Meet The Team

mpilkington@ariadnelabs.org

Mercedes Pilkington is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and a Staff Surgeon in the Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She first worked with the EQuIS team during her Pediatric Surgery fellowship at the University of Calgary. She was also a Safe Surgery fellow with EQuIS and Ariadne Labs subsequently. She has a Master’s in Global Surgical Care from the University of British Columbia. Her current clinical and research interests include neonatal surgery, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®), and strengthening surgical systems to promote safer surgery in a variety of resource settings. Outside of work, Dr. Pilkington strives for a good Squaredle record, enjoys exploring Toronto, and is always thinking about where to travel for her next trip abroad. 

tito.daodu@ahs.ca

Twitter: @TitoDaodu

Tito Daodu is a Pediatric Surgeon at Alberta Children’s Hospital. She was born in Nigeria and raised in Winnipeg, where she attended medical school at the University of Manitoba. She completed her residency and fellowship in Calgary and a Master's in Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is passionate about Health Equity, promoting justice, and anti-racism in medicine. She has been actively involved in Public Health and Anti-Racism Research, focusing on improving surgical outcomes and making surgical care more equitable and accessible in Canada and worldwide. Outside of work, Dr. Daodu is a mother who enjoys spending time with her baby, lounging, boxing and exploring the outdoors. 

ali.macrobie@ahs.ca; ali.macrobie2@ucalgary.ca

Ali MacRobie has been with EQuIS since 2015. She is the Manager for EQuIS, and performs several duties in this role including all of the platforms HR and budgetary needs, staff performance and development, and project planning and oversight. She is trained in realist review research methodology, foundations of project management, and grant writing. She is currently pursuing training in health equity research with a particular focus on improving access to care and the health of Indigenous populations. She is also currently supporting a number of projects, including multidisciplinary studies to improve use of the pediatric SSC tool; improving the adolescent surgical experience; and national and international neonatal surgical databases for babies born with gastroschisis or congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Outside of work, Ali enjoys reading, playing video games, painting or creating some form of abstract art, and spending time with her partner and their two cats Moose and Mookie.

nturley@ucalgary.ca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nwturley

Nathan Turley is EQuIS's senior research associate and is leading its High-Performance Checklist study. He completed his Master's in Sociology, an MBA at the University of Calgary and recently earned his Project Management Professional (PMP) designation. His thesis examined people's perceptions of privacy on Facebook. He participated in the John Molson International Case Competition and the Creative Destructive Lab, where he helped a health-tech startup plan its launch. Previously, he worked for the Department of Family Medicine in its research and residency program where he coached and guided residents through research and quality improvement projects, helped develop and run evidence-based medicine teaching sessions on various research methodologies, and assessed scholarly work. Outside of work, Nathan is a a husband and father who likes to watch movies, travel, and volunteer.

kkogut@ucalgary.ca

Karolina Kogut completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Mount Royal University, holds a Clinical Trials and Patient Oriented Research Certificate, and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Public Health at King’s College London. She is a research coordinator for EQuIS and is working on the High-Performance Checklist study. Prior, she worked in different roles at the University of Calgary, including the Autonomic Investigation and Management Lab where she was responsible for managing and coordinating multiple studies, including clinical trials, training new staff and students, and lab safety. She brings a wealth of research experience having previously been responsible for soup-to-nuts aspects of various research projects, liaising with co-investigators, sponsors, and monitors. She also completed an internship with the European Parliament, providing insight into developing public policy. Outside of work, Karolina enjoys cross country skiing, cycling and hiking with family and her goldendoodle.

tyara.marchand@ucalgary.ca

Tyara (Tya) Marchand is of Indigenous ancestry with traditional ties to the Okanagan Nation located in interior British Columbia. She has over five years of experience within Indigenous health equity research and is a final year medical student at the Cumming School of Medicine. She is a researcher with the University of Calgary where she holds two positions. She is currently the evaluation and research lead for the Indigenous Primary Health Care and Policy Research network where she does annual reporting for the network to the Canadian Institute of Healthcare Research. Within the Department of Surgery her research has focused on Indigenous equity within acute surgery and emergency medicine. She has been a part of research with Indigenous health issues such as Indigenous obstetrical access for remote communities, cultural competency for clinicians working with Indigenous communities, and the relationship between Indigenous identity, structural violence, and healthcare outcomes in acute care settings. She has led national grand rounds for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians on Crowding and Access Block and is the project lead for the International Federation of Emergency Medicine’s International Campaign on ED Crowding. Outside of work, Tya can be found reading, hiking in Kananaskis or traveling around the world. 

brandon.pentz@ucalgary.ca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-pentz-993aa051

Brandon Pentz completed his Master of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Calgary where he investigated the importance of blood volume on cardiac, hemodynamic, and pulmonary responses to endurance exercise. He also completed a Bachelor of Science in Health Science at Mount Royal University where he gained exposure to physiology research. He has worked for several years as a research assistant with Alberta Health Services, where he gained experience with evaluation and health-system research. As a research assistant with EQuIS, he is supporting the neonatal Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS®) project. Within this project, he worked with a team to implement a neonatal ERAS® guideline in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Alberta Children’s Hospital. Alongside an international group of experts, he is also working on the ERAS® Analgesia project, where he is developing neonatal pain assessment, education, and management clinical practice guidelines using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Outside of work, you can find Brandon on the golf course, skiing, or lifting weights and advocating for child prosthetics using 3D printing technology.

saffa.aziz@ucalgary.ca

Saffa Aziz completed her Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology at the University of Calgary, where she developed her knowledge base in social determinants of health, Canadian and international government, policy analysis, and qualitative research methods. While working as a Health Research Interviewer with Alberta Health Services, she identified gaps in our healthcare policy during her conversations with hospital discharges and went on to pursue a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Administration. Her interest lies in bridging the gap between evidence-based medicine and policy by enhancing her skills in knowledge translation, implementation science, and policy analysis. She enjoys spreading awareness of issues that serve as barriers to a good quality of life and wellbeing. Her objective is to provide equitable, high-quality care to all Canadians by eliminating social, cultural, economic, and geographic barriers to care through participatory action research directed at lawmakers and the lay public. She hopes to be involved in the implementation of initiatives that align with her goal and has begun that journey with EQuIS as a Research Assistant assisting in the Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) and High-Performance Checklist (HPC) studies. Outside of work, Saffa can be found relaxing on a drive, catching up on world politics, or at a car show with her partner.