Meet the team

Stefan Mustata, MD 

Medical Director

Stefan Mustata, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and member of the Division of Nephrology at the University of Calgary. His research focuses primarily on the effects of exercise in patients with kidney disease. He is the Medical Director for the Transplant Wellness Program

Kelly Burak, MD, MSc (Epid) 

Scientific Director 

Kelly Burak, MD, MSc (Epid), FRCPC is a specialist in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, as well as an expert in the field of Liver Transplantation. His clinical research interests include liver transplantation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He is the Scientific Director of the Transplant Wellness Program. 

Debra Lynne Isaac, MD 

Senior Advisor

Dr. Isaac is Professor of Medicine, a cardiologist, the Section Head, Division of Transplant Medicine and the Medical Director of the Southern Alberta Transplant Program. She strives to be a role model and advocate for multidisciplinary and collaborative teamwork in the provision of accessible, equitable and sustainable cardiac care.  

Jeff Donald

Patient Partner

Jeff is a patient partner on the Patient Advisory Board under the Transplant Wellness Program. After a long battle with IBD and PSC, Jeff received a cadaveric liver transplant in 2006. Jeff continues to be involved in the transplant community with student presentations and patient coaching. As a retired technology consultant, Jeff spends his winters in Phoenix, AZ and keeps active with tennis, mountain biking, hiking and travelling. 

Keith Pearce 

Patient Partner

Keith is a patient partner on the Patient Advisory Board under The Transplant Wellness Program. He was diagnosed with CKD and found a living kidney donor in 2020. He started the Kidney Exercise and Education Program (KEEP) pre-transplant and continues to attend classes to this day. He believes in the benefits of getting as physically fit as possible. Keith and his wife are both retired, and enjoy Alpine and cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, and travelling the world. Spending time with his four grandchildren is a source of immense joy to Keith. 

Nicole Culos-Reed, PhD 

Health and Wellness Behaviour Change Expert 

Nicole is a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology. She is the lead health and wellness behaviour change expert for the TWP. She has over 30 years experience in supporting positive lifestyle behaviour changes to help individuals manage chronic disease. Nicole’s passion is to support individuals to live well – in her life, this looks like family and friend time, physical activities like exercise classes, yoga, walking, and golf, and cooking up fabulous meals. 

https://profiles.ucalgary.ca/nicole-culos-reed

Kathryn Wytsma-Fisher, MKin, CSEP-CEP 

Casual Kinesiologist/Certified Exercise Physiologist (CEP) 

Kathryn Wytsma-Fisher is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist/Kinesiologist in a casual role with the Transplant Wellness Program and the University of Calgary. Her research interests are around the benefits and impact of exercise on chronic disease patients. She enjoys spending her spare time with her husband, son and two dogs as well as being active outdoors hiking and camping. 

Maneka Perinpanayagam, PhD, PMP 

Sr. Research Program Manager 

Maneka is the Sr. Research Program Manager for the Transplant Wellness Program. She has over 15 years of combined medical and clinical research experience and is passionate about patient-oriented research and evidence informed care. She likes to keep active by doing HIIT and TABATA workouts and going for long walks. In her spare time, Maneka likes to spend time with family and friends, read non-fiction books, travel, and try to recreate dishes from cuisines around the world. 

Vanessa Bahry, BKin, CSEP-CEP 

Kinesiologist/Certified Exercise Physiologist (CEP) 

Vanessa Bahry is the Kinesiologist/Certified Exercise Physiologist for the Transplant Wellness Program. She is a graduate from the University of Calgary and her career has had a focus in Chronic Disease Management and Exercise. In her free time, she enjoys travelling the world, spending time outside and participating in an array of physical activities depending on the season! 

Jenna Sim, MSc

Trainee (PhD Student)

Jenna Sim (she/her) is a 1st year PhD student in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary and is supervised by Dr. Nicole Culos-Reed. Jenna’s doctoral research will focus on evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of the Transplant Wellness Program. She is also passionate about health equity, behaviour change, and knowledge translation and is excited to work in these areas throughout her degree. Outside of research, Jenna enjoys discussing anything Taylor Swift related, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, climbing, running, and hiking. As a new resident of Calgary, she is excited to explore the outdoor opportunities that this region has to offer!