Board of Directors
The Staff
Visiting Scholars
Board of Directors
The Wellesley Institute is fortunate to be guided by a dynamic and committed Board of Directors. Our Board members have a wealth of experience in health research, urban policy issues, and community capacity building as well as management and governance. Our governance model is one which embraces social entrepreneurship, innovation, and risk-taking. Our board is equally comprised of representatives from the business, academic/healthcare professional, and community sectors.
Peter Warrian, PhD
Chair, Board of Directors
Chair Lupina Foundation and Senior Fellow Massey College
Susan Williams, RN, BNSc, Med
Vice Chair
Chair, Research and Policy Committee
Dean Emeritus, Faculty of Community Services, Ryerson University
Minda Davis
Treasurer
Rick Blickstead, MBA
CEO
Secretary
Michaela Hynie, PhD
Chair, Governance Committee
Associate Director, York Institute for Health Research Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, York University
Nick Zelenczuk
Chair, Finance and Investment Committee
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
Roger Barton, LLM
Former General Counsel and Secretary, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board
Former Director, St. John’s Rehabilitation Hospital
Chris Brillinger
Executive Director Social Development, Finance and Administration, City of Toronto
Colette Murphy
Community Program Director, Metcalf Foundation
Susan Takahashi
Pension Assets, Group Treasury, Scotiabank
Brigitte Witkowski
Executive Director, Mainstay Housing
Vice President Connex Ontario Board of Directors
Liz Janzen
Former Director of Healthy Communities, Healthy Living in Toronto Public Health
Peter MacLeod
Principal and Co-founder, MASS LBP
Lisa Forman, BA, LLB, MA, SJD
Lupina Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
Wellesley Institute Staff
(Click the name for Bio)
Rick Blickstead, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
rick@wellesleyinstitute.com
Bob Gardner, PhD
Director, Policy
bob@wellesleyinstitute.com
Michael Shapcott
Director, Housing and Innovation
michael@wellesleyinstitute.com
Brenda Roche, PhD
Director, Research
brenda@wellesleyinstitute.com
Dr. Nasim Haque, MD, DrPH
Director, Community Health
nasim@wellesleyinstitute.com
Sheila Block, MA Econ
Director, Economic Analysis
sheila@wellesleyinstitute.com
Steve Barnes, MA
Policy Analyst
steve@wellesleyinstitute.com
Aziza Mahamoud, BSc, MPH
Research Associate, Systems Science and Population Health
aziza@wellesleyinstitute.com
Laura Mandelbaum, BA, MA, MPP Candidate
Research Associate
laura@wellesleyinstitute.com
Estelle Sun, BA
Project and Research Assistant
estelle@wellesleyinstitute.com
Lisa Marie Williams, BA Urban and Regional Planning
Research Assistant
lisamarie@wellesleyinstitute.com
Meiyin Gao, MSc
Data Analyst
meiyin@wellesleyinstitute.com
Jo Snyder BA (Hon Politics), MPub
Knowledge Mobilization and Communications Specialist
jo@wellesleyinstitute.com
Melissa Goldstein, BAA, MA, OSSD
Knowledge Mobilization and Communications Specialist
melissa@wellesleyinstitute.com
Michael Luo
IT Specialist
mluo [ at ] wellesleyinstitute.com
Grace Piekielko
Research Administrator
grace [ at ] wellesleyinstitute.com
Nadiya Troyan, MA
Board Administrator and Office Manager
nadiya [ at ] wellesleyinstitute.com
Visiting Scholars and Fellows
The Wellesley Institute Visiting Scholars are recognized thought-leaders in areas relating to the social determinants of health. Thanks to the involvement and guidance of our Visiting Scholars and others, our work is informed by leading directions in social policy and health innovation in Canada and around the world.
Trish Hennessy
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Nathaniel Osgood
Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science
Associate Faculty, Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, School of
Public Health, and Bioengineering Division
University of Saskatchewan
Peter Hovmand
Director, Social System Design Lab, Brown School
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Past Fellows
Budd Hall
Centre for CBR
University of Victoria
David Hulchanski
Director-Center for Urban and Community Studies
University of Toronto
Grace Edward Galabuzi
Faculty of Arts
Ryerson University
John Myles
Dept of Sociology
University of Toronto
Meredith Minkler
Head: Community based Participatory Research
University of California at Berkeley
Dr. Michael Wright
Coordinator HIV/AIDS and Participatory Research
Research Group Public Health
Social Science Center Berlin (WZB)
Susan Phillips
School of Public Policy
Carleton University
Dr. Tyrone Turner
Chief of Psychiatry
St. Joseph’s Health Centre
Associates
Margot Lettner
Principal, Wasabi Consulting