Dr. Kate Storey, PhD, RD
Director
Dr. Kate Storey is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Chair, and Distinguished Researcher, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Kate is a Centre for Healthy Communities Scientist and Lead for ‘Healthy Schools.’ An established leader in creating healthy communities, she has been awarded over $11M (PI/Co-PI) in grants and contracts. She has implemented, evaluated, and scaled healthy living programs in communities with thousands of children and has established partnerships across sectors and levels to facilitate sustainability.
SIRCLE Staff
Genevieve Montemurro, BA, MSc
Senior Program Lead
Genevieve Montemurro provides strategic planning, operational management, and research coordination for SIRCLE Lab. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a Master of Science in Health Promotion in 2009 and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2006. Joining the SIRCLE Lab in 2011, she brings expertise in public health research, qualitative research and evaluation, implementation science, and knowledge translation. She has been recognized for her contribution to research success at the University of Alberta, receiving the 2020 Support Staff Research Enhancement Award.
Megan MacNeil, MPH, PhD Candidate
Graduate Research Assistant
Megan is a PhD student at the University of Alberta. She is also a Knowledge Broker with Solutions for Kids in Pain, a national knowledge mobilization network. She is currently researching school and community-based approaches to sleep promotion in children and youth. Megan has over 15 years of experience leading community health and digital health programs and has a background in polysomnography and sleep laboratory operations. She is passionate about children’s health and helping families access quality care where and when they need it most. Megan currently holds a WCHRI Graduate Studentship Award funded by the generous support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. In addition, she is a recipient of the 2022 Community University Partnership Graduate Student Equity Award.
Danielle Klassen, BA, PhD candidate
Graduate Research Assistant
Danielle is a PhD student at the University of Alberta. She graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2017. She has previously worked in areas of Applied Health Research evaluating community-based programming and Institutional Research. She is currently conducting research to understand the impact of Comprehensive School Health at the community level through the school-based wellness promotion program ‘A Project Promoting healthy Living for Everyone in schools’ (APPLE Schools). Danielle held a WCHRI Graduate Studentship award from 2020-2022 funded by the generous support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute. She is also 2020 recipient of the Dawn Bucharski Graduate Award in Health Promotion and the 2021 Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship.
Stephanie Brooks, MSc, PhD candidate
PhD Student
Stephanie is a PhD Candidate (Public Health, University of Alberta) in the SIRCLE lab. She also works as a Program Coordinator, Stakeholder Engagement for the Alberta Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, Learning Health System Team. Stephanie is a qualitative applied scientist who has worked in various community and clinical settings to improve health information and strengthen multi-stakeholder research partnerships. Her current work is focused on learning how implementation science can be used in learning health systems to accelerate the movement of research evidence into practice.
Pamela Mellon, BSc, MSc candidate
MSc Student
Pamela is a Master of Science Health Promotion student at the University of Alberta. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion at Dalhousie University in 2016. She has previously worked for Alberta Health Services as a Health Promotion Facilitator, supporting Fort McMurray schools after the 2016 wildfire. In this role, helping youth get more sleep became an area of research interest. Pamela’s thesis research is focused on informing and strengthening school-based sleep promotion through the SIRCLE-led project, Sleeping Soundly. Pamela held a 2021-2022 WCHRI Patient and Community Engagement Training (PaCET) award funded by the generous support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI). Pamela completed an evaluation internship with WCHRI in 2022 and is currently working as an Applied Research and Evaluation Consultant with McCaffrey Consulting.
Keatton Tiernan, BSc (Hons.), MSc candidate
Graduate Research Assistant
Keatton is an Indigenous Master of Science Health Promotion student at the University of Alberta. He graduated from the University of Victoria in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours), majoring in Kinesiology. His previous work focused on the intersections of community-based health education, leadership, and digital health. Keatton joined the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program for its commitment to promoting the Mino-Bimaadiziwin/Miyo-
McKayla Kirkpatrick, BSc (Hons), MSc candidate
MSc Student
McKayla is a Master of Science Health Promotion student at the University of Alberta. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) at MacEwan University in 2022. She currently works as a student researcher with the Kidney Cancer Research Network of Canada to support the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System database. In this role, she has had the opportunity to explore clinical research and learn from the experiences of cancer patients. McKayla is currently serving as the MSc Director-at-Large for the School of Public Health Students’ Association and as a Social Media Coordinator for the SPHSA’s Wellness subcommittee. She fosters her lifelong passion for working with youth by volunteering as a Boys & Girls Club Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor and by working part-time as a dance instructor. Through these experiences, mentorship has become an area of research interest. McKayla’s thesis research will focus on the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program.
Shivani Solanki, BSc, MSc candidate
Graduate Research Assistant
Shivani is a second-year Master of Science Health Promotion student at the University of Alberta. She graduated from MacEwan University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology with a minor in Biological Sciences. Her previous research has involved student mental health, environmental sustainability practices in the social work field, and oil sands ecotoxicology. She is currently engaged in projects dealing with Active School Travel and 8 80 Cities. Her thesis will focus on tobacco use and mental health outcomes in vulnerable Canadian youth.
SIRCLE Volunteers
Arjun Khabra
Volunteer
Arjun is a fourth year Biological Sciences student in the Faculty of Science and a 2nd year scholar with the Peter Lougheed Leadership College completing his BSc and a Certificate in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies. Arjun previously held a Health and Wellness internship with Engage North in 2019 where he worked with the Dene Tha’ First Nation health team in Chateh, AB. In this role he helped facilitate health related programming and coached the boys’ basketball team to participate in the Alberta Indigenous Games. This sparked Arjun’s interest in rural health, science communication and community engagement.
Dev Dutta, BSc
Volunteer
Dev is a Biological Sciences and Psychology graduate of the University of Alberta (YEAR). Since 2013 he has been leading a non-profit youth organization, Arts for YoungSTARS (AFYS), which has been inspiring youth to tackle social issues using art. Working with children and youth through the AFYS mentorship programs ignited Dev’s passion for community health. By gaining public health research experience with SIRCLE Lab, he hopes to further develop his expertise in community-based research for children and youth.
Jenna Bracken, BHK, MPH Candidate
Volunteer
Jenna is a Master of Public Health student at the University of Alberta. She completed a Bachelor of Human Kinetics, specializing in health promotion at the University of British Columbia- Okanagan in 2018. Her previous work experience is in community-based health promotion, including chronic disease prevention and cardiac rehabilitation. In conjunction with her studies, Jenna volunteers in the SIRCLE Lab working on a variety of projects related to community-based health promotion.
Ali Ahmed, BSc
Volunteer
Ali graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Physical Sciences. He has worked as a Youth Projects Coordinator for the Centre-Nord School Board and as a leadership instructor for Francophonie Jeunesse de l’Alberta. His public health interests include social determinants of health and global health.
Gbemiro Adegbuyi
Volunteer
Gbemiro is an undergraduate Dietetics student at the University of Alberta. His public health interests include community nutrition, children’s health, public policy, health education, and food security. He promotes these interests with organizations including Rotary International, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Edmonton, Alberta Food Matters, and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Gbemiro’s volunteer work with the SIRCLE lab has primarily focused on the Beyond the Binder – Case Studies research project. In the future, Gbemiro aspires to work as a dietitian in community and clinical settings to help people develop and maintain nutritional practices to live healthy and happy lives.
Laura Vandervet
Volunteer
Laura is a Registered Dietitian. She graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition in 2009 and a Master of Science in Foods and Nutrition in 2011. She has previously worked as a Health Promotion Manager for the Canadian Armed Forces, as a Diabetes Wellness Dietitian in the Northwest Territories, as a Community Dietitian in Québec City, and as a Child and Youth Dietitian for the Six Nations of the Grand River. Laura is passionate about reducing health inequities and supporting the well-being of children, youth, families and communities.
Past SIRCLE Trainees
Dr. Fatheema Subhan
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2019-2021)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Catalyzing and sustaining the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program in Alberta
Melissa Bird
MSc (2020)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Child and Parent Perceptions of Sleep Behaviours: Shaping Policy and Practice Development of School-based Sleep Promotion in Canada
Dr. Nicole Ofosu
PhD (2019)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Sustainability of the health benefits of the APPLE Schools comprehensive school health program.
Dr. Kacey Neely
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2016-2018)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Exploration of the optimal implementation of school health programs and policies.
Pierrette Elias
MSc (2018)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Care providers’ perceptions in promoting healthy eating and physical activity in the after-school setting.
Christine McKernan
MSc (2016)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
How do health behaviours acquired at school translate into the home? The exploration of a photovoice project among students in APPLE Schools.
Erica Roberts
MSc (2015)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
The role of the APPLE school principal in knowledge exchange and in implementing comprehensive school health to create a healthy school culture.
Dr. Yen Li Chu
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2012-2014)
School of Public Health, University of Alberta
Nutritional behaviours and health of Alberta youth.
