Team Members

Charlotte is a University Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU, where she is also Director of the Children’s Health Policy Centre. Holder of the Canada Research Chair in Children’s Health Policy from 2007 to 2018, she is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with longstanding interests in health policy and population and public health. After her basic training at UBC, Charlotte worked with First Nations communities across BC for eight years before going on to complete her MD followed by residencies and research training at McMaster University. She held faculty appointments at McMaster and UBC before joining SFU in 2006. Charlotte’s research focuses on improving social and emotional wellbeing for all children, and on the public policies needed to reach this goal. With academic and policy partners, she co-leads the BC Healthy Connections Project, a randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which aims to improve children’s mental health and development starting early in the lifespan. She also leads an ongoing program of providing systematic reviews and talks on effective prevention and treatment interventions for children, aimed at informing policy and practice. As well, with other FHS community members, she supports the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council’s research on healthy early-life trajectories. In addition to her research, Charlotte teaches at SFU and consults with communities and policy-makers at the regional, provincial and federal levels. She also continues to work as a psychiatrist caring for disadvantaged children and youth – who inspire and inform every aspect of her research and teaching.

Nicole Catherine is Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Children’s Health Policy Centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She holds the Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Child Health Equity and Policy. She conducts research on the early prevention of child health inequities and on ensuring inclusion of underserved children– in both research and policy-making. With academic and policy partners, Nicole co-led the BC Healthy Connections Project (BCHCP), a randomized-controlled trial evaluating the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program (2011–2022). In partnership with policymakers, child-serving organizations and Indigenous communities, she conducts primary research with children and families e.g., on addressing barriers to service provision and on cultural adaptations of early prevention programs. Nicole collaborates with Indigenous leaders across Canada to understand the experiences of children of Indigenous mothers experiencing incarceration. She is a co-investigator for a Canadian digital mental health research training platform, and an expert advisor to two new international NFP trials—in the United States with multiparous mothers, and a trial in Norway. In addition to her research, Nicole is an instructor at SFU and enjoys the beautiful local mountains in her spare time.

Christine is Adjunct Professor with the Children’s Health Policy Centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU. She is the lead Scientific Writer for the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly, an electronic publication designed to inform policy-makers, practitioners and the public about new research in children’s mental health. Christine has also co-authored commissioned reports and peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics related to children’s mental health. Her teaching contributions include supervising and mentoring graduate students and research trainees. She also teaches senior undergraduate and graduate classes on children’s mental health at SFU. In addition, Christine has a clinical psychology practice which focuses on providing evidence-based mental health services to adolescents who are in conflict with the law.

Jen is a Senior Research Manager for the Children’s Health Policy Centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU. She oversees the methodologies, protocols and processes for conducting systematic reviews. In this role, she leads the systematic reviews for the  Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly, our electronic publication designed to inform policy-makers and practitioners about new research on effective mental health prevention and treatment interventions for children. She has also co-authored commissioned reports and peer-reviewed journal articles on a variety of topics related to children’s mental health. She obtained a Masters of Public Health at SFU, with a focus on integrating research and policy while promoting population and public health. This interest formed the basis of her capstone, in which she determined an approach for assessing the quality of observational studies that examine risk factors for children’s mental disorders, with the aim of informing policy-making. This approach expanded the methods for assessing evidence of the Quarterly.

Emily Blyth is a Senior Research Assistant overseeing the qualitative component of our action-oriented study, “EFry Voices”, conducted in partnership with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver (EFry). The study seeks to hear and elevate the voices of underserved mothers of young children to better understand and improve their access to EFry programs and inform early childhood interventions. Emily brings her passion for research and more than six years of professional experience in the communication and education sectors to our team. She earned her Masters of Arts from York University specializing in Communications and Culture. Now pursuing a PhD in the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU (funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Canada Graduate Scholarships), Emily continues to engage with community-driven research creation, informing conversations at the intersection of health inequity, media representation, and violence.

Ange is a Research Manager focusing on a variety of projects such as a grant with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver, and the BC Healthy Connections Project, the scientific evaluation of the Nurse-Family Partnership program in BC. While earning a Bachelor of Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia, Ange combined her focus on kinesiology with studies in health promotion and health services. Through various administrative roles within BC’s Provincial Health Services Authority, Ange became interested in improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people by doing work that addresses the social determinants of health. Ange obtained a Master of Public Health at Simon Fraser University, and worked with several public health organizations and agencies before joining the Children’s Health Policy Centre.

Donna is Research Manager for the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly, our electronic publication designed to inform policy-makers and practitioners about new research in children’s mental health. She manages general and research activities for the Quarterly as well as other associated research projects. She developed an interest in population health while completing her BSc in Health Sciences at SFU, and obtained her Masters of Public Health from the University of Hong Kong before joining the Centre. Currently working on her Master’s program in Data Science, Donna is eager to continue contributing to initiatives and efforts promoting children’s health and wellbeing.

Yufei is Research Associate for the BC Healthy Connections Project, a scientific evaluation of the Nurse-Family Partnership prevention program.He completed his early academic work at Renmin University of China, where he earned a Master’s degree in Economics. Yufei developed an interest in the statistical and economic evaluation methods for health care programs while earning his Master of Public Health degree at the University of Alberta. Yufei obtained extensive experience in clinical and health administrative data working as a health economist in the Institute of Health Economics (Edmonton). In addition to the Children’s Health Policy Centre, Yufei also works as a statistician for the Arthritis Research Canada.

As Office Manager and with more than 17 years of administrative experience, Brigitte provides support to the Children’s Health Policy Centre team and its Director, Charlotte Waddell. She is the primary public contact for the centre and is central to the smooth management of all day-to-day financial and administrative activities. She also handles all external inquiries, oversees team members’ calendars, manages confidential communications, prepares annual reports and curriculum vitae, assists with course preparation, and arranges travel and meetings for the team.

Daphne is the Editor of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly, our electronic publication designed to inform policy-makers and practitioners about new research in children’s mental health. A former senior editor at a Canadian metropolitan daily newspaper, her primary focus is the Quarterly, but she also answers day-to-day media calls, helps to edit CHPC reports for government and associated organizations, and provides strategic communications counsel to the BC Healthy Connections Project and other projects for the Children’s Health Policy Centre.

Tim is a certified general accountant who manages the Children’s Health Policy Centre’s funding and strategic planning, and who oversees the centre’s financial, accounting and human resources systems. As well, he oversees all funding agreements to ensure that they comply with contractual terms and conditions. He has long valued working in the children’s mental health arena.