CHEER is led by a national team of more than 30 highly engaged leaders in their field, representing all regions across Canada, and is supported by a small but mighty team that helps to advance activities. See members of the teams listed below.
Principal Investigators:
Susan Marlin is the President and CEO of Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO), an organization established by the Province of Ontario in 2012 to make Ontario a preferred location for global clinical trials while maintaining the highest ethical standards. Prior to joining CTO, Susan served as the Associate Vice-Principal at Queen’s University. Susan worked with the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group for many years, initially coordinating cancer clinical trials and later leading the development and implementation of the Ethics and Regulatory Office. She served as President of the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards, as a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Research Integrity Committee, the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board and the Tri-Agency Panel on the Responsible Conduct of Research. Susan is on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Life Sciences Ontario and the Management Team for the Ontario SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) Support Unit. She is an Adjunct Lecturer at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and is the nominated principal investigator on a Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded project to streamline research ethics review for child health research across Canada.
Dr. Thierry Lacaze-Masmonteil assumed leadership of the Maternal Infant Child Youth Research Network (MICYRN) in May 2018. He received his medical degree from the University Paris 5 – René Descartes in 1993 and a PhD in biological sciences at the University Paris 7 – Pierre et Marie Curie in 1995. He completed a fellowship in Neonatology in 1997 and a Master in Epidemiology in 2000. He was appointed professor of Pediatrics at the University Paris 11 in 1997. Thierry moved to Edmonton, Alberta, in 2003 to become the inaugural director of the Women and Children Health Research Institute (WCHRI) in 2006. In 2010, He was recruited as a senior scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute and was the scientific director of the Clinical Research Unit at CHEO from 2011 to 2015. Dr. Lacaze-Masmonteil is currently Professor of Paediatrics at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. His areas of study include clinical trials with an emphasis on medications.
Dr. Richard Carpentier is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Sherbrooke; the Chair of the Montfort Hospital Research Ethics Board; and the past Chair of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Ethics Board. Dr. Carpentier holds a doctoral degree in philosophy from Université de Montréal and a master’s degree in ethics from Université du Québec à Rimouski. He was Executive Director at the National Council on Ethics in Human Research (NCEHR) and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada from 1997 to 2010 and worked at Health Canada in the Science Policy Directorate.
National Team of Investigators:
| Name | Role | Position(s) / Institutional Affiliation(s) | Province |
| Marlin, Susan | Nominated Principal Investigator | President & CEO Clinical Trials Ontario; Adjunct Lecturer, Queen’s University | Ontario |
| Carpentier, Richard | Principal Investigator | Associate professor, Department of Medicine, University of Sherbrooke; past Chair, CHEO REB; Chair, Montfort Hospital REB | Ontario/Quebec |
| Lacaze, Thierry | Principal Investigator | Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary; Scientific Director, MICYRN | Alberta |
| Adamko, Darryl | Co-Investigator | Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Respirology, University of Saskatchewan; Pediatric Respirologist; Director of Pediatrics Research | Saskatchewan |
| Arbour, Laura | Co-Investigator | Professor, UBC Department of Medical Genetics, Affiliate Professor, University of Victoria, BC Children’s Hospital Clinical Geneticist, Clinical geneticist at Island Health | British Columbia |
| Autmizguine, Julie | Co-Investigator | Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Montreal; Associate Director, Clinical Research, Centre de Recherche du CHU Sainte Justine | Quebec |
| Benseler, Susanne | Co-Investigator | Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary; Director, Alberta Children’s Health Research Institute | Alberta |
| Berman, Jason | Co-Investigator | Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Ottawa; CEO & Scientific Director, CHEO Research Institute; Vice President Research CHEO; | Ontario |
| Campbell-Yeo, Marsha | Co-Investigator | Professor and Clinical Scientist, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University and IWK Health Centre; Neonatal Nurse Practitioner | Nova Scotia |
| Kelly, Lauren | Co-Investigator | Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba; Clinical Trialist; Director of C4T (Canadian Childhood Cannabinoid Clinical Trials) | Manitoba |
| Knoppers, Bartha | Co-Investigator | Director, Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, McGill University; CRC Chair in Law in Medicine | Quebec |
| Offringa, Martin | Co-Investigator | Neonatologist and Professor, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto; Senior Scientist, Child Health Evaluation Sciences, Sick Kids Research Institute | Ontario |
| Parekh, Rulan | Co-Investigator | Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Toronto; Associate Chief, Clinical Research, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute; CRC in CKD Epidemiology | Ontario |
| Parker, Melissa | Co-Investigator | Associate Professor, Pediatrics, McMaster University, Associate Member of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI), HDICYH IAB member | Ontario |
| Piedboeuf, Bruno | Co-Investigator | Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Director of University Affairs, Minister of Health and Social Services, Government of Quebec | Quebec |
| Richer, Lawrence | Co-Investigator | Vice Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta; Professor & Division Director of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Paediatrics, University of Alberta; Director, Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and Research Centre | Alberta |
| Schmolzer, Georg | Co-Investigator | Clinical Scientist and Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Alberta; Director of the Centre for the Studies of Asphyxia and Resuscitation; Heart and Stroke Foundation/University of Alberta Professor in Neonatal Resuscitation | Alberta |
| Stockley, Denise | Co-Investigator | Professor and Scholar in Higher Education, Office of the Provost (Teaching and Learning Portfolio) and the Faculty of Health Sciences, Cross-Appointment, Faculty of Education and the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University | Ontario |
| Vercauteren, Suzanne | Co-Investigator | Hematological Pathologist, BC Children’s Hospital; Director, BC Children’s Hospital Biobank | British Columbia |
| Zawati, M’an | Co-Investigator | Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, McGill University | Quebec |
| VanWylick, Richard | Co-Investigator | Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Queen’s University; Associate Dean, Professional Development, Faculty of Health Sciences | Ontario |
| Basile, Erika | Collaborator | Director, Research Ethics and Compliance, Western University | Ontario |
| Bourada, Valerie | Collaborator | Manager, Research Ethics, CHEO REB | Ontario |
| Boycott, Kym | Collaborator | Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa; Clinical Geneticist, Department of Genetics, CHEO; Senior Scientist, CHEO Research Institute; Chair, International Rare Disease Research Consortium, Diagnostics Committee | Ontario |
| Brodeur-Robb, Kathy | Collaborator | Executive Director, C17 Council | Alberta |
| Dallaire, Frédéric | Collaborator | Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Universite de Sherbroke; Pediatric Cardiologist, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrokke | Quebec |
| Hook, Alexandra | Collaborator | Chair, Research Ethics Board, Aurora College Research Ethics Committee | Northwest Territories |
| Leadon, Kathleen | Collaborator | Director, Research Operations, IWK Health Centre | Nova Scotia |
| Longstaff, Holly | Collaborator | Director, Privacy and Access, PHSA Research and New Initiatives, BC Provincial Health Services Authority; Chair, Pan-Canadian Privacy Research Network; Ethicist, BC Cancer REB | British Columbia |
| Majnemer, Annette | Collaborator | Vice-Dean Education, Faculty of Medicine, Professor School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University | Quebec |
| McGrail, Kimberlyn | Collaborator | Professor, Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, UBC; Scientific Director, Population Data BC and the SPOR Canadian Data Platform | British Columbia |
| Palmer, Antonia | Collaborator | Founder, Neuroblastoma Canada; Co-Founder Ac2orn; REB Member, Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Boards | Ontario |
| Pardy, Natasha | Collaborator | Oncologist, Co-Chair Newfoundland Health Research Ethics Board | Newfoundland |
| Tsang, Vivian | Collaborator | KidsCan National Initiative YPAG National Director and Co-founder, International Children’s Advisory Committee Board of Directors | British Columbia |
| Virani, Alice | Collaborator | Director, BC Provincial Health Services Authority Ethics | British Columbia |
CHEER Support Team:
| Name | CHEER Role | Other Position(s) |
| Miranda Miller | Project Manager | |
| Christine Oriel | Administrative Support | Administrative Assistant, Maternal Infant Child & Youth Research Network (MICYRN) |
| Emily Edwards | Communications Support | Communications Officer, Clinical Trials Ontario |
| Elise Johnson | Communications Support | Communications Lead, Clinical Trials Ontario |
| Matthew D’Ascanio | REB Review System Support | Associate Director, Streamlined Ethics Review System, Clinical Trials Ontario |
| Amber Hastings Truelove | Education Support | Health Education Researcher and Consultant, Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences Office for Professional Development and Educational Scholarship |