Members of the TRP community
We're currently populating this list!
Come back soon for a more comprehensive list.
One of the most important parts of the TRP is the diversity of the people you will meet. From your cohort to committee members, mentors and patients, one of the key skills you will build will be the ability to network and collaborate with people from very diverse backgrounds.
Some of the people you may meet while in the program are listed below. These are all people who have played a role in the website such as discussants, who come in to talk to students and discuss ideas, to mentors and those who play a role in capstone research projects. We also list, where able, our alumni.
Joana Dos Santos
Graduated 2018
Dr. Joana Dos Santos joined the Division of Urology at SickKids in July 2015 as the first Medical Urologist in Canada, and subsequently to the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor of Paediatrics. After completing medical school at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, she underwent Paediatrics and Paediatric Nephrology residency training at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dos Santos started at SickKids in 2011 as a research fellow in Paediatric Nephrology, later to become a true pioneer as the first Medical Urology Fellow with training focused on clinical management of urological conditions.
Read about Joana's alumni story: Transforming care: how one clinician changed the lives of children with bladder and bowel dysfunction
Keshanah Raviendran
2023 - 2025 cohort
Keshanah Raviendran graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an Honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences with a double major in Pharmacology and Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences.
Over the course of her undergraduate studies, Keshanah had a vested interest in studying the sex and racial bias in multiple sclerosis susceptibility and treatment. Additionally, she had the opportunity to investigate novel indexes to identify and study neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
In the future, she wishes to continue learning about neurodegenerative diseases as well as start investigating in the field of pediatrics. In her free time, she enjoys reading and reviewing various books on her book account on Instagram.
Research interests
- Multiple sclerosis
- neurodegenerative diseases (specifically Alzheimer’s Disease)
- oncology (specifically thyroid and breast cancer)
- disordered eating
- pediatric care
Kim Crasta
Graduated 2023
I believe it is time to improve & advance our Canadian Healthcare system to truly incorporate health & care. Canadian Universities and other organizations have been leading medical research breakthroughs. The next step, implementing those breakthroughs to advance how we approach clinical diagnostics & improve everyday living. Before my Master's, I graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences Co-operative Education with a double minor in Chemical Biology & Psychology from McMaster University.
Fulfilling a long-time dream, I want a career in Medicine, specifically, Emergency/Trauma medicine. Having gone through the medical system in my childhood, I got an inside view of the integral and fast-paced part of the medical world. ER doctors are the first people a patient sees during this challenging time, and it is their role that can change the course of a life. I want to be part of this journey and make a positive difference in that person’s life, just like the doctors did in mine.
Kristen Di Stefano
2023 - 2025 cohort
Kristen is a graduate from the Bachelor of Health Sciences program at Queen’s University.
Her interests in both patient-centred care and research have guided her to pursue her MHSc in Translational Research.
She is passionate about the overlap between art and healthcare and hopes to bridge these concepts in her career.
Her past experience has focused on neuroscience research, studying cell death processes, and interventional research in fertility.
In her free time, she enjoys art, baking, being active, and spending time with friends and family.
Lashvanthy Shanmuganathan
2023 - 2025 cohort
Laura Abbatangelo
TRP cohort 2023 - 2025
Laura is a graduate from Queen’s University with a degree in Psychology.
Her interests include furthering health promotion in the lives of youth by examining the factors of risk and resilience, with a specific emphasis on mental health.
During her undergraduate career, she explored her passions by getting involved in a variety of community initiatives such as crisis-telephone services and summer programming for youth experiencing challenges.
In the TRP, she hopes to develop hands-on, transferable skills to address systemic barriers and further health equity.
In her free time, Laura enjoys practicing photography and spending time in nature.
Research interests
- Interoception (mind-body connection)
- Neurodevelopment
- The impacts of trauma and early adverse experiences
- Relationships as risk and protective factors
- Self-injurious and suicidal behaviours
Capstone project
Lisa Caldena
Graduated 2024
Registered Physiotherapist with an advanced practice designation in arthritis. Current MHSc candidate in the Translational Research Program at the University of Toronto. Two decades of clinical and administrative experience working across the healthcare continuum in acute care, inpatient and outpatient rehab, as well as private practice settings. Dedicated to improving the patient experience, through increasing access to healthcare services and programs for individuals with a variety of health conditions.
Madeline Morton
2023 - 2025 cohort
I completed my undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in 2023, majoring in Life Science with a minor in Health Studies, the Smith Certificate in Business and a professional internship. During my fourth year, I completed my 12-month food science internship at SimplyProtein where I worked in R&D as the Product Development Technologist. I enjoyed working in Toronto in that role and am happy to be back in the city for the next two years at U of T.
I currently work at Farm Boy and remain passionate about food innovation and nutritional health, but more as a hobby.
Academically, I am more interested in studying applications for psychoactive substances to improve mental health outcomes and amending current policies regarding illicit substances. Specifically, I intend to study the potential of psychedelic therapies and how best to incorporate them into Canada’s healthcare system.
Manshi Maheswaran
2023 - 2025 cohort
Manshi graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor’s in Life Science.
She is passionate about helping children navigate through medical difficulties in their lives. Since volunteering at Grandview Kids, she has wanted to increase her understanding of developmental disorders, such as autism and ADHD.
During her free time, Manshi loves watching shows (particularly anime and Korean dramas), drawing, chatting with friends, or reading.
Maria Kathleen Camaya
Graduated 2019
The majority of my experience is with the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at SickKids Hospital. I have been a Registered Nurse with SickKids for over 10 years and acquired many skills and knowledge. I've expanded my clinical skills to include: Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy, NovaLung, and a member of the Code Blue Team.
I am also passionate about ensuring the PICU team has current information to help guide patient and family care. I was a member of the Quality and Safety Team as a Safety Champion for about 4 years (2015-2019). In this role, I shared valuable information for near misses as well as enhancing clinical skills and knowledge to optimize patient safety. I took on the lead of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and provided bedside teaching and used evidence based data to help guide research.
I am currently a member of the PICU's Nursing Practice Council. In this role, my goal is to assess the educational needs of bedside nurses and how might we best address possible learning gaps. Other extra-curricular projects include: SickKids IV Pump Project and a member of the CCU Design Team for Inter-professional Rounds.
In 2019, I successfully graduated from the Translational Research Program (TRP) at U of T with a Master in Health Sciences. In our last year, my Capstone group and I utilized a mixed-methods approach to assess the needs of food insecure students. We chose to use a convenience sample: students that utilize campus-based food banks. My group and I collaborated with multiple stakeholders to understand the problem space as thoroughly as possible. We also utilized knowledge translation techniques to ensure our network of stakeholders were updated. In addition, our group created U of T's first Hunger Report.
I look forward to expanding my skills and knowledge as well as seeking new opportunities within health innovation.