Meet Our Research Team
Interested in Joining our Research Team?
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Research Members
Annette Schumann, PhD, MSc, Research Manager
Annette Schumann is a Research Associate and Research Manager with the Sam Katz Community Health & Aging Research Unit. She holds a PhD in Medical Science and brings over fifteen years of work experience in healthcare, with the focus on gerontological research. Her background as a Speech-Language-Pathologist with a Master's Degree in Special Education from Germany, has driven her strong interest in addressing communication challenges in vulnerable populations. Her earlier work in auditory rehabilitation involved designing and delivering communication training and developing evidence-based training interventions for older adults. She is passionate about applying her research and clinical expertise to the CARE Lab to support research that aims to enhance care quality through person-centered communication and improve the quality of life of people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Denise Bedard, PhD Student
With 45 years of experience in the Long-term Care sector, Denise has always strived to enhance the quality of life for seniors. Denise has a deep understanding of geriatric care dynamics, LTC policies, and Regulations and has been involved in various initiatives and projects to improve the quality of care and services for residents and their families. She is passionate about meeting residents' unique needs and challenges and providing them with tailored and compassionate care that respects their dignity, preferences, and autonomy. She strongly believes every senior deserves to live a fulfilling and meaningful life, regardless of physical or cognitive limitations. Denise is also committed to advancing her knowledge and skills in the field of aging and is doing her Ph.D. program at the University of Western Ontario, focusing on resident-centered care and biopsychosocial factors impacting quality of life and care for residents in Ontario. Her research interests include innovative models of care, digital technologies, and best practices in LTC and one of the reasons for joining the CARE Lab because it is so progressive and so needed today in long term care today and towards the future. Denise is a visionary leader passionate about the culture change movement and transforming long-term care homes from traditionalized to more homelike environments.
George Philip, PhD Student
George Philip is a PhD student in the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences program at Western University. He obtained his MSc in Translational Medicine from Queen’s University and his BSc with Honours in Medical Sciences from Brock University. His prior experiences of volunteering at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre and The Alzheimer Society have led him to pursue dementia-related research. Specifically, George’s research aims to understand dementia-related stigma among racialized persons living with dementia, their care partners, and community. Recognizing the expression of stigmatizing behaviour and language can provide insight into effective education, training, and knowledge translation efforts. George aspires to have his research findings contribute to the improvement of dementia care, diagnosis, and treatment, particularly among racialized communities.
Sierra Jacqueline Crocker, Master's Student
Sierra J. Crocker is an MSc student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University in the Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Program. Sierra completed her Honours BA degree in 2022 with a major in psychology and a minor in criminology. Since graduating in 2022 from King’s University College, Sierra has been working with multiple research teams to examine moral injury. Sierra is very passionate about caregiver health, mental health, and wellbeing and will focus her master’s thesis on this subject.
Nicole Elizabeth Kakozhayil, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Nicole Elizabeth Kakozhayil is a fifth-year undergraduate student pursuing an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences at Western University. Her interest in dementia care commenced once she decided to intertwine her education centred on gerontology with her family history. Nicole is currently completing her placement at McCormick Care Group, which has primarily motivated her passion to be the change she wants to see in the provision of dementia care practices. Her current research interest focuses on embedding cultural humility in person-centred care approaches. She intends on using her connections to immerse herself into a dialogue concentrated on how to emphasize intersectionality in home care, long-term care, and day program settings.
