Blueprint Translational Research Group

Madison Foster

Clinical Research Associate
Blueprint Translational Research Group Project Manager

Please note that Madison is currently off on maternity leave until August 5, 2025. Please contact the interim project manager, Stephen Daniels (stdaniels@ohri.ca), for any inquiries.

Background:
Madison completed her BSc (Honours) in Biopharmaceutical Sciences (co-op) and her MSc in Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa. Madison joined the Blueprint team in December 2017.

Projects:
Madison is the Project Manager for the group. Currently, she is working on several of the team’s Patient Engagement programs, which focus on studying and facilitating patient engagement (involving patients and caregivers as collaborators throughout the research process). Through this work the team aims to better align their research with patient priorities and interests, as well as create guidance for patient engagement.

Forough Jahandideh

Research Associate
fjahandideh@ohri.ca

Background:
Forough completed her PhD on cardiometabolic benefits of food-derived bioactive peptides in rat models of hypertension, obesity, and metabolic syndrome at the University of Alberta. Forough then completed her postdoctoral studies on preclinical models of sepsis in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Alberta. Forough joined the Blueprint team in January 2023.

Projects:
Forough is leading the coordination and conduct of preclinical multilaboratory studies for different disease models (ALI, sepsis). She is coordinating preclinical sepsis studies between 6 centers across Canada through the National Preclinical Sepsis Platform (NPSP), which is establishing and optimizing a laboratory model of sepsis through this work, the team aims to improve the translatability of preclinical studies and work through filling the knowledge gaps in this area.

Stephen Daniels

Clinical Research Associate
stdaniels@ohri.ca

Background:
Stephen completed his PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa (2020) where he studied the neurobiological mechanisms of reward processing. Stephen then completed his postdoctoral studies on the rapid effects of antidepressants on monoamine neuron activity at the University of Ottawa (2023).

Projects:
Stephen is the Blueprint Group Project Manager. Currently, he is leading the team’s Patient Engagement programs focused on facilitating patient engagement in the research process. This research aims to improve clinical care practices by encouraging collaboration between researchers and patient partners.

Doreen Engelberts

Senior Research Technician
dengelberts@ohri.ca

Background:
Doreen is a Veterinarian Technician who has spent 25 years in the Dr. Brian Kavanagh laboratory at the Hospital for Sick Children, as Lab Research Project Coordinator investigating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and Ventilator Induced Lung Injury (VILI).

Projects:
Doreen is currently working in the wet lab in Acute Lung Injury (ALI) looking at sex differences, COVID 19 induced lung injury model and helping to standardize a laboratory model of sepsis for the National Preclinical Sepsis Platform.

Brian Dorus

Clinical Research Assistant II
brdorus@ohri.ca

Background:
Brian completed his BSc in Biochemistry, his BASc in Chemical Engineering (Biotechnology program) and his MSc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Ottawa. Brian Joined the Blueprint team in January 2023.

Projects:
Brian primarily works on the VAMPIRE project, which evaluates the success rate of translation from preclinical research to clinical application. This project also entails identifying potential factors that can influence successful translation.

Talston Scott

Clinical Research Assistant II
tascott@ohri.ca

Background:
Talston completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) with a concentration in Global Health at Carleton University. Following this, he obtained a Masters Degree in Health Ethics from Memorial University of Newfoundland. His academic background has equipped him with a solid foundation in health sciences and ethics.

Projects:
In Fall 2023, Talston joined the Blueprint Translational Research Group as a clinical research assistant. He is currently engaged in the LabPartners project, which is centered on enhancing patient engagement in preclinical laboratory research.

Sathvika Balumuri

Part-Time Research Assistant I
sbalumuri@ohri.ca

Background:
Sathvika is a second-year Master of Computer Science student at the University of Ottawa. She completed her Bachelor's in Computer Science with specialization in Cyber Security. Sathvika joined the Blueprint team as a co-op student in September 2023 and joined as a part time staff member in January 2024 once her co-op term was completed.

Projects:
Sathvika is currently working on the website for a preclinical multi-laboratory study (NPSP) which allows multiple centers to update their findings throughout the experiment.

Zoe Fisk

Research Technician
zfisk@ohri.ca

Background:
Zoe completed her B.Sc. Honours Biology from McMaster University in 2018 and her M.Sc. Neuroscience from the University of Ottawa in 2022. She joined the Blueprint team in June 2024.

Projects:
Zoe is working in the wet lab to help establish and standardize a multi-centre preclinical model of sepsis within the National Preclinical Sepsis Platform (NPSP). She will also be working on the Acute Lung Injury (ALI) projects, looking at the effects of sex difference and COVID-19 infection on ALI.

Wimonchat (Tae) Tangamornsuksan

Research Assistant II
wtangamornsuksan@ohri.ca

Background:
Wimonchat (Tae) Tangamornsuksan is a clinical pharmacist who completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in Thailand. In 2020, she received a scholarship to become a visiting lecturer at the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University, where she later completed her MSc in Epidemiology. Wimonchat joined the Blueprint team in July 2024.

Projects:
Wimonchat is currently involved in conducting preclinical and clinical systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Sean Patterson

Clinical Research Assistant II
sepatterson@ohri.ca

Background:
Sean completed his MSc in Biology at Carleton University and his BSc (Honours) in Biology at Nipissing University. Following this, he worked as a Research Assistant at the Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation, where he conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Sean also serves as a CEEDER Review College Member for the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence, where he conducts critical appraisal of evidence reviews. Sean joined the Blueprint Research Group in December 2024.

Projects:
Sean is currently working on meta-research and journalology ("publication science") research. This is a collaboration with Dr. Kelly Cobey’s meta-research group from the Ottawa Heart Institute to create a ‘digital journal authenticator tool’. This tool will help scientists, clinicians, and the public to assess the trustworthiness of scientific journals.

Matthew Jeffers

PhD Candidate
mjeffers@ohri.ca

Background:
Matthew completed his BSc (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Manitoba before pursuing his MSc in Medicine (Neurosciences) at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Subsequently, Matthew conducted 9 years of research in preclinical models of stroke recovery and rehabilitation as Laboratory Manager to Dr. Dale Corbett and Dr. Gergely Silasi at the University of Ottawa. He initially joined the Blueprint group in the MSc Epidemiology program before fast-tracking to the PhD program and receiving funding from the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Projects:
Matthew's research interests include optimization of preclinical experimental design and analysis to maximize validity, as well as methods of assessing preclinical evidence to inform decisions to translate novel healthcare interventions to early-phase clinical trials. This includes studying existing regulatory and ethical frameworks surrounding initiation of confirmatory preclinical experiments and first-in-human clinical trials.

Funding:
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Eva Kuhar

Master's Student
ekuhar@ohri.ca

Background:
Eva holds a BSc in Biochemistry with a concentration in Molecular Biology and a minor in Psychology from Bishop's University. Currently, she is a graduate student in the University of Ottawa's Cellular and Molecular Medicine program, conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Manoj Lalu and Dr. Duncan Stewart in the Regenerative Medicine Program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI).

Projects:
Her research primarily focuses on investigating biological sex differences in preclinical models of acute lung injury (ALI). Eva also leads a multilaboratory study exploring these differences in an ALI model. Additionally, she is an active member of the National Preclinical Sepsis Platform (NPSP), where she contributes to establishing and optimizing a laboratory model of sepsis.

Alvin Tieu

Anesthesiology Resident
atieu@toh.ca

Background:
Alvin completed a BMSC and MSc at Western University. He completed his MD-PhD at the University of Ottawa and is currently an anesthesiology resident at the Ottawa Hospital.

Projects:
For his PhD, Alvin evaluated the therapeutic efficacy and biodistribution of extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stromal cells to treat acute and chronic lung diseases. His project combined clinical research methodology and basic science techniques.

Funding:
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Canadian Vascular Network Scholar Award

Hannah Wotherspoon

Master's Student
hwotherspoon@ohri.ca

Background:
Hannah is currently pursuing an MSc in Health Systems from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. Prior to this, she completed a BSc. Honours in Biological Science with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Guelph.

Projects:
Her thesis work is focused on understanding the decision-making process of clinical researchers when deciding to launch an early-phase clinical trial.

Prarthna Karunamurthy

Master's Student
pkarunamurthy@ohri.ca

Background:
Prarthna is a first-year graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at the University of Ottawa. She completed her BSc (Honours) in Life Sciences at Queen’s University and currently conducts research in the lab of Dr. Manoj Lalu and Dr. Duncan Stewart at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Prarthna joined the Blueprint team in September 2023.

Projects:
Prarthna’s thesis work will investigate the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) within an established COVID-19-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) model.

Alexandria McRorie

Master's Student
amcrorie@ohri.ca

Background:
Alexandria completed her BSc (Honours) in Kinesiology with a minor in International Indigenous Studies at the University of Calgary. She is now pursuing an MSc in Epidemiology from the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa. Alexandria joined the Blueprint team at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in September 2024, where she will be conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Manoj Lalu and Dr. Dean Fergusson in the Methodological and Implementation Research (MIR) Program.

Projects:
Alexandria’s research interests center around improving equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in clinical trials, specifically in relation to First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations, and patient engagement throughout the research continuum.

Julianne Morin

Summer Student
julmorin@ohri.ca

Background:
Julianne is a third-year undergraduate student in Honours BSc in Translational and Molecular Medicine (TMM) at the University of Ottawa. She joined the Blueprint team as a summer student in 2024 and will be completing her honours project.

Projects:
Julianne is currently working on isolating and characterizing extracellular vesicles from regulatory T-cells (Treg EVs).

Daniel Minanengiyeofori

Co-op Student
dminanengiyeofori@ohri.ca

Background:
Daniel is currently helping develop and plan a national multicenter preclinical collaborative that will address cancer immunotherapy research. He is also assisting with a preclinical cell therapy studies reporting assessment that will evaluate the completeness of reporting for key elements of the Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments 2.0 (ARRIVE) guidelines in preclinical cell therapy studies.

Projects:
Daniel is currently helping develop and plan a national multicenter preclinical collaborative that will address cancer immunotherapy research. He is also assisting with a preclinical cell therapy studies reporting assessment that will evaluate the completeness of reporting for key elements of the Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments 2.0 (ARRIVE) guidelines in preclinical cell therapy studies.

Jana Nasrallah

Master's Student
janasrallah@ohri.ca

Background:
Jana is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing an Honours BSc in Health Sciences (Co-op) at the University of Ottawa. She joined the Blueprint team in January 2025 as a Co-op student.

Projects:
Jana is currently helping to lead planned programming for OHRI trainees, aiming to introduce a series of new initiatives to enhance the training program. She is also assisting with a priority-setting exercise involving patient-partners from the National Preclinical Sepsis Platform, aimed at shaping future sepsis research to ensure it remains patient-oriented and clinically relevant.

Mirabel Joseph

Co-op Student
mirjoseph@ohri.ca

Background:
Mirabel is a third-year undergraduate student in Honours BSc in Translational and Molecular Medicine (TMM) at the University of Ottawa. She joined the Blueprint team in January 2025.

Projects:
Mirabel is currently completing her TMM third year rotation project.

Jodi Peters

Executive Assistant
jpeters@ohri.ca
613-737-8899 x79842

Background:
Jodi Peters has been with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) since 2006. Currently, she is the Executive Assistant to Dr. Dean Fergusson, Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Program and Dr. Tim Ramsay, Scientific Director of the Ottawa Methods Centre. Jodi began her career at OHRI as a Research Administrative Assistant for a variety of scientists in both basic and clinical research. Prior to this, she’d acquired 11 years' experience as an Administrative Assistant working at Foresters (Toronto, Canada) and Office Team (Ottawa, Canada).

Sarah Peters

Administrator
sapeters@ohri.ca
613-737-8899 x75083

Background:
Sarah began her career at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) in February of 2017. She is the Clinical Epidemiology Program’s reception and is the administrator for Dr Lalu, Kyeremanteng, Boet, Squires, Hawken and Taljaard. Prior to joining the OHRI, Sarah was an Electoral Coordination Agent, Voting Process and Services to Candidates Expert, and Poll Bag Auditor for Elections Canada.