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THAIS COUTINHO, MD Dr. Thais Coutinho joined the University of Ottawa Heart Institute as a Clinician-Scientist. In 2017, she was appointed Chief of the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation and Chair of the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre. She is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. See full bio. |
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KERRI-ANNE MULLEN, BSc, MSc, PhD Dr. Mullen is a Scientist with the Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation. Kerri-Anne has been with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute since 2006 where, until 2019, she managed the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation. Since 2019, she has been Director of the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre and Prevention and Wellness Centre. She received her BSc (Hon.) at the University of Ottawa, her MSc at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and her PhD in Population Health at the University of Ottawa. She trained as a Student Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES uOttawa) between 2010 and 2015 within the Primary Care & Population Health Research Program. See full bio. |
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COLETTE LEBRUN Colette Lebrun is the Administrative Assistant to the Program Director in the Prevention and Wellness Centre and Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre. She brings 20 years of administrative experience working for non-profits, law firms and Crown Corporations. She enjoys event planning and has assisted on several projects including a favorite – co-chairing a United Way campaign that exceeded its goal by 132%. She is working on the PHAC-funded Women’s Heart Health Network project, aiming to design cardiovascular disease prevention and care network for women. |
| PROGRAM DELIVERY | |
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NADINE ELIAS, BSc, Kin Nadine Elias is the Women@Heart Program Lead with the Canadian Women Heart Health Center, Division of the Prevention and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She is a graduate of the University of Concordia, in Clinical Exercise Physiology, and is a certified kinesiologist with wide experience in behavioral counseling and health promotion. Nadine has been with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute since 2005. She initially worked with the research team, as an Educator, looking at behavioral counseling and health impacts of CVD risk factor interventions in the prevention and treatment of CVD. In 2011, Nadine took on a new role in the planning and development of prevention and wellness activities focusing on prevention services for family members of patients with CVD, employee wellness and community outreach activities. Since the Women@Heart program launch in 2015, she has been overseeing day to day activities of the program; working with the research team to evaluate it, and looking for expansion opportunities nationally. Nadine also provides one-on-one counseling to at-risk populations and helps them gain the necessary tools and skills to prevent and/or manage their risk factors. Nadine has a passion for supporting people on their heart healthy journey and guiding them in developing strategies to lead a healthy lifestyle. Her areas of interest include self-management and behavioral counseling in relation to chronic disease prevention and management. |
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NATALIE MARTIN, BScH Natalie Martin is the CardioPrevent and CardioPrevent Postpartum Program Lead with the Prevention and Wellness Centre and Canadian Women’s Heart Health Center. CardioPrevent provides at-risk individuals with a personalized program to help reduce their risk for heart disease, through one-on-one health behaviour change coaching and education. Natalie leads the program in the planning, implementation, and scaling, as well as providing one-on-one coaching to individuals in the CardioPrevent/Postpartum Program. She has over 13 years of experience in the areas of health and wellness and project management. Natalie has been with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute since 2013 where she has worked and continues to work with various teams and programs such as the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network, Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation, Ottawa Model for Undiagnosed Diabetes and Heartwise Wellness Initiatives within the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation. Natalie has a Bachelor of Science in Human Health and Nutritional Science from the University of Guelph, and certifications and training in behaviour change, health promotion, smoking cessation and mindfulness, within the scope of chronic disease prevention and management. |
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KARINE SAVARD, BScHK, MHK Karine Savard is a facilitator for the Prevention & Wellness Centre and the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre. She is the project lead for the Virtual Care Program, an interactive e-health platform designed to educate and motivate individuals to manage and improve their heart health. Karine has been at the Heart Institute since 2013 and has worked with various projects such as the FrancoForme program, Heart Wise Exercise and the Women@Heart program in the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation. Karine received a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics (B.Sc. spécialisé en sciences de l'activité physique) from the University of Ottawa. During her undergraduate studies, Karine had the opportunity to study in the Sports Faculty at the University of Aix-Marseille in Marseille, France. She also completed a Master's in Human Kinetics with a Concentration in Intervention and Consultation at the University of Ottawa in 2015. |
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BECKY PETRONELLA, R.Kin, BSc KPE Becky Petronella has been at the Heart Institute since 2019 as a Facilitator in the Prevent & Wellness Centre. As a Facilitator, she provides patients with counseling on behaviour change in areas of nutrition, physical activity, stress management and smoking cessation to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease. She is passionate about helping others make lifestyle changes that have positive, lasting health benefits. Becky is a Registered Kinesiologist with a Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education from Wilfred Laurier University as well as a post-graduate certificate in Exercise Science and Lifestyle Management from Humber College. |
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DEBORAH YOUNGER-LEWIS, RN, BScN, BKIN Deborah Younger-Lewis is a Registered Nurse in the Prevention & Wellness Centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Since 2008, she has worked at the Heart Institute in various departments, including Cardiac Surgery and Cardiac Rehabilitation. Deborah is a Nurse Educator, providing community outreach through health education presentations. She also facilitates the development, planning and implementation of educational programs for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. Deborah received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa, through the Algonquin College collaborative program in Pembroke, Ontario. She received her Bachelor of Kinesiology from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Deborah's areas of interest include women's heart health and promoting healthy lifestyle changes, as well as the overall health of individuals in rural communities. |
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COURTNEY WESTCOTT, BSc, MSc Courtney Westcott is a Facilitator in the Prevention & Wellness Centre, facilitating the development and implementation of the Women's Heart Health Centre and the Virtual Care Program. She also takes part in community outreach initiatives to create awareness pertaining to the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. Courtney received her Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics from the University of Ottawa, and her Master's of Science in Clinical Physiology from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). |
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KATIE TRUDEAU, BBA, mnr Mgt. Katie Trudeau is a Program Assistant at the Prevention and Wellness Centre and Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre. She has been with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute since 2020. Katie received her Bachelor of Business Administration and a Minor in Management at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. She also has a Diploma in Commerce from John Abbot College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. |
| KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION (CWHHA & CWHHS) | |
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LISA COMBER, BA, KTPC Lisa Comber has a degree in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario, a diploma in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources from Algonquin College and a professional certification in Knowledge Translation through the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. She has over 14 years of experience in the area of learning and development in both high-tech and healthcare settings. Lisa has been with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute since 2009 and is currently the Knowledge Translation Lead for the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre. This dynamic role allows Lisa to manage a variety of local and national projects aimed to educate, inform, and address the gaps in cardiovascular care, research, and support for women in Canada. |
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MELISSA CORE-GUNN, BSc, DIPM Melissa Core-Gunn is the Program Coordinator for the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre and the Prevention and Wellness Centre. She has been with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute since 2012 and was involved with the ConnectingOntario ClinicalViewer launch in 2018, a secure, web-based portal that provides real-time access to digital health records. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the University of British Columbia, followed by a diploma in Management and Marketing from McGill University. She is involved with the development of marketing and communications for the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre, Canadian Women’s Heart Health Summit, and the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance as well as the production of the HeartWise Webinars series. |
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ANICE WONG, BFA Anice Wong joined the team in 2021 and is involved in providing support coordination of CWHHC events and activities, in particular, the Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance, its working groups, as well as the Community Advocate Toolkit. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video Production at York University, followed by a graduate certificate in International Development Project Management in the Faculty of Business at Humber College in Toronto. She has over 10 years of experience working in non-profit project management, communications and outreach, locally and globally. |
| EVALUATION AND RESEARCH | |
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AMA TWENEBOA KODUA, BSc, MSc Ama Tweneboa Kodua joined the team in 2022 and is a project coordinator for the Canadian Women's Health Centre. Ama is supporting the team in planning and developing a women's cardiovascular health registry that will be used to collect and store high-quality information on women with cardiovascular disease. Ama received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Ghana, and her Master of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Ottawa. She has three years of experience in research and her areas of interest include women's heart health. |
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REBEKAH LEWIS, BSc, MPH Rebekah Lewis is a senior-level evaluation specialist with more than 15 years of experience in health and higher education settings. She uses a participatory approach to program evaluation, collaborating with stakeholders throughout the evaluation process to select appropriate content, models, methods and theory. In addition to program evaluation, Rebekah’s areas of expertise include women’s health, qualitative research methods and medical education. Before joining the Canadian Women’s Heart Health Centre team, she held research and evaluation positions in the McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Bixby Centre for Global Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco. She received her Master’s of Public Health from the Boston University School of Public Health. |
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BRITTNEY BOSSE, BSc Brittney joined the team in 2022 and is working on the HER-CROWN and MOMS-ACS research studies, both looking at women-specific risk factors related to CVD. As a Research Coordinator Brittney is responsible for study set-up, participant recruitment, facilitating study-related tasks and more. Brittney received her Bachelor of Science Neuroscience Combined Honours with Biology from Carleton University. |
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DAN YEDU QUANSAH, BSc, MPH, PhD Dr. Quansah is a Public Health Scientist and a Clinical Epidemiologist. He joined the Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre as a research fellow in 2022. Dr. Quansah completed his degree in Human Biology at the University of Cape Coast, a master of public health degree with a concentration in epidemiology at the Seoul National University and a PhD in cardiovascular and metabolism at the University of Lausanne. He also holds a diploma in the Korean language and a certificate in Global Health and Human rights. He specialized in the field of Cardiovascular and metabolism and clinical research in women with Gestational diabetes mellitus from 2017-2020 at the Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland. His research interests include the novel role of multidimensional lifestyle and psychosocial approaches or interventions in improving cardio-metabolic outcomes in women with prior hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and of gestational diabetes. |
Our Team
Thais Coutinho,
MD
Chief, Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
Chair, Canadian Women's Heart Health Centre
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Ottawa
Robert Reid,
PhD, MBA
Deputy Chief, Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
Andrew Pipe,
CM, BA, MD, LLD (Hons), DSc (Hons)
Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Professor, Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa
Courtney Westcott,
BSc, MSc
Facilitator, Prevention & Wellness Centre
Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
Deborah Younger-Lewis,
RN, BScN, BKIN
Nurse Educator, Prevention & Wellness Centre
Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
Nadine Elias,
BSc, Kin
Facilitator, Prevention & Wellness Centre
Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
Natalie Martin,
BSc
Facilitator, Prevention & Wellness Centre
Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation
Karine Savard,
BScHK, MHK
Facilitator, Prevention & Wellness Centre
Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation