Meet our team
The CCCR is staffed by a team of experts with experience in areas including research administration, study operations, finance, regulatory oversight and project management. Through our collective experience, we’re able to offer insight-driven best practices and guidance for conducting clinical research at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Stephen Freedman - Associate Dean, Clinical Trials
Dr. Freedman is Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the University of Calgary. He completed his residency at The Hospital for Sick Children and a pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. He obtained a Master’s of Science in Clinical Investigation at Northwestern University. He is the Past-Chair of Pediatric Emergency Research Canada and currently serves as the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Professor in Child Health and Wellness.
His research focuses on applying clinical research to improve outcomes in children seeking emergency department care. His focus is on the use of innovative, multidisciplinary approaches to solve complex problems. He has published over 220 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is the principal investigator on numerous multicentre clinical trials with funding support from CIHR and the NIH. Most recently, he received CIHR funding to lead several multi-national pediatric COVID-19 studies and NIH funding to evaluate an intervention to prevent progression of disease in children infected with Shiga toxin producing E. coli.
Sabine Moritz, MSc, CCRP - Director, Clinical, Health Services and Population Health Research
Sabine holds both a BSc and MSc in Biology from the RWTH in Aachen, Germany, as well as an MSc in Research and Evaluation Methods in Health Care from the Open University, UK. A graduate of the University of Calgary’s ULead program, she was also the recipient of the 2018 U Make a Difference award and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (SoCRA).
Overseeing both the CCCR and the Heritage Medical Research Clinic, Sabine plays a critical role in building clinical research infrastructure and expanding clinical trial capacity at the University. Currently, she is also leading the Alberta-wide implementation of a Clinical Trial Management System.
Her clinical research career has spanned more than 25 years and includes extensive experience in developing and leading clinical trial programs both in Canada and the UK, including at the Cancer Research Campaign Clinical Trials Centre at King’s College in London, UK, and the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary.
Phone: 403.220.8754
Email: sabine.moritz@ucalgary.ca
Our Staff
Shweta Patel, MBBS, CCRP
Shweta brings substantial clinical research and health-care experience to her role as Clinical Trial Program Administrator at the CCCR. This includes more than five years coordinating clinical drug trials in multi-therapeutic areas, from respiratory and metabolic research to dermatology and oncology. In her role, she acts as the primary point of contact with external sponsors and supports investigators with site selection, trial start-up activities and accessing research support services at the University of Calgary.
Shweta’s education includes a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Baroda Medical College in India. She’s also a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP), is an active member of the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) and holds certifications in both phlebotomy and the transportation of clinical trial samples (IATA).
Phone: 403.210.5460
Email: pats@ucalgary.ca
Start-up Services
Jenna Dobry, BSc, MSL
Jenna serves as the Lead Regulatory Officer- Clinical Research for the University. Jenna received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary. She earned a Master of Science Degree in Law from Northwestern University which provided her with a deep understanding of various regulatory frameworks in clinical research and other STEM fields.
Jenna has held various roles in clinical research at the University of Calgary and with Alberta Health Services. She worked as a Research Coordinator for the Section of Neonatology and held the lead role of Clinical Research Associate in the Hematology, Oncology and Transplant Clinical Research Unit at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Jenna has a thorough understanding of the complexity of clinical research regulations. Her goal is to make compliance as seamless as possible while ensuring that research teams can focus on keeping their participants safe and producing quality data to improve medical care.
Email: jldobry@ucalgary.ca
Shanza Mukhtar, BSc, MSc
As a Clinical Study Monitor, Shanza brings extensive research and quality assurance experience to her role. With more than thirteen years' experience with multiple organizations around the globe, she has worked in cancer research, molecular biology, genetics, education, and quality assurance, allowing her to contribute greatly towards monitoring clinical trial success.
She holds a BSc in Medical Microbiology and an MSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Shanza has held multiple roles in pharmaceuticals, interventional medicine, drug-device companies, and the UK Ministry of Education and Health, demonstrating a thorough understanding of quality assurance for clinical trials. As Clinical Study Monitor, she helps ensure that the University of Calgary-sponsored trials are conducted in compliance with the currently approved protocol, GCP, and within applicable regulatory requirements.
Email: shanza.mukhtar1@ucalgary.ca
Erno Kovacs, BA
Erno serves as the Program Support Coordinator for CCCR. He works with both CCCR and the CSM Legal Unit to provide key supports to the mandates and activities of both teams with the end goal of supporting CSM researchers.
Erno is a graduate of the University of Calgary and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology with a Minor in Management and Society. Having worked first as a Research Contractor to a research scientist in the Department of Surgery, a Research Assistant, and later an Evaluations Assistant in the office of Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development, Erno possesses solid knowledge of the University of Calgary processes and procedures. His work experience at the University has also given him a clear understanding of Alberta's health system, Canada's health research environment as well as expertise in knowledge translation.
Email: erno.kovacs@ucalgary.ca
Jade Andersen, Dip
Jade comes to CCCR with a Diploma in New Media Production and Design program from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. As part of the Calgary Center for Clinical Research Team (CCCR), her mandate is to assist in IRISS, and in the archiving and project closure process. Her main role is to provide technological help and expertise in managing the CCCR website, hosting Lunch and Learns and creating email announcements. It is with this in mind, she hopes to aid the CCCR with her technological knowledge.
Email: Jade.andersen@ucalgary.ca
Noopur Swadas, RN BN Advisor – Health System Access
Noopur is an advisor with the Alberta Health Services Health System Access team. Her role involves assisting University of Calgary researchers in navigating the approval process for studies involving AHS areas, facilities, data, IT systems, patients, or staff, with a focus on streamlining procedures. Additionally, she offers consultations and assistance regarding Connect Care requests for research functionalities and understanding available AHS resources. For inquiries about future or current research projects, please send an email to noopur.swadas@albertahealthservices.ca.
Finance
Asim Nadeem, B.Com, DCMA
As the Manager of Clinical Research Business Services at CCCR, Asim Nadeem leverages over 23 years of extensive experience in Accounting and Finance, including Clinical Research Budget Negotiation and Grant Management. In this capacity, he offers vital financial support to clinical researchers, specializing in negotiating and advising on clinical trial budgets, and providing the final approvals for all budgets. Asim's administrative oversight extends to clinical trial activities at the University of Calgary, encompassing the management of the Clinical Research Fund (CRF) grant program and the administration of archiving processes for Clinical Trials materials, alongside the development and maintenance of pertinent policies and procedures.
Furthermore, he lends support to the university's Accounts Receivable department in managing unallocated funds and spearheads the creation and development of future web-based programs for CCCR. Asim's academic background is distinguished by a postgraduation in Cost and Management Accounting, in addition to a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a focus on accounting and finance from the University of Punjab in Pakistan. Before joining the University of Calgary in 2021, Asim made valuable contributions as a member of the Clinical Research Finance team at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre.
Email: asim.nadeem@ucalgary.ca
Min Seong Park, BComm
As the Financial Research Advisor at the CCCR, Min provides financial support to clinical research teams. His role includes analyzing clinical trial budgets, negotiating with various study sponsors, reviewing payment terms in clinical research agreements, delivering administrative assistance to departments and project holders, and collaborating with Legal and Accounts Receivable.
Min is a graduate from University of Calgary and his educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) in Risk Management and Insurance. He began his career at University of Calgary through Research Accounting and Financial Reporting, Project Maintenance team. After five years of experience as Project Support Administrator, he gained significant insight into university’s environment, procedures and regulations. Multiple years of service in project management has greatly helped him transition into his current role.
Sarvjeet Kaur Sodhi, MBA
As the Financial Research Advisor at the CCCR, Sarvjeet provides financial support to clinical research teams. She assists in analyzing clinical trial budgets, negotiates with diverse study sponsors, and ensures compliance with payment terms in clinical research agreements. Additionally, Sarvjeet brings valuable expertise from her previous experiences in Oncology Research at the Tom Baker Cancer Center, as well as in retail banking, where she demonstrated a strong commitment to financial management and client service. Sarvjeet holds a Master of Business Administration from Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia.
Email: sarvjeet.sodhi@ucalgary.ca
Faizan Ahmed, BComm, CAPM
Faizan is a Financial Research Advisor at CCCR where he provides financial support to Principal Investigators and their teams. Faizan reviews Clinical Trial Agreements, analyzes Clinical Research budgets, negotiates with Clinical Research sponsors, and works alongside Legal and Accounts Receivable to ensure meticulous support for Clinical Research teams.
Faizan is a University of Calgary graduate and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance. Additionally, he is a Certified Associate in Project Management. Faizan brings valuable experience through his work with NGO’s, retail brands, and senior management which has helped him successfully transition into his current role.
Email: faizan.ahmed1@ucalgary.ca
CTMS and POST
Mari Boesen, M.Sc., PMP
As the Provincial CTMS Project Manager, Mari is dedicated to the implementation of the new Clinical Trial Management System in Alberta. Mari is passionate about making change as easy as possible and looks forward to setting your team up for success in the system. She knows just how many activities are involved in conducting a clinical trial and thinks that a CTMS is the best way to stay on top of it all!
Mari has a background in Pragmatic Clinical Trials with the Alberta Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research. While there, she worked on clinical trial training programs, patient-facing clinical research awareness campaigns, and supported many tools and resources for clinical trial conduct in Alberta. She has an educational background in Medical Imaging Research with a BSc in Physics from the University of Victoria, an MSc in Physics from the University of Calgary, and a Project Management Professional designation through the Project Management Institute.
Email: meboesen@ucalgary.ca
Erin Timpson
Erin joined the CCCR team in early 2021 to help with the implementation of the new Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS). Erin's focus is transferring clinical trials and their budgets into OnCore. Through her knowledge of the CTMS, Erin helps teams optimize use of the application, as well as providing resources, information, and support to research teams through the creation and activation of their clinical trials. She is always available to help teams further enhance their experience with CTMS and CCCR through her work with the Provincial OnCore Support Team (POST). Erin looks forward to getting to know you and your team and helping you use our systems to best suit your needs.
Email: erin.timpson@ucalgary.ca
Zoe Downton, BSC
Zoe comes to CCCR with a BSc in Psychology from the University of Alberta. As part of the Provincial OnCore Support Team (POST), her mandate is to assist study teams in maximizing their use of OnCore. Her main role is to provide calendar and budget building for a variety of protocols. She enjoys the challenge of figuring out how to translate protocols into OnCore to ensure she has provided the most appropriate solution for teams. It is with this in mind, she hopes study teams will have the best possible user experience.
Email: zoe.downton@ucalgary.ca
Daniela Slivaric, BA
As a CTMS Support Specialist, Daniela serves as a resource for end users, offering support and building relationships with clinical research teams. With an extensive background in leadership, she joins the POST team with a passion for training and customer support. She has over ten years of retail management and onboarding experience. For the last four years she has focused on growing her skillset in healthcare with AHS and private medical clinics.
Daniela has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from York University in Ontario. Recently she went back to school to get her Medical Office Assistant and Unit Clerk certificate from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. There she discovered her affinity for medical terminology, much to the chagrin of her loved ones. Her mission is to be on a path of continuous learning, and to eventually beat her husband in a round of Jeopardy.
Email: daniela.slivaric@ucalgary.ca
Alvina Mountenay, BBA
Alvina is the Manager of Clinical Trial System Services at the CCCR overseeing the Provincial OnCore Support Team (POST). She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Regina and is a graduate of the University of Calgary U Manage and U Lead programs.
Alvina brings a wealth of experience to her role. She has been with the University of Calgary for over 20 years holding finance and business-related positions, and managing information services, financial, facility, and student service teams delivering front end customer support. Alvina has experience with the rollout of a web based non-credit system at the University of Calgary and working with leaders, project teams, and front-line staff to ensure effective change management strategies were used. She has a strong financial and budgeting background, and has managed system testing, upgrades, and data integrations with other University systems.
Email: alvina.mountenay@ucalgary.ca