Our Team
Dr. Ripudaman Singh Minhas
Project Lead
Dr. Ripudaman Singh Minhas is a Developmental Paediatrician and Director of Pediatric Research at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. His research interests are in the development, behaviour, disability, and rehabilitation of children in urban settings and in newcomer immigrant and refugee families. He is currently working to develop interventions to support the developmental potential of children in the unique context of their social determinants of health and inequity. His team uses Community-Based Participatory Research principles to guide the co-creation and implementation of family-based interventions and the evolution of health systems.
Caitlin Childs
Steering Committee
Caitlin is a digital marketer on the Digital Channels team at the World Health Organization based in Canada. Although she works remotely in Canada, her team is located at HQ in Geneva, Switzerland. Her team works to help people lead healthier lives by spreading more health messages through more channels. She has a particular interest in targeting vulnerable countries and communities that may have less access to information, resources, and funding.
Dr. Rageen Rajendram
Steering Committee
Dr. Rageen Rajendram is a subspecialty fellow in developmental pediatrics at Holland Bloorview Kids’ Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto and the lead of Tamil Kids’ Health.
Dr. Aisha Yousafzai
Steering Committee
Dr. Aisha Yousafzai is an Associate Professor of Global Health at the TH Chan Harvard School of Public Health. She is an international leader, consultant and scholar in the area of parenting and early childhood science and evaluation in marginalized populations. She has successfully conducted large-scale parent-child evaluation trials using randomized-controlled methods in a range of countries.
Dr. Kristy Roschke
Steering Committee
Dr. Kristy Roschke is a media literacy educator and scholar. She is the managing director of the News Co/Lab, a Cronkite School of Journalistm and Mass Communication initiative aimed at advancing media literacy via journalism, education and technology. Her research interests include misinformation, media literacy education and media trust. She has developed curriculum and taught journalism, digital media production and media literacy courses at the high school and university level for nearly 20 years. She currently serves on the board of the National Association of Media Literacy Education.
Dr. Preety Salh
Steering Committee
Dr. Preety Salh is a Developmental Pediatrician at Sunny Hill Health Centre / BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC. She specializes in working with children with complex developmental conditions including Intellectual Disability, Autism, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Dr. Mandeep Mahal
Steering Committee
Dr. Mandeep Mahal is a General Pediatrician and fellow in Developmental Paediatrics at the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children/BC Children’s Hospital. She has vast experience in working in predominantly Punjabi neighbourhoods in Calgary and Vancouver, both with community agencies and families of children with school difficulties, ADHD, complex developmental and behavioural conditions, autism and mental health challenges.
Dr. Clara Juando-Prats
Steering Committee
Dr. Clara Juando-Prats is a researcher at the Applied Health Research Centre at Unity Health Toronto, St. Michael’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on patient and public engagement, patient experiences, visual approaches, and socio-critical theory applied to study the relational aspects of the healthcare system as well as the inequities in the social structure that impact individuals’ well-being.
Expert review board
Dr Niraj Mistry
MD MSC FRCPC
Dr. Stephanie Hosang
BHSc, MD
Punya Ross
CHE, RD, MHSc, MPH
Dr. Shimi Kang
MD, FRCPC
Dr Javeed Sukhera
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Dr Herbert “Joey” Bonifacio
MD FRCPC MSc MPH MA MTS MFA
Dr Mariam Tokhi
MBBS, MPH, FRACGP, DRANZCOG, CPA (Narrative Medicine
Dr Mohamed Eltorki
MBChB FRCPC
Nita Sharda
BSc (Human Nutritional Sciences), RD
Dr Hamish Graham
MBBS, MSSc, MPH, PhD Gen Peds
Dr. Sloane Freeman
MD FRCPC MSc Gen Peds
Dr. Fahed AlJaser
MD Endocrinology
Lesley Barreira
MADS, Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
Althea Frank Esho
M. ADS Behaviour, BCBA
Dr. Anya McLaren
MD FRCPC MSc Respirology, Sleep Medicine
Priscilla Dutt
Registered ECE, BECE Early Childhood
Dr. Mohammad Zubairi
MD MEd FRCPC Developmental Pediatrics
Marisa Cicero
MSW RSW Child Welfare
Dr. Rae Brager
MD FRCPC Allergy/Immunology