Executive Committee
Dr. Maoliosa (Mo) Donald
Dr. Maoliosa (Mo) Donald, PhD is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She is trained as a health services researcher, implementation scientist, and physical therapist. Her research focuses on using pragmatic approaches to identify strategies to improve person-centered care for individuals with chronic kidney disease. Maoliosa has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement in the implementation of health innovations locally, provincially, and nationally. She is interested in applying theories, methods, and frameworks to determine factors that promote or impede implementation, adaptation, and sustainability in ways that are effective and practical for various contexts.
Dr. Meghan Elliott
Dr. Meghan Elliott is a kidney specialist and Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. Her research interests span areas of shared decision-making, patient-reported outcomes, and tools to enhance communication for people living with chronic kidney disease and their health care team. She is the faculty lead of the Nephrology Research Group’s Patient and Community Partnership. Dr. Elliott obtained her medical degree at Queen’s University, followed by her nephrology specialty training at the University of Calgary and a Master’s degree in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto. In her spare time, Dr. Elliott loves skiing and camping with her family and curling up with a good (non-medical) book.
Dr. Tyrone Harrison
Dr Tyrone Harrison MD PhD is an assistant professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary, where he works as a health services researcher and nephrologist. He completed his Nephrology clinical training in 2018, followed by a PhD in Health Services Research at the University of Calgary in 2022 which was sponsored by a Kidney Foundation of Canada KRESCENT post-doctoral fellowship, and completed within the ICDC. His current research program is supported by a KRESCENT New Investigator Award, and is focused on integrating person-centredness and novel digital approaches within risk prediction strategies and population-based cohort studies for people with chronic diseases. He is also the current Chair of the Canadian Society of Nephrology Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee, where he is focused on improving how people with lived experience are incorporated throughout the guideline development process. Outside of work, Tyrone enjoys being outside with his wife and children - whether that be hiking, kayaking, skiing, or chasing his two daughters (they have way too much energy).
Dr. Matthew James
Dr. Matthew James is a kidney doctor and clinical researcher who specializes in health systems and services research. His research involves working with multidisciplinary teams involving close partnerships with patients, clinicians, and health system decision makers. His recent work is focused on risk prediction, computerized decision support tools, and clinical trials incorporating pragmatic designs to improve the quality of care, experiences, and health outcomes of people with or at risk of kidney and cardiovascular diseases. He holds research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Alberta Innovates, and his work has been recognized with a Mid-Career Research Leader Award from the O’Brien Institute of Public Health at the University of Calgary, a Killam Emerging Research Leader Award, and the Monique Bégin Award in Knowledge Translation from CIHR. Outside of the office, Matt enjoys spending time with his family skiing, biking, and walking in the Rocky Mountains in the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region and returning to the qathut region of British Columbia to enjoy the beaches and ocean.
Dr. Neesh Pannu
Dr. Neesh Pannu has been working as a researcher and kidney doctor at the University of Alberta since 2002. Her research interests are primarily in the area of diagnosis, management, and outcomes of acute kidney injury. She is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta the Vice Dean of Research (clinical) in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. She holds the University of Alberta Health Services Chair in Health Informatics. Outside of the office she enjoys cooking, spin classes, gardening and travelling around the world with her family.
Dr. Pietro Ravani
Dr Pietro Ravani is a clinician scientist with sub-specialty training in Nephrology. He is holder of the Roy and Vi Baay Chair in Kidney research and Professor at the UofC where he undertakes his academic activities and maintains a clinical practice in nephrology through the Department of Medicine. His research interests are in the study of chronic medical conditions including chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as knowledge synthesis, translation and implementation strategies to improve care for this patient population. He is also a biostatistician, with expertise in statistical learning and prediction modelling in settings involving right censored data and competing risks. Most significant contributions include studies informing clinical practice in the selection and management of the vascular access for hemodialysis, use of anti-CD20 antibodies in nephrotic syndrome and diagnosis, prognosis, and management of chronic kidney disease. Dr Ravani holds researching funding from CIHR and Alberta Innovates, has received numerous awards and is highly published. Outside of work, Pietro enjoys listening to classical music, running, hiking, skiing and cooking.
https://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&pli=1&user=ImDTS70AAAAJ
Dr. Paul Ronksley
Dr. Paul Ronksley has been working as a health researcher, focusing on improving access to care for patients with multiple chronic conditions, for 15 years. In this role, he enjoys finding new ways to use the vast amount of health data generated within Alberta to identify and remove the barriers to healthcare that exist for many patients. Paul’s education includes an MSc and Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Calgary, and a Post-doctoral Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Outside of the office, Paul spends his time playing guitar, piano, and drums and is out in the mountains with his wife and two kids as much as possible.