Our Team
Shannon MacDonald, PhD, RN
Principal Investigator
Dr. Shannon MacDonald is a Professor at the Faculty of Nursing and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, as well as the Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. She is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Applied Pediatric Immunization. Her clinical background is in pediatric nursing, with research training in nursing, public health, and epidemiology.
Dr. MacDonald is the principal investigator leading the Applied Immunization (Aimm) research team. Her research program focuses on identifying and addressing system-level barriers and supports to achieving high vaccine uptake in underserved populations of children and youth. Dr. MacDonald’s research strengths are in quantitative survey methods, epidemiology, and working with administrative health data, but her team uses multi-method research approaches. She prioritizes collaboration with vaccine policy advisors, program administrators, clinicians, and communities to address real-world immunization practice and policy issues.
Dr. MacDonald aspires to increase capacity in immunization research among researchers of diverse identities; as such, she has worked to develop opportunities for trainees who represent communities typically under-represented in academia. Her trainees are engaged in exciting research among populations such as Métis and immigrant youth, as well as youth who are underserved by school immunization programs in Canada and Ghana.
Staff
Laura Reifferscheid, RN
Senior Research & Engagement Lead
Laura is responsible for grant applications, ethics administration, and progress reports. She manages the operation of multiple projects and builds relationships with key stakeholders, collaborators and community partners.
Bethany Hansen, BSc
Research Program Manager
Bethany is responsible for human resource management, monitoring the research grant budgets, and office administration. Her academic training focused on primatology and anthropology, which fueled her interest in human and non-human behaviour. Bethany has qualitative and quantitative research experience in Ghana and Canada.
Laura Ekekhor
Research Assistant
Laura is a 3rd year BSc student in the Immunology and Infections Specialization program and is currently working on a variety of tasks, including transcript cleaning for interviews of those who work in public health or medical sciences. The project focuses on the COVID-19 childhood vaccination catch-up program in school programs across the Edmonton and South zone areas.
Laura joined the team out of curiosity for the practical applications of immunization practices in the public health sector. After spending some time with Aimm, I hope to pursue a profession in this field and dedicate my time towards learning more about vaccination coverage and uptake.
Eunah Cha, BSc, RN
Research Assistant
Eunah is interested in vaccination research with particular attention to equity and intersectionality. Dr. Shannon MacDonald supervised Eunah when she was a nursing student pursuing her Honours Project: a scoping review looking at the inclusion (or lack thereof) of intersectionality in Canadian vaccine research. Since then, Eunah has been a Research Assistant on Shannon’s team, working primarily on the COVImm project in data collection and analysis. Outside of research, Eunah works as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. She loves experiencing both research and bedside nursing and is excited to see how the two merge in her future career!
Associated projects
Emmanuel Marfo, PhD, MN, RN
Research Associate
Emmanuel Marfo is a registered nurse here in Canada, and Ghana, where he received his undergraduate nursing education. Prior to completing his master’s in nursing at the University of Alberta, his interest in HPV vaccination inspired him to join the Aimm research program in September 2020 for his doctoral studies. Emmanuel currently works as a research assistant and engages in qualitative projects. His PhD dissertation focuses on supporting HPV vaccination in Ghana from multi-level perspectives through an intersectional lens. Emmanuel is passionate about equity, diversity, inclusivity, and Indigeneity, and continuously learning more about them through his engagement with Aimm. After completing his PhD, Emmanuel envisions working in multi-disciplinary teams through research, teaching, and fieldwork to promote equitable health, specifically HPV vaccination in Ghana and many resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa.
Associated projects
Robin Humble, PhD, MPH, RN
Research Associate
Robin Humble received her PhD in the Faculty of Nursing. Her dissertation research focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected parents’ perceptions and acceptance of routine childhood vaccines and creating inclusive and accessible vaccination services for populations historically underserved. Robin has taught in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Camosun College (Victoria, BC) since 2014. When not teaching or working on research, she can be found running Vancouver Island’s remote mountain trails.
Associated projects
Trainees
Post Doc
Addisu Zeleke, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Addisu holds a PhD in Health and Technology from the University of Bologna, where his research focused on applying data-driven methods to improve healthcare services. His doctoral thesis, Leveraging the Power of Data to Provide Better Healthcare Services, explored innovative data analysis approaches to enhance healthcare outcomes. He also has a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Biostatistics.
Addisu’s research interests center on transforming data into actionable knowledge, from databases to big data, particularly in the context of health and well-being. He specializes in applying statistical and machine learning (ML) models to develop decision-making tools, analyze vaccination trends, identify barriers to vaccine uptake, and evaluate the impact of immunization programs. This work leverages diverse data sources, including electronic health records, immunization data, administrative health data, and other relevant datasets.
As a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Applied Immunization Research (AIMM) team, Addisu’s research focuses on vaccine epidemiology, utilizing statistical and ML models to address various challenges in this field. Addisu is passionate about pursuing a career in academia or within a research institute where he can contribute to disease prevention, predict disease progression and outcomes, and develop data-driven solutions to inform public health decision-making.
Associated projects
Umar Yunusa, PhD, RN, FWP/CNM
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Umar Yunusa is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Nursing Science, Bayero University Kano. He is a registered public health nurse and a fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Nursing and Midwives. His research focuses on exploring innovative strategies of getting eligible populations, especially those living in resource limited settings, immunized with age-appropriate vaccines. He also works on maternal and child health, reproductive and public health. Though he utilizes both quantitative designs and mixed approach of data collection, his strengths are on qualitative research designs.
Dr. Umar seeks to work with Dr. Shannon MacDonald and other members of the Aimm team as a postdoctoral fellow to improve his research and teaching abilities. He desires to effectively utilize, disseminate and scale down the knowledge, skills and experience that will be gained from working with the Aimm research team. He also desires to connect and work with other researchers working on immunization of populations living in low- and middle-income countries.
PhD
Janet Lee, MN, RN
PhD Student
Janet is a second-year PhD student from the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Her primary interest in research is expanding the understanding behind the process of vaccination decision-making among pregnant and lactating parents. Janet’s secondary area of research interest is in understanding available Canadian in-hospital neonatal vaccination services. In practice, she is a registered nurse in the Stollery’s Phillip C. Etches Neonatal Intensive Care Unit located at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Janet hopes to bring her clinical experience, and observations with speaking to concerned parents on vaccinations, to assist the Aimm team projects. In the future, she hopes to continue researching vaccine decision-making to help the pregnant and lactating population.
Associated projects
Keith King, MPH, RN
PhD Candidate
Keith King (He/They) is a citizen of the Métis Nation and an ayahkwew (Two Spirit) from Notikewin, Alberta, in Treaty 8 territory. They are currently living in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta), where they are enrolled in the Ph.D. program with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Here, they are working with the Aimm research team and Metis Nation of Alberta to explore HPV-related cancer prevention through vaccination across the Métis homeland. Having taught at City University in London, UK, and the University of Alberta and MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada, Keith brings his passion for teaching and learning to his work. Keith is also an oskapiew (helper) to Dr. Elder Grandmother Doreen Spence OC, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, a member of Lii Taab Otapisimiwak, and works closely with the Health Department at the Metis Nation of Alberta. Keith is an active volunteer with several communities in his spare time.
Associated projects
Laura Reifferscheid, RN
PhD Candidate
Laura is a PhD student at the University of Alberta. She has worked with the Aimm team since 2019, as a Research Assistant and Research Coordinator. Laura has a range of healthcare experience, working as a registered nurse supporting vulnerable populations in a variety of areas (infectious disease prevention and treatment, addictions management, and health during incarceration). Laura’s current work focuses on exploring system-level initiatives to support health promotion activities.
Associated projects
Masters
Pam Poirier, BSc, RN
Master’s of Nursing Student (Capstone)
Pam is a first year student in the MN-NP Adult program at the University of Alberta. Her experience as a registered nurse is primarily in HIV case management for the Northern Alberta region. She is passionate about equitable care for marginalized groups and has interests in infectious diseases and Indigenous health outcomes.
Kendra Lemire, BSc, RN
Master’s of Nursing Student (Capstone)
Kendra is a Registered Nurse working in Pediatric Oncology/Hematology/Immunology at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. She acts as a nursing care coordinator for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant, gene therapy and CAR T cell therapy. She is also in her first year of the MN-NP Family/All Ages program at the University of Alberta. Kendra joined the Aimm team after Dr. Shannon McDonald took her on as a student and agreed to supervise her as she completes her Masters Degree. Kendra’s area of study focuses on increasing the uptake of immunizations post hematopoietic stem cell transplant in the pediatric population. Her hope is to remain in the Pediatric Oncology/Hematology/Immunology field once she graduates as a Nurse Practitioner.
Undergrad
Bharath Nair
Undergraduate Honors Nursing Student
Bharath is a first-year student in the nursing honours after-degree program. Within this project, his focus is on analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school-based vaccination programs across Alberta. He is passionate about understanding the physical and socio-cultural barriers that impact vaccine administration. Bharath aims to develop a diverse skill set, from clinical expertise to research, to help address healthcare challenges, particularly in rural communities.
Makayla Mantla
Undergraduate Honors Nursing Student
Makayla Mantla is an Indigenous student in her 3rd year of Nursing in the Honors program at the University of Alberta. Makayla is from the Behchoko community from Treaty 11. She is the Director of Indigenous Health and Advocacy for the Canadian Nursing Student Association. Makayla was invited by Leigh Chapman, the Chief Nursing Officer of Canada, to give a speech at the Alberta Association of Nurses conference. Growing up, she believed Indigenous People were not smart so she grew up feeling ashamed to be Indigenous. Makayla’s dream is to change the healthcare system for Indigenous people.
Visiting Scholars
Volunteers
Former Trainees
Post Doc
Kelvin Nartey, PhD
Terra Manca, PhD
Marilou Kiely, PhD, RN
Ellen Rafferty, PhD
PhD
Robin Humble, PhD, MPH, RN
Emmanuel Marfo, PhD, MN, RN
Masters
Jennifer Karwacki (née Hermann), MN, RN
Caitlin Chalmers Zaplachinski, MN, RN
Manisha Dhungana, MN, MPh
Tammy Bruno, MN, NP
Jennifer Stevenson, MN, RN
Hannah Sell, MSc
Maggie Lin, MN, NP
Sungmin (Christine) Kim, MN, NP
Sarah Mahon, BSc, RN
Nana Asabere, BSc, RN
Crystal Du, MSc
Undergrad
Megan Kause
Larissa Hoshowsky
Shrusti Patel
Kera Jong, BSc, RN
Airlie Palichuk, BSc, RN
Vidhi Vyas, BSc, RN
Kaylee Kim, BSc, RN
Julia Wolf, BSc, RN
Mikayla Barber, BSc
Cassie Barber, BSc
Eunah Cha, BSc, RN
AIMM team photos
Gatherings for celebrations, commemorations, and community-building.