Our Research Team

Meet our scientists

Michelle Nelson, Research Scientist

Michelle Nelson is currently a Research Scientist in the Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and Innovation. Her research focuses on issues related to providing health care for complex patients - or those patient populations that present the greatest challenge to health care providers/teams. Prior to joining the Collaboratory, Michelle was the Research Director for a large Interprofessional Education Program, taught as an Instructor at the University of Manitoba and served as a Board Member and Chair of the Research Advisory Committee, for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba. Through her work at Hennick Bridgepoint, Dr. Nelson hopes to find ways to help clinical teams work more effectively to meet complex patients' needs.

Hennick Bridgepoint is actively evolving its care model to a holistic health management approach, treating the person, not the individual health episodes. Our research has driven best-practice changes that earned Hennick Bridgepoint's Stroke Rehabilitation Program Accreditation Canada's Stroke Distinction award -one of only four hospitals to earn this distinction. Michelle's research is focused on Clinical Services. Contact Michelle

Carolyn Steele Gray, Post Doctoral Fellow

Carolyn Steele Gray holds a PhD in Health Policy from the University of Toronto Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME). She currently holds a jointly appointed post-doctoral fellowship with the Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and IHPME  where she is developing and evaluating patient-centered e-Health technologies to support patients with complex care needs and exploring integrated community-based primary health care models.

Dr Steele Gray is the recent recipient of a CIHR eHealth Innovation Partnership Project Operating Grant to evaluate a new eHealth portal and mobile application. Dr. Steele Gray has built an international network of researchers focused on the development, evaluation and implementation of eHealth technologies for patients with complex care needs called the eCCDD Network. Enabled through a CIHR Planning and Dissemination grant, she created research partnerships with the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the National Health Service in Scotland, as well as with Kaiser Permanente Colorado, to test new tools and study implementation from an international perspective. Contact Carolyn

Dr. Renee Lyons, Founding Director Emeritus, Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and Innovation

Dr. Lyons founded the Bridgepoint Collaboratory and led its formative years as Canada's only research institute dedicated to the study of complex care. She has published extensively on the subject and is recognized internationally for her work on complexity. She continues her consulting, publishing and leadership work to support the development of this field of research nationally and internationally. Contact Renee

Paula Gardner, Affiliate Scientist

Dr. Paula Gardner was the lead scientist on the "Moving On - Living Well with Complex Chronic Disease" research team at the Bridgepoint Collaboratory for Research and Innovation. Prior to joining Hennick Bridgepoint, Paula was a Policy Analyst at the New York Academy of Medicine and Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the City University of New York. Paula works with global partners on research that explores technologies, programs, and policies that support independent and dignified living for vulnerable populations. Currently Paula is Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences at Brock University. Contact Paula

Administration

Sheila Furness, Office Manager

Sheila is responsible for the day-to-day management of
the Research Collaboratory office, from procurement to supporting the
researchers with grant management and publications. Contact Sheila