Ontario Child Health Support UnitStaff Profiles

Search the CHEO Research Institute Website

Submit Search Button

Staff Profiles

	Dr. Francine Buchanan, MLIS, PhD is the Research Patient & Family Engagement Coordinator, based at SickKids. In this role, Francine supports the hospital’s Child and Family Centred Care philosophy by ensuring patients and families have the opportunities to partner with researchers in the development and execution of pediatric research. Francine’s goal is to develop partnerships and facilitate communications between researchers, patients and families to ensure research is conducted with the patient and family voice as a key driver. Francine brings a diverse background of skills and experience to the role, as parent to a SickKids patient, health care researcher, and patient research partner. Francine has extensive practical experience as a patient partner and is also completing her final year of graduate research with a focus on Shared Decision Making. Contact Francine at f.buchanan@mail.utoronto.ca
	Kimberly Courtney, MSc, CCLS, Family Engagement in Research (FER) Facilitator, CHEO Research Institute Kimberly Courtney’s journey with CHEO began over a decade ago as a parent visiting an outpatient clinic. Inspired by the exceptional care her child received, she started as a volunteer and later transitioned into a staff role. As a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), Kim supported children and their families across all areas of the hospital, providing compassionate, developmentally appropriate psychosocial care. Kim recently earned her Master of Health Science from McMaster University, where her research focused on the evolving landscape of family engagement in research across Canada. She is set to begin a Doctor of Education (EdD) program in Child Study at the University of Toronto in September 2025. Now working full-time as the Family Engagement in Research (FER) Facilitator at the CHEO Research Institute, Kim fosters meaningful partnerships between researchers and family leaders. She is dedicated to amplifying the voices of patients and families in research, ensuring projects are shaped by lived experiences to drive impactful, patient-centered outcomes. Contact Kimberly at kcourtney@cheo.on.ca
	Dr. Myla Moretti is currently a Research Associate at the Hospital for Sick Children. She has completed a PhD in health services research and health economics from the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. She currently collaborates with investigators across the province and the country conducting health technology assessments and frequently performs cost effectiveness analyses alongside clinical trials. Dr. Moretti also holds a Masters degree in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology. She has co-authored over 60 peer reviewed publications and 15 book chapters, with extensive clinical research expertise in maternal-fetal toxicology, pharmacology and obstetric medicine. Contact Dr. Moretti at myla.moretti@sickkids.ca.
	Jackie Schultz is the Project Coordinator OCHSU. She is responsible for the daily operations of the OCHSU. Working closely with OCHSU Steering Committee, she is also responsible for project implementation, budget and project reporting. Her research experience spans 20 years holding senior operations position a the CT Lamont Primary Health Care Research Center, the Bruyère Research Institute and the Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa. Contact Jackie at jschultz@cheo.on.ca or (613) 737-7600 ext. 4127.
	Dr. Richard Webster, Ph.D. is the Team Lead for Health Informatics and Big Data at the Ontario Child Health Support Unit. He has >40 publications and has been awarded >$500k of competitive grant funding (more than half of which as the principal awardee). He provides biostatistical oversight for many research projects. Dr. Webster is passionate about optimizing data science consulting workflows to improve productivity and client satisfaction. His work has included tackling the pandemic through; national surveillance of COVID-19 positivity rate in kids; comparing diagnostic accuracy of nasal & saliva tests; evaluating the safety of reusing PPE masks in healthcare; and determining if single symptom screening of kids for school attendance is effective. Dr. Richard Webster is the Scientific Director of the Clinical Research Unit and also appointed as a Clinical Investigator at the CHEO Research Institute http://www.cheoresearch.ca/research/find-a-researcher/richard-webster/ Contact Dr. Webster at RWebster@cheo.on.ca.