The Water Cooler Working Group
*Sophia Christoforakis & Carolyn Trumper missing
Laurie Bentz I am a Knowledge Management Consultant in the Knowledge Management Division of Leading Practices and Innovation, Quality and Healthcare Improvement, Alberta Health Services. I work with leaders in health services administration, research, policy and clinical practice to explore and share the growing bodies of evidence with and within Alberta Health Services. As a SEARCH Canada Cohort V graduate I have developed skills in evaluation and knowledge transfer through supporting the evaluation component of the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy and Healthy Weights in Children and Youth projects both locally and provincially. In my spare time I am pursuing a Fine Arts Certificate through the University of Alberta Faculty and am interested in exploring KT activities using arts-based methods.
Sophia Christoforakis I am a Research and Evaluation Officer with Alberta Health Services. The position provides leadership and consultation to Alberta Health Services management and staff on research, statistical and evaluation methods. In this capacity, I conduct evaluations of clinical areas, clinical support areas, and administrative service areas within Alberta Health Services. I am also responsible for facilitating knowledge translation, of research projects conducted on Alberta Health Services premises and using Alberta Health Services resources. I have held this position since June 2009. And prior to that was an evaluator of land restitution projects in South Africa.
Maoliosa (Mo) Donald I am a Research Associate with Alberta Health Services. As a clinician and researcher I am very interested in engaging clinical curiosity. I enjoy mentoring health professionals by helping them transform clinical questions into research projects. Actively engaging health professionals in the knowledge cycle allows them to create and facilitate knowledge to inform practice and policy; promotes professional growth; and builds research capacity. I also foster partnerships between health professionals, researchers and community members to promote knowledge transfer.
Clare Hildebrandt I am the Manager of Decision Support Strategies in the Public Health Innovation and Decision Support Unit, Surveillance and Health Status Assessment, Population and Public Health, Alberta Health Services. My team and I are currently working to improve the infrastructure to support knowledge exchange within Population and Public Health with a view to create “change through exchange”. I am particularly interested in the impact that evidence (of all varieties) has in influencing decision making within the health care sector. I am working towards changing existing culture from one where knowledge is power to one where knowledge sharing is power.
Patricia (Trish) Paton I am a Knowledge Management Consultant and work for the Knowledge Management Department of Alberta Health Services. My background is in the social sciences M.A. Political Science, 1995, Dalhousie .I have been working in Alberta's health system since 2004. A key element of my role is knowledge, and I am particularly interested in social approaches, especially communities of practice, and roles that social media and web tools play in support of knowledge sharing.
Heather Scarlett-Ferguson I am a Manager of Knowledge Exchange in the Knowledge and Strategy area of Alberta Health Services – Addiction and Mental Health. I oversee the Addiction and Mental Health Research Partnership Program where I help facilitate the translation of research knowledge into practice via a range of techniques. This work involves a variety of stakeholders from across the province and involves both academics and clinicians. I am particularly interested in virtual methods for knowledge transfer and am focusing my doctoral studies in this area.
Carolyn Trumper I am a Quality and System Innovation Manager for Alberta Health Services in Emergency Health Services. The transfer of academic and applied health research to the organization, leadership and frontline clinicians is critical to improving patient outcomes and the quality and safety delivered to the patients across the continuum of care. The ability to transfer knowledge through various mediums to engage clinicians, leadership and the organization has been a primary component of my various positions as a Registered Nurse in healthcare.
Jim Wilson I am a Technology Analyst in Medical and Life Sciences at University Technologies International (UTI) in Calgary. UTI provides technology transfer and commercialization services for post-secondary institutions, government research laboratories, industrial research and development installations and private facilities. I work with inventors to evaluate, protect and market new technology and innovations. My projects include innovative medical devices, state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and new drug developments. I was formerly an instructor for the Schulich School of Engineering and received my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Calgary.