ABOUT
Team and Partners
At the heart of PASSERELLE are, above all, people and collaborations. Together, we help share knowledge, support collective learning, and strengthen patient-oriented research capacity through an approach grounded in real-world contexts.
CENTRAL OFFICE TEAM
A Dedicated and Committed Team
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ANNIE LEBLANC
Nominated Principal Investigator / Scientific Director
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ÉMILIE GRENIER
Capacity Building Lead Coordinator
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JESSICA FRANCOEUR
Communications and Events Officer (On maternity leave)
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MARIE-DOMINIQUE POIRIER
Patient-Partner
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MYRIAM RODRIGUE
Technical Research Coordinator
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NDÈYE ROKHY DIONGUE
Digital Pedagogy Specialist
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ROBERT VAN HOORN
Operations Manager
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SARE NALBANTOGLU
Communications and Events Officer (Maternity leave replacement)
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YVONNE PELLING
Patient and Community Engagement Lead
At PASSERELLE, capacity-building in patient-oriented research relies first and foremost on the individuals and organizations committed to this cause. Our work is driven by a diverse team and strong partnerships across Canada. Together, we promote the sharing of knowledge, support collective learning, and contribute to the development of more inclusive, collaborative, and impactful research practices.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
The Origins of PASSERELLE
PASSERELLE would not have been possible without the commitment and vision of its founding members across Canada. Their collective efforts made it possible to establish PASSERELLE as a patient-oriented research national training entity. We are grateful to them for their pivotal contribution to the creation and direction of this initiative.
Principal Investigators |
Principal Knowledge Users |
| Annie LeBlanc Daniel Goldowitz Holly Witteman Malcolm King Marie-Ève Poitras Rachael Bosma |
Agnes Black Alexandra Kent Helen Robinson-Settee Mélanie-Ann Smithman Nicolas Fernandez Roderick Mccormick Samuel Turcotte |
SPOR ENTITIES |
| ACCESS Family and Carers (ACCESS Open Minds) ACCESS Open Minds Alberta Strategy for Patient Oriented Research SUPPORT Unit (AbSPORU) BC SUPPORT Unit Can-SOLVE CKD Network CHILD-BRIGHT Network Chronic Pain Network Diabetes Action Canada George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation (Manitoba SPOR SUPPORT Unit) HDRN Canada Hotıì ts’eeda Northwest Territories SPOR SUPPORT Unit IMAGINE-SPOR Chronic Disease Network Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit (MSSU) NL SUPPORT Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit Réseau-1 Québec Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) SPOR Evidence Alliance Unité de soutien SSA Québec |
COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS
A Collaborative and Committed Structure
Our success is built on a collaborative structure composed of committees and working groups that guide and support our activities: the Central Office, the Steering Committee, the advisory committees (patient and community engagement; trainees; equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility – EDIA; Indigenous perspectives and sustainability), working groups, and partnerships.
Together, these collaborative spaces support knowledge sharing, collective learning, and capacity building, ensuring that our initiatives remain grounded in the needs and experiences of the people and communities we serve.
About
Our partners
We collaborate with a diverse range of partners from various sectors, both in Canada and internationally, to build capacity and advance patient-oriented research. By working together, we create bridges between people, knowledge, and communities to maximize the collective impact of patient-oriented research.
Yukon Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (YSPOR)
Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research-Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC)
Quebec SPOR SUPPORT Unit
George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) (Manitoba SPOR SUPPORT Unit)
Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit (MSSU)
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials Unit (NL SUPPORT)
Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN Canada)
The IMAGINE (Inflammation, Microbiome, and Alimentation: Gastro-Intestinal and Neuropsychiatric Effects) Chronic Disease Network
Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR)
CIHR-SPOR Mentoring Chair in Innovative, Patient-Oriented, Behavioural Clinical Trials (Chair 1)
Northwest Territories SPOR SUPPORT Unit (Hotıì ts’eeda)
Réseau-1 Québec
Chronic Pain Network / Réseau de douleur chronique
SPOR Evidence Alliance (EA)
Maternal Infant Child Youth Research Network (MICYRN)
The Quebec Research Network in Cardiometabolic Health, Diabetes and Obesity (CMDO)
Empowering Next-Generation Researchers in Perinatal and Child Health (ENRICH)
Attachment and Child Health (ATTACH) Program
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
Diabetes Action Canada / Action diabète Canada
Université Laval
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
KRESCENT (Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and Training Program 2.0)
Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR)
Children’s Healthcare Canada
Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR)
Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
The Life-Threatening Illness National Group Research Training Platform (LifTING)
Centre of Excellence on Partnership with Patients and the Public (CEPPP)
Alliance against Violence and Adversity (AVA)
Mitacs Canada
Canadian Family Practice Nurse Association (CFPNA)
Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE)
CHILD-BRIGHT
Training platform in diabetes, obesity and cardiometabolic health (myROaD)
co-Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health for Health Behavior Change (Chair 2)
Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP)
The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
BC SUPPORT Unit
University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain (UTCSP)
Can-SOLVE CKD Network
Canadian Primary Care Research Network (CPCRN)
Quebec Pain Research Network (QPRN)
VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable
