CBITN Platform Co-Lead and Cohort 1 and 2 Academic Mentor

Dr. Bacon is a behavioural scientist interested developing tailored interventions to help positively change high-risk behaviours. Most of his work has focused on health behaviours (e.g., physical activity, diet, weight management, medication adherence) and has targeted health-related outcomes. Currently, Dr. Bacon is the FRQS co-Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health for Health Behaviour Change and the CIHR SPOR Chair in Innovative, Patient-Oriented, Behavioural Clinical Trials. Dr. Bacon is co-director of the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, and co-leads the International Behavioural Trials Network and the CIHR funded Canadian Behavioural Interventions and Trials Network.

Krista Butt holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry-Nutrition at Memorial University, a Master of Science from the School of Pharmacy at Memorial University and a Graduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology from Memorial University. Krista began her career as a Research Assistant in the Terry Fox Labs in the Division of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial University.  Following this, she worked briefly with the former Patient Research Unit of Memorial University before joining NL Health Services as a Program Evaluation Consultant-a role she has held for the past 17 years.

Throughout her career, Krista has led or supported numerous evaluation initiatives aimed at improving patient outcomes and system performance.  She is passionate about using evidence to inform and improve health care delivery across Newfoundland and Labrador, with the patient always in mind. 

CBITN Curriculum Committee Co-Chair and Cohort 1 Academic Mentor

Dr. Linda Carlson has held the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology since 2007, is Full Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology. She is the Director of the Alberta Complementary Therapy and Integrative Oncology (ACTION) Centre (ACTION Centre | My Site (action-centre.ca), and is Director of Research and continues to work as a Clinical Psychologist at the Department of Psychosocial Resources at Cancer Care Alberta, where she has provided clinical service since 1997.

Invited Presenter

Dr. AnnMarie Churchill is a passionate advocate for transforming mental health systems, serving as the President and Lead Executive Officer of Stepped Care Solutions (SCS). AnnMarie has been a catalyst behind this not-for-profit national organization's mission, which aims to cultivate system-wide innovation, collaboration and compassion to transform mental health systems for better access and outcomes for everyone. Under her guidance, the organization has successfully implemented their SC2.0 model in a range of systems nationally and internationally, including public and private services, post-secondary centers and the groundbreaking Wellness Together Canada virtual open access service for all people across Canada during the COVID pandemic.
AnnMarie’s system transformation work is informed by over 30 years of direct clinical practice in community, hospital, research, and post-secondary mental health systems, and she holds a PhD in experimental psychology and a masters in clinical social work.

CBITN Cohort 2 Academic Mentor

Dr. Rafael Figueiredo assumed the position of Provincial Dental Public Health Officer with Alberta Health Services in 2014. He provides leadership and strategic direction to improve and respond to the oral health needs of Albertans through the Oral Health Action Plan (OHAP), which addresses four domains: Health Promotion, Prevention, Treatment Services and Research and Surveillance. Previous to his position with AHS, Dr. Figueiredo worked as a researcher and as an instructor at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. Further to his research and teaching activities, he received a Master of Science Degree, M.Sc. and a Dental Public Health Specialty Degree. He has certification as a Dental Public Health Specialist with the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Dr. Figueiredo is also an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Dentistry, University of Alberta, a Dental Public Health Examiner with The National Dental Specialty Examination, The Royal College of Dentists of Canada as well as a Surveyor with Accreditation Canada.

CBITN Cohort 1 Academic Mentor

Dr. Sheila Garland is a Registered Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Discipline of Oncology in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University, in St. John's, Newfoundland. She is also a Senior Scientist with the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As Director of the Sleep, Health, and Wellness Lab, Dr. Garland is engaged in delivering, evaluating, and offering training on behavioural sleep medicine interventions tailored for chronic disease populations. Her dedication extends to researching the mechanisms and efficacy of interventions designed to improve sleep and other symptoms among cancer survivors.

CBITN EDIA Committee Co-Chair and Cohort 1 Academic Mentor

Dr. Jennifer Gordon is a Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Regina, and the director of the Reproductive Mental Health Research Unit. Currently a Tier II Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Canada Research Chair in the Biopsychosocial Determinants of Women’s Mental Health, Dr. Gordon is dedicated to advancing the identification, prevention, and treatment of mental health conditions uniquely affecting women.

CBITN Mentee Committee Co-Chair (2024-25)

Vincent Gosselin Boucher is a researcher specializing in health psychology and behavioural medicine. His work focuses on the development and evaluation of training programs in health promotion and behaviour change, as well as on the design of interventions aimed at assessing and monitoring the health of populations. He is also interested in scientific communication, digital health and the fight against misinformation and disinformation. His ambition is to democratize access to behavioural interventions and health promotion programs.

CBITN Cohort 1 and 2 Community Mentor

Dr. Alan Hamilton is a clinical scientist / clinical evaluation program leader with extensive experience in the development and evaluation of interventions for the alleviation of breathlessness and activity limitation in patients with chronic lung disease. He held several senior positions during a 25-year career with Boehringer Ingelheim and is now President of Alan L. Hamilton Consulting Inc.. During his career, he has developed strong leadership skills that are most effective when applied within a high-performance, multi-disciplinary team environment. He is passionate about working collaboratively to find integrated solutions to complex problems by applying a structured, logical, design thinking approach to problem exploration followed by a rigorous, scientific approach to solution development and evaluation.

Invited Speaker

John supports efforts to address health and broader societal challenges using the best-available research evidence and experiences and insights from citizens, professionals, organizational leaders, and government policymakers. He is the Director of the McMaster Health Forum, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Evidence-Informed Policy, and co-lead of Rapid-Improvement Support and Exchange (RISE). He is an advisor to the Wellcome Trust on its Evidence Synthesis Infrastructure Collaborative. He is a Professor in the Department of Health Evidence and Impact at McMaster University and the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Evidence-Support Systems. He led the development of the ‘SHOW ME the evidence’ features of an approach to reliably deliver research evidence to those who need it, he was co-lead of and lead report writer for the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges, and he was co-lead of the COVID-19 Evidence Network to support Decision-making (COVID-END).

CBITN Curriculum Committee Chair and Cohort 1 and 2 Academic Mentor

Dr. Kim Lavoie is a professor of psychology and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Medicine at the University of Quebec at Montreal. She is the Co-Director of the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, a fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and co-lead of the Canadian Behavioural Interventions and Trials Network (CBITN) and International Behavioural Trials Network (IBTN). She is internationally recognized for her research on chronic disease prevention (with a focus on heart, lung and metabolic diseases) and the impact of behavioural interventions, such as motivational communication, on health behaviours and chronic disease outcomes. She has held more than $75 million in grant funding (including $17 million as PI) and has more than 245 peer-reviewed papers

CBITN Cohort 2 Mentee and Mentee Committee Co-Chair

Ariany Marques Vieira is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Reed and Jennifer Harris as part of the CBITN program. She is a member of the Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Lab and the Prevention and Rehabilitation Department at the UOHI. Ariany's research focuses on optimizing cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs to enhance uptake, adherence, and effectiveness, improving patients' lives. She explores alternative assessment tools, training modalities, and the impact of behavior change and multidisciplinary approaches beyond exercise alone. Her current work examines factors influencing CR utilization and effectiveness, identifying service combinations that best improve physical and mental health outcomes. goes here

CBITN Executive Committee Member and Ontario Region Lead

Dr. Locke is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Brock University. He runs the Reframe lab, which focuses on helping individuals overcome exaggerated mental barriers to exercise. His work has focused on developing digital interventions to help individuals modify their ​behaviors to prevent or manage their chronic conditions. His research seeks to understand the psychology of behavioral adherence: why many can initiate exercise routines, but most struggle to adhere in the long term.  Dr. Locke is the chief behavioral officer at Healthifi, an app that connects physicians and their patients to allied health professions like dieticians and health coaches.

Invited Speaker

Linda S. Pagani was a nurse at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a decade before transitioning to academia in 1993. She has been Professor of psycho-education and hospital researcher for more than three decades at the Université de Montréal. Internationally respected for her contributions to mental health, lifestyle medicine, and social and public health policy in human development, her scientific publications focus on the risk and protective factors influencing human development. Her unique career has addressed a variety of themes from poverty to academic success.

CBITN Cohort 1 and 2 Academic Mentor

Dr. Patricia Poulin is a Clinical Health and Rehabilitation Psychologist at The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic, an Associate Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and Assistant Professor at in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at The University of Ottawa. She engages in supervision, training, and mentoring in each of these roles. Dr. Poulin is also one of the principal applicants responsible for the Chronic Pain Network (CIHR Strategy for Patient Oriented Research Network in Chronic Diseases) and is the lead investigator for network research conducted at The Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic.

CBITN Executive Committee Member, Cohort 1 and 2 Academic Mentor, and Event Organizer

Dr. Joshua Rash is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Director of the Memorial University of Newfoundland – Behavioural Medicine Centre (MUN-BMC). He is a registered clinical, health and rehabilitation psychologist with expertise in behavioural medicine, health behaviour change, and chronic disease management. Dr. Rash has significant experience conducting multi-site, pragmatic clinical trials that involve pharmacological and behavioural interventions. His expertise is highly sought out in chronic pain management, weight management, stress management, motivating health behaviour change, treatment of insomnia, and cardiovascular psychophysiology.

CBITN Cohort 1 and 2 Community Mentor

Dr. Samantha Scurrey is a Registered Clinical Psychologist in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Currently, she is working in an outpatient eating disorder clinic with NL Health Services, actively engaging in ways to support individuals with eating disorders. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Scurrey has contributed to diverse research projects. Her research extends across multiple areas, including behavioral sleep medicine, psychosocial oncology, chronic pain, and internalized weight bias among individuals seeking bariatric surgery. Through her research endeavors, she has demonstrated a broad understanding of the psychological aspects of various health-related issues, showcasing a commitment to advancing knowledge and contributing to the field of clinical psychology.

Julie Sullivan serves as the inaugural Director of the Strategic Health Network for Complex Pain in Newfoundland and Labrador, where she leads province-wide, system-level efforts to transform the prevention and management of complex pain. With nearly two decades of broad healthcare experience, Julie is dedicated to improving health outcomes and enhancing quality of life for individuals living with pain.

A Registered Nurse holding both a Bachelor and Master of Nursing from Memorial University, Julie’s career includes work in public and population health, communicable disease control, occupational health, and organizational leadership strategy. Julie is a Certified Health Executive (CHE), LEADS Facilitator, and Certified Change Management Practitioner. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to health equity, patient-centered care, and the integration of social determinants of health into system transformation.

CBITN Cohort 1 and 2 Mentor

Alex is a User Experience and Behavioural Design Strategist who helps companies apply leading edge behavioural science and UX methodologies to the design of solutions in healthcare and wellness. His background is in digital health, working for Intel, NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh, designing and evaluating healthcare technologies with patients and physicians in home and clinical settings. His particular areas of expertise include user research and experience strategy, usability testing, eye tracking and ethnographic research, information architecture, user experience and service design.

CBITN Executive Committee Member

Dr. Vallis is a health psychologist based in Halifax, Canada. He is an Associate Professor in Family Medicine at Dalhousie University. He obtained his Ph.D. and M.A from the University of Western Ontario, London, and his B. Sc. From Dalhousie University. His main area of expertise is adult health psychology, with an emphasis on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular risk and gastroenterology. He spends most of his time training healthcare providers in behaviour change for chronic disease management. He regularly supervises clinical and academic students and is active in research on motivation, behavioural change and adaptation to chronic disease. He consults nationally as well as internationally and is heavil involved in academic publications, journal editing, and clinical practice guidelines. He was on the executive of the Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Obesity (2020) and lead author of the Psychological and Behavioural Chapter for these new guidelines as well as the 2006 guidelines. As well, he is an author of the Psychology and Mental Health chapter of Diabetes Canada’s Clinical Practice Guidelines (2023, 2018, 2013, 2004). He received the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons, the 2021 Charles H Best award from Diabetes Canada and holds a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Government of Canada on the recommendation of the Diabetes Canada.

Invited Presenter

Mandy Woodland is the CEO and co-founder of AmpHealth, a digital health company revolutionizing chronic disease prevention through real-time data and AI-driven insights. A former medical researcher and health lawyer, Mandy is deeply committed to empowering individuals to manage their health and prevent chronic conditions. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Innovation Business Investment Corporation, is a past recipient of NLOWE’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Innovation), and is a fellow of the School of Graduate Studies at Memorial University. With a B.Sc. in Biology from Memorial, an LL.B. in Health Law from Dalhousie, and a Masters in Technology Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Saint Mary’s University, Mandy combines expertise in science, law, and technology to drive innovation in healthcare and improve healthcare accessibility.