Meet the Team
Alexandra Whate
- CEO Brainwell Consulting
- awhate@brainwellinstitute.org
Biography
Alexandra Whate is a research scientist and evaluation expert with over 12 years of experience in hospital, academic, and non-profit settings. Alexandra has a diverse portfolio and a demonstrated ability to lead high quality research, evaluation, and knowledge mobilization work. She is focused on conducting rigorous and meaningful research and to see the evidence successfully implemented into practice, translating new knowledge into health system change. Alexandra holds an MSc in Biomedical Sciences, and an Honours BA in Psychology both from the University of Guelph
Saskia Sivananthan
- Partner
- ssivananthan@brainwellinstitute.org
Biography
A data scientist and neuroscientist specializing in dementia Dr. Sivananthan consults with senior health experts from around the world, offering the benefits of years of experience in the field. She has worked with multiple health systems nationally and internationally and was appointed by the federal Minister of Health to the Ministerial Advisory Board on Dementia. She was the former Chief Research Officer of the Alzheimer Society of Canada and Senior Consultant for the WHO where she co-drafted the WHO Global Dementia Action Plan which received unanimous consensus at the World Health Assembly. She lives and works in Toronto, Ontario.
Rose Joudi
- Consultant
- rjoudi@brainwellinstitute.org
Biography
Dr. Rose Joudi brings over 15 years of expertise as an Aging and Ethnic Diversity researcher and consultant. Dr. Joudi collaborates with stakeholders to address the unique needs of older adults in diverse populations. She actively promotes educational strategies and facilitates training sessions including elder abuse awareness, ageism, trauma-informed care and cultural competence and compassion when working with diverse populations. She lives, works and plays in Calgary, Alberta.
Jennifer Boger
- Associate Consultant
- jboger@brainwellinstitute.org
Biography
Jennifer Boger (PhD, PEng) is an international leader in the development of cutting-edge technology for supporting aging, quality of life, and wellbeing. Jennifer has more than 25 years of experience blending state-of-the art knowledge from computer science, engineering, and ethics to create new ways of thinking and doing. Her dual background in academia (Adj. Professor in Systems Engineering, U Waterloo) and industry (Chief Scientific Officer, ESG.AI) enables her to bring innovative ideas to marketable product, with successful projects ranging from SaaS platforms to ambient AI guidance systems. She excels in supporting teams from across sectors and disciplines to collaboratively define, refine, and execute strategies.
Jennifer believes responsible technology development sparks new ways of thinking and doing that can grow market share while avoiding pitfalls. She spearheaded the concept of ‘Ethical by Design’, where her team systematically developed a methodology that enables disparate stakeholders to build subjective aspects such ethics, culture, and citizenship directly into products and systems throughout the product lifecycle. She also co-founded the concept of zero-effort technologies – technologies that operate so intuitively that they require no perceived effort from the people using them.
Jennifer is an Adjunct Professor (Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo) and is a Professional Engineer (Ontario). Jennifer has led over 40 academic research projects, authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, given over 50 talks, and served on several international boards. Jennifer’s degrees are in Biological Engineering (BSc, University of Guelph), Biomedical Engineering (MASc, University of Toronto), and Life and Health Sciences (PhD, Ulster University).
Leo Romano
- Associate Consultant
- lromano@brainwellinstitute.org
Biography
Leo is a new graduate from the University of Waterloo School of Public Health Sciences, where he completed a Master of Science in Public Health Sciences with a focus on health evaluation. For his thesis, Leo investigated the role and responsibilities of care managers who work in home-based healthcare delivery with integrated care management. As a student focused on aging and healthcare delivery, the need to understand issues facing the healthcare system as holistically as possible was apparent, and in his work, Leo strives to utilize multiple-methods research to gain a deeper understanding of issues facing older adults as they receive healthcare.
Alixe Menard
- Associate Consultant
- amenard@brainwellinstitute.org
Biography
Alixe Ménard is a PhD candidate in Population Health at the University of Ottawa, specializing in the impact of dementia-related stigma on hospital care quality. Fluent in both French and English, she integrates person-centered decision-making and healthcare strategies into her research, which is dedicated to enhancing the care experience for people living with dementia across the entire care trajectory. Her academic and professional pursuits are deeply rooted in healthcare delivery, palliative care, aging, and dementia care, reflecting her strong commitment to improving outcomes and quality of life for older adults.
