NRIG Executive Team
Chair – Amanda McIntyre
Email: [email protected]
Amanda McIntyre is an Assistant Professor at Western University in the School of Nursing, and a Registered Nurse in the emergency department at London Health Sciences Centre. As a clinician-scientist, her long-term goal is to improve heath care policy and practice via rigorous health systems and health service delivery research. Amanda has published extensively in the field of neurorehabilitation, currently holds three grants, and is the recipient of several local and national nursing awards.
Past Chair - Charlene Chu
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Charlene Chu is an Assistant Professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Scientist at KITE Toronto Rehab at the University Health Network. She is also cross-appointment (status only) with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work’s Institute for Life Course & Aging at the University of Toronto. As a Registered Nurse with 12 years of experience working with older adults across the health spectrum, Dr. Chu’s primary area of research is in designing interventions that support the mobility and daily function of older adults in post-acute care settings (e.g. long-term care, rehabilitation, community).
Chair Elect - Elizabeth Straus
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Elizabeth Straus (they/she) is an autistic and disabled nurse scholar and educator whose scholarly interests focus on disability, neurodivergence, 2SLGBTQIA+ well-being, critical approaches to mental health, access and belonging, and accessible research methodologies.
They are an Adjunct Professor with the Re•Vision Centre for Art and Social Justice at the University of Guelph where they lead a multimedia storytelling and interview project titled "Beyond the Normative Knot: Life and Praxis at the Gender-Sexuality-Autism Nexus". They also teach a graduate course in Equity and Health Systems at Western University and supervise undergraduate student thesis and community projects in the School of Disability Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. In addition to their role in NRIG, they are also the Communications Officer for the Rainbow Nursing Interest Group.
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Secretary – Ashwini Veerasuntharam
Email: [email protected]
Communication Officer - Newsletter - Rylan Copeman
Email: [email protected]
Rylan is a new graduate nurse in Northwestern Ontario working at her local hospital as well as her community’s correctional facility. She is beginning her Masters of Nursing with a research and teaching focus in January 2025 through Athabasca University.
Within the past year, Rylan has had the opportunity to go to the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada conference in Calgary, Alberta to present one of her research projects involving screening for mercury in the perinatal population. This upcoming November she will be traveling to Gatineau, Quebec to present her most recent research, a Stay Alive Initiative for Suicide Prevention that was launched through Confederation College. Apart from her research focuses, Rylan is heavily involved in The Jaida Project which is a non-profit organization in Thunder Bay, Ontario advocating for suicide awareness. Her future goals after completing her Masters of Nursing include teaching nursing at post-secondary school and further advancing her education with hopes of completing her PhD.
Communication Officer - Website - Eugenia Ling
Email: [email protected]
Eugenia is an oncology nurse at the Princess Margaret Hospital. She completed her Masters of Science student in the School of Nursing at McMaster University in 2024. Her interests include immigrant health and access to health care services. In this role, Eugenia hopes to combine her interests in communications, design, and nursing research.
Finance Officer - Unfilled
Email: [email protected]
Bio coming soon...
Membership Officer - Michelle Greenway
Email: [email protected]
Michelle Greenway is a patient educator at Oakville Trafalgar Hospital's outpatient cardiac rehab program. With 15 years of experience in critical care and cardiology, she brings a wealth of practical knowledge to her role.
Michelle is a 2nd year PhD student at McMaster University whose research aims to co-design a health coaching program with Indigenous First Nations. Her research interests include health coaching, self-management in chronic conditions, and rehabilitation. She is just beginning her journey as a nurse researcher and hopes to contribute to future nursing knowledge to improve patient experiences and nursing practice.
Michelle is the chair of the McMaster University Nursing Graduate Peer Mentorship Initiative, which aims to connect and support nursing graduate students to improve their experiences. Michelle is also an involved community member who volunteers to coach youth field hockey and softball teams.
Policy and Political Action Officer - Simon Donato-Woodger
Email: [email protected]
Simon graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in 2020. Since then, they have worked on a variety of General Medicine, COVID-19 Relief, and Critical Care units. Simon currently work on the Intensive Care Unit at Scarborough General Hospital and assists Dr. Charlene Chu at the University of Toronto as a research assistant on the topics of gerontology and Artificial Intelligence. Simon also works in Community Health as a Registered Nurse for the Parkdale Queen West Supervised Consumption Site.
Members at Large - Social Media – Kristina Tsvygun
Email: [email protected]
Kristina Tsvygun (she/her) is a first-generation immigrant from Ukraine who completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master of Nursing degree at the same university. Kristina’s clinical background is in Critical Care Nursing, and she has been actively fostering a supportive culture and improving patient-centered care at North York General Hospital through her involvement in the Nursing Practice Council and the Person-Centered Committee.
As a Bridging Divides scholar, Kristina’s research focuses on healthcare accessibility, as well as the health and well-being of refugees and migrants.
Members at Large - Social Media – Jessica Ackerman
Email: [email protected]
Jessica is currently a 1st year PhD student at McMaster University. Her research focuses on the design, user-testing, and feasibility of a novel social, immersive virtual reality program for patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Partnering with a University in the UK, Jessica is leading an international study that will seek to improve access to supportive interventions in oncology.
With over 10 years of experience in emergency nursing, Jessica currently works as a Registered Nurse in the ED at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto. Jessica has held multiple teaching roles across academic institutions in Southern Ontario, including most recently a faculty instructor role at Humber College in their Emergency and Cardiology continuing education nursing programs. Jessica is actively involved in international research collaborations, most recently with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and has held several leadership positions, most recently including a Nursing Project Officer role out of the PROTECT lab located at the Juravinski Cancer Center in Hamilton. In her spare time you will find Jessica enjoying board games with her family, reading, playing soccer and hiking with her German Shepherd, Schultz!
Student Representative - Amanda Williamson
Email: [email protected]
Amanda is a second year student in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at at Georgian College. Her research interests include nursing education, chronic health management, indigenous health, health equity, and the social determinants of health. In this role, Amanda is looking forward to expanding her research networks with current professionals in the field and to help increase the engagement of undergraduate nursing students in nursing research.
Student Representative - Arieana Jackson
Email: [email protected]
Arieana is a third year Honors Bachelor of Science in Nursing student at Georgian College. She is also the president of the Georgian Nursing Society. Her research interests include women’s health, health equity, delirium prevention, and the care of patients with ALS.
In this role, Arieana is looking forward to connecting with nursing professionals and expanding her knowledge base on nursing research so she can contribute to the advancement of healthcare practices.
Student Representative - Asmaa Ahmed
Email: [email protected]
Asmaa is a third year nursing student at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Her research interests include women's health, health equity, social determinants of health, refugee health, and nursing education