practice because they have found a way to use evidence to support their decisions. Read More
As a senior knowledge translation specialist, Susan supports outreach to the NCCMT’s audiences, including graduate training programs and public health professionals. At the NCCMT, she links public health agencies across the country with methods and tools for using evidence in their organizations and delivers training related to evidence-informed decision making. She provides relevant, practical training and consultation on evidence-informed practice for professionals working and training in the field.
Susan holds a doctorate degree in Psychology and has the Credentialed Evaluator designation from the Canadian Evaluation Society. She currently serves as the chair of the board of directors at 4elements Living Arts. Prior to joining the NCCMT, Susan worked for 10 years at the Sudbury & District Health Unit as manager of research and evaluation. She has also worked at Public Health Ontario, providing training and consulting on health promotion evaluation. In addition, Susan was part of a team that completed an Executive Training in Research Application (EXTRA) fellowship through the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, focusing on using evidence to improve health equity.
When she’s not working on NCCMT projects, Susan spends her time living the good life on Manitoulin Island.
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Robyn Traynor, MSc
Knowledge Broker
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Robyn has worked in various aspects of health research for over ten years, with a focus on knowledge translation and research impact assessment. She is a clear communicator, an empathetic mediator and a creative problem-solver—a source of unflappable calm in trying times. She is also a firm believer in the importance of thinking critically. Read More
As a knowledge broker, Robyn primarily contributes to the NCCMT’s Rapid Evidence Service and other capacity-building and evaluation initiatives.
Robyn earned a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Neuroscience from McMaster University. Upon completing her graduate training, Robyn realized that her final thesis was undoubtedly destined for a dusty, unread life on a forgotten library bookshelf without the support of something called “knowledge translation.” She has since championed the concept, working to bridge the knowledge-to-action gap and facilitating multidirectional engagement between knowledge producers and users. Her goal is to disseminate research evidence effectively and appropriately. She has supplemented her formal education with additional training in project management, evaluation and—of course—knowledge translation.
Outside of work, Robyn is happiest when exploring, from grand travel (mis)adventures to her local restaurant scene to a good book, and everything in between.
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