Team and Partners - Kidney Health Education and Research Group

Community Partners

Project Steering Committee

Jagbir Gill, Co-Lead

Providence Health Care

JAGill@providencehealth.bc.ca

Istvan Mucsi, Co-Lead

University Health Network

Istvan Mucsi, MD, PhD is a CIHR funded clinician investigator, transplant nephrologist at the Ajmera Transplant Centre and Division of Nephrology at the University Health Network in Toronto. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto. Dr. Mucsi is an “expert advisor” of the Canadian Donation and Transplant Research Program.

Dr. Mucsi received his medical degree (1988) and his certification in internal medicine (1993) in Budapest, Hungary and completed nephrology training at the University of Toronto (1994-1997). Initially he had been working as a general nephrologist but later moved to Montreal to work as a transplant nephrologist at McGill University. He has moved to Toronto in April 2014.

His current research focuses on understanding and reducing ethnocultural barriers and disparities in access to kidney transplantation and living donor kidney transplantation. He has been collaborating with multiple community agencies and religious organizations to develop culturally and religiously competent kidney transplant education for multiple ethnocultural communities in Ontario.

He has adapted a patient education program, called Explore Transplant, for use in Ontario. This program is a key educational tool in the Enabling Access to Kidney Transplant-Living Kidney Donation (ENAKT-LKD) provincial initiative managed by the Ontario Renal Network and Trillium Gift of Life Network. Dr. Mucsi has been co-leading the education pillar of that initiative.

Dr. Mucsi also has a strong interest in psychosocial determinants of health; sleep disorders; quality of life studies and patient reported outcomes. Dr. Mucsi will test the effectiveness of routinely measuring Patient Reported Outcome Measures in the everyday clinical care of patients with chronic kidney disease and solid organ transplant recipients, to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes.

Paula Neves, Designated Chair

University Health Network

Paula.neves@uhn.ca

Paula Neves is the Lead of the UHN Transplant Centre for Living Organ Donation founded in 2018 to increase access to living organ donation for people in need a life-saving kidney or liver transplant and those who want to give a transformative gift of life. In addition to deep knowledge of healthcare, and experience working with diverse stakeholders, Paula brings expertise in governance, policy and planning, project management and lean process improvement. Paula has held a variety of senior roles in the corporate, association and community sectors in Ontario and Manitoba. Among other things, she worked with hospital and ministry leaders to develop the first template hospital accountability agreement in Ontario. More recently, she has focused on advancing the role of long-term care providers in Ontario’s health care system and promoting innovation and quality of care in elder care. 

Paula completed a PhD in Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University, and undergraduate degrees in Arts and Social Work from the University of Manitoba. She serves on several volunteer boards and committees, including the board of Christie Gardens Foundation and the Canadian Chapter of ACHE.

Lydia-Joi Marshall, Community Engagement Specialist

University Health Network

Lydia-joi.marshall@uhnresearch.ca

Lydia-Joi currently serves on the board of the Black Health Alliance, a not for profit organization which works tirelessly to reduce health disparities in diverse Black communities in Canada. Academically she lends her expertise from her BSc. in Biology from Western University and MSc. in Human Genetics from Howard University.

Lydia-Joi consistently strives to bring awareness to issues of health inequity and to promote personalized patient care. This is exemplified in her advocacy in organ and tissue donation, both within the Black community to increase donor engagement, and in the broader Canadian context. Her current research works to decrease disparities in living organ donation in marginalized communities, and promote true community based healthcare partnerships.

With a passion for overall health and wellbeing she continues her advocacy for health empowerment and equity as an ambassador for the Toronto based wellness company Avazera, as a regular contributor to the progressive magazine and movement called FemEvolve, and as a dynamic keynote speaker where she seeks to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and accessible healthcare.

David Landsberg, Investigator

Providence Health Care

dlandsberg@providencehealth.bc.ca

Gurvir Thind, Clinical Research Coordinator, B.C.

Providence Health Care

gthind@providencehealth.bc.ca

Gurvir Thind is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Kidney Transplant Research team at St. Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital. She is completing her BA in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Her career aspirations explore improving health inequities in vulnerable populations. She co-leads the Communications and Engagement Committee with The Canadian Nephrology Trials Network (CNTN). Winner of a 2018 Fraser Health Innovator award, Gurvir is a team lead for the SEHAT program focusing on reducing the risk of chronic diseases in South Asian communities. In addition to her interests in health care, Gurvir competes as an épée Canadian fencer.