Our Team

The team members at Cardiac eHealth are made up of experienced and dedicated individuals from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds. We take pride in the diversity of our staff, with each member contributing their unique skills to the projects we are working on. Meet them below.

Dr. Rob Nolan

Director, Cardiac eHealth

Dr. Nolan is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of the Behavioural Cardiology Research Unit at the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. He received his MA in Psychology from the New School for Social Research in New York, and his PhD from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship on cardiovascular reactivity to stress with the Departments of Psychology and Cardiology at the Ottawa Hospital (General Site), in Ottawa, Canada.

Dr. Nolan has been at the University Health Network in Toronto since 1999. He holds appointments as Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute, and as Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto.

His clinical research includes cognitive-behavioural influences on heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity with the use of biofeedback. More recently, his research has concentrated on an evidence-based protocol of automated digital counselling to promote health, quality of life, and social support for individuals at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, or who are diagnosed with chronic heart failure, hypertension, or chronic kidney disease.

rob.nolan@uhnresearch.ca

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Karly Gunson

Clinical Research Coordinator

Karly completed an HBA in Global Development Studies in 2020 and a Bachelor of Health Science in Public Health in 2022.

She is interested in in global health, health equity, and health promotion through literacy. Karly joined the Cardiac eHealth lab in 2022 and is passionate about promoting well-being through evidence-based, multi-modal approaches to address the various factors that influence health.

Julia Wong

Clinical Research Assistant

Julia is a Clinical Research Assistant for the Cardiac eHealth Research Unit at the University Health Network (UHN). She has been a member of Cardiac eHealth since 2018 and was previously a research coordinator before returning to school to pursue a Master of Health Informatics degree at the University of Toronto.

Julia has completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours at York University, majoring/minoring in Biology/Psychology and is looking to pursue a career in public health/health services research.

Grace Yang

Clinical Research Assistant

Grace completed her HBSc in Physiology and Human Biology at the University of Toronto in 2021.

She has been a part of Cardiac eHealth since 2019, focusing on content development for the digital health programs offered by the lab. Additionally, her research investigates the bidirectional influence between heart failure biomarkers and psychosocial behaviours that improve quality of life.

Stephanie Sansone

Student Research Assistant

Stephanie is in her second degree at York University completing a BSc with Honours in Biology. Her previous degree at York was a BA with Honours in Psychology.

Her research has focused on identifying different components of the CHF-CePPORT e-counselling program that were associated with improving chronic heart failure patients' quality of life.

Gabriel Fezza

Student Research Assistant

Gabriel is completing his second undergraduate degree at York University in Global Health.

His research at the Cardiac eHealth Lab has focused on patterns of patient engagement and identifying therapeutic components in the CHF-CePPORT Trial.

Rachel Peiris

MSc, Research Assistant

Rachel completed her HBSc at the University of Toronto in 2020. She double-majored in Neuroscience and Psychology and published a thesis on the development of musical arousal in Social Development. As a Master’s student at UofT’s Institute of Medical Science, she is investigating the impact of a digital counselling program for self-care with peer support on quality of life in patients with heart failure and kidney disease.

Rachel completed her HBSc at the University of Toronto in 2020. She double-majored in Neuroscience and Psychology and published a thesis on the development of musical arousal in Social Development. As a Master’s student at UofT’s Institute of Medical Science, she investigated the impact of a digital counselling program for self-care with peer support on quality of life in patients with heart failure and kidney disease.

Fatima Syed

MSc, Research Assistant

Fatima is a 2nd year Master’s student at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Toronto.

At Cardiac eHealth, her research interests focus on the impact of ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital interventional with social-network support, on the mental well-being of cardiac and renal patients.

Fatima is a Research Assistant with the BCRU and previous Master’s student at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Toronto.

At Cardiac eHealth, her research interests focus on the impact of ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital interventional with social-network support, on the mental well-being of cardiac and renal patients.

Chelsia Watson

MSc, Graduate Student

Chelsia is a 1st year Master's student at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her previous education was at York University where she completed a BSc in Health Science and Kinesiology as well as a BHS in Health Studies. Her interests include health as a human right and understanding how the social determinants of health intersect. Chelsia's research investigates the vCHAT Trial through the lens of social inequality.

Chelsia is a 2nd year Master's student at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her previous education was at York University where she completed a BSc in Health Science and Kinesiology as well as a BHS in Health Studies. Her interests include health as a human right and understanding how the social determinants of health intersect. Chelsia's research investigates the vCHAT Trial through the lens of social inequality.

Kevin Xiao

Student Volunteer

Kevin is a second-year honours undergraduate Health Sciences student at Queen’s University.

His research interests focus on investigating patients with chronic heart failure and chronic kidney disease through the use of ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital program that utilizes interventions such as health journals, social network support, and weekly webinars to help patients with their quality of life.

Kevin is a second-year honours undergraduate Health Sciences student at Queen’s University.

Elaine Liu

Student Volunteer

Elaine is a second year undergraduate honours Health Sciences (BHSc) student at Queen’s University.

Her research interests focus on analyzing the impacts of ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital counselling program, on the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Elaine is a second year undergraduate honours Health Sciences (BHSc) student at Queen’s University.

Her research interests focus on analyzing the impacts of ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital counselling program, on the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Lab Alumni

Coordinators

Julia Wong

Jelena Surikova

Kelly Min

Adriana Mechetiuc

Rhoda Ortiz

Susan Barry-Bianchi

Arooj Khan

Research Assistants

Grace Yang

Nicolette Stogios

Jackie Bermudez

Miguel Rivera

Independent Research

Shreya Jha

Pavan Gill

Samir Durrani

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Rika Tanaka (Clinical)

Trevor Hart (Clinical)

Adrienne Kovacs (Clinical)

Ada Payne

PhD Students

Sophie Macrodimitris

Kim Corace

Sam Liu

Lephuong Ong

MSc Students

Rachel Peiris

Fatima Syed

Hazel Lynn, MD

Bhagwanpreet Kaur

Kim Tremblay

Clinical Students

Debra Rotondi-Trevisan

Kaley Roosen

Lisa Vitesse

Student Volunteers

Kevin Xiao

Elaine Liu

Cristy Liang

Andrea Ng

Mahtab Asadabadi, MD

Saadat Torabian, MD

Nazia Siddiqui

Arian Ravaei, MD

Firass Georgie, MD

Tiadora Mechetiuc

Lazar Joksimovic

Jessica Vasanthan

Thushara Vigneswaran

Nadia Warsi

Christine Bae

Nikolai Slepov

Rachel Lin

Jack Guan

Sonja Zdjelaric

Aroon Savaji

Carol Yip

Michael Tung

Ryan Chiu

Carly Spragg

Arnie Raima

Kevin Yu

Cathy Lu

Alan Lee

Fraser Amos

Lucas Cohen

Liban Ahmed

Marc Shenouda

Mehrnaz Samet

Arnie Raima

Our Team

Elaine is a second year undergraduate honours Health Sciences (BHSc) student at Queen’s University. Her research interests focus on analyzing the impacts of ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital counselling program, on the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Lab Alumni

Elaine is a second year undergraduate honours Health Sciences (BHSc) student at Queen’s University.

Her research interests focus on analyzing the impacts of ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital counselling program, on the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure and chronic kidney disease.