Directors

Scientific Director

Dr. Kirsten Fiest is the Institute’s Scientific Director and a professor of critical care medicine, community health sciences, and psychiatry at the CSM. She brings deep expertise, a passion for public health, and a collaborative vision to the Institute’s leadership. 

An accomplished researcher, her work focuses on improving outcomes for critically ill patients and their families through patient- and family-centered care and meaningful partnerships.

Contact information: kmfiest@ucalgary.ca

Deputy Director

Dr. Pamela Roach is an assistant professor in the departments of family medicine and community health sciences, also serving as academic director, Indigenous engagement in the VPR Office at University of Calgary. A proud citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Dr. Roach completed her PhD in medical and human sciences at University of Manchester, England, before returning for a postdoctoral fellowship in family medicine at University of Alberta, Canada.

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Contact information: pamela.roach@ucalgary.ca

Associate Scientific Director, Population Health

Dr. Kathryn Birnie is a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, and Community Health Sciences, as well as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Psychology. She is also the Associate Scientific Director of Solutions for Kids in Pain, a research program striving towards quality equitable pain management for children through partnerships with youth, families, health professionals, policymakers, hospitals, and community organizations. Dr. Birnie is a passionate advocate for integrating individuals, families, and communities into the heart of health research, healthcare delivery, and health systems design.

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Contact information: kathryn.birnie@ucalgary.ca

Associate Scientific Director, Health Systems

Dr. Khara Sauro is an Associate Professor and Ohlson Professor of Head & Neck Health Services Research, in the Departments of Surgery, Community Health Sciences and Oncology. Her research focuses on improving the quality and safety of care for patients with head and neck Cancer, especially those who undergo major surgical treatment, to optimize the health of these patients. She has a particular interest in leveraging routinely collected administrative data to evaluate the quality of healthcare and the application of knowledge translation and quality improvement methodologies for improving healthcare delivery.

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Contact information: kmsauro@ucalgary.ca

Director, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

Dr. Jaime Kaufman is an experienced research leader with over a decade of experience advancing health systems innovation at the University of Calgary. Since 2014, she has contributed to the success of the W21C Research and Innovation Centre, most recently serving as Director, where she has played a key role in shaping strategic priorities, building partnerships, and leading multidisciplinary teams to improve patient safety and healthcare quality. Her leadership has contributed to securing competitive funding and fostering collaborations with partners such as Alberta Health Services, government agencies, and national and international research organizations.

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Contact information: jbjarnso@ucalgary.ca

Director, Strategic Operations

Samantha Larose-Berry brings more than a decade of experience supporting health systems, research institutes and international organizations to strengthen performance and navigate complexity. Her work has focused on evaluation, operational planning and advancing evidence-informed decision-making across a range of public health and health system settings. She holds a master of science in epidemiology from Western University and is a credentialed evaluator. She is currently completing her doctor of public health at the University of Toronto, with a focus on leadership, systems change and the operationalization of public health strategy. 

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Contact information: samantha.larose@ucalgary.ca

Past Administrative Director, O'Brien Institute for Public Health

Dr. Jamie Day was the Administrative Director of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health from June 2012 - Feb. 2026.

Dr. Day trained as a biomedical researcher with a PhD in Neuroscience and has over ten years of experience as a university research administrator. She brought a wealth of experience in strategic funding applications, budgeting and reporting of research infrastructure projects, navigating university systems and policies, and management of research projects and teams.

Contact and more information

dayj@ucalgary.ca

Past Associate Scientific Director, Health Systems 

Dr. Paul Ronksley is an Associate Professor and health services researcher in the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary. He served as Associate Scientific Director of the Institute from Jan. 2024 - Aug. 2025

Contact and more information

peronksl@ucalgary.ca

Past Associate Scientific Director, Policy and Partnerships, Centre for Health Policy

Stephen Samis has over 25 years' experience in health and health care, advancing evidence-informed health policy and population health to improve health systems and the health of Canadians. He served as Associate Scientific Director from Jan. 2024 - June 2025.

Contact and more information

stephen@samishealthpolicy.com

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