Our Team

Dr. Eyal Cohen is a Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, and a Senior Scientist and Program Head in Child Health Evaluative Sciences at the SickKids Research Institute, with scientific cross-appointments at the CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster University and at ICES.

Dr. Cohen co-founded the Complex Care Program with his colleagues in the Division of Paediatric Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children where he practices clinical pediatrics. His research program focuses on improving the health outcomes of children with complex needs and their families. This work includes efforts to develop interventions for children with complex needs and evaluating them from the perspective of patients, families, clinicians and health systems. He also conducts research focused on pediatric hospital medicine, the quality of healthcare delivery for children, and healthcare policy.

Dr. Cohen serves in a number of advisory roles for the Provincial Council of Maternal and Child Health, BORN Ontario, and the Ontario Public Drug Program.

Dr. Astrid Guttmann is a Staff Physician and Senior Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children, Chief Science Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer at ICES, and a Professor of Paediatrics with a cross-appointment in the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Guttmann holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Applied Child Health Services and Policy, and has expertise in the use of population-based administrative data and observational methods to evaluate health systems and policies, with a focus on equity. She has led efforts to develop health system performance measures for children across a range of areas, including mental health, and has a focus on evaluating how health systems serve populations with higher health needs due to a range of social and structural determinants of health. Her current work includes broad questions examining access to health services and health outcomes of immigrant and refugee communities in Canada, and multiple projects related to mental health and addictions including the impact of prenatal opioid use in First Nations communities.

Dr. Guttmann sits on a number of national and international research advisory bodies.

Ellie Adler is the Director of Partnership & Operations at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children and the SickKids Child Health Policy Accelerator. She is responsible for providing strategic oversight in all areas of program development, delivery, and evaluation. Ellie joined The Hospital for Sick Children in 2012, and has since contributed to clinical, research and educational projects across multiple centres. Ellie is experienced in research and healthcare management, with training in epidemiology, program evaluation, knowledge translation, and project management.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from York University and a Master of Science in Community Health and Epidemiology from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Andi Camden is an Epidemiologist and Senior Research Associate at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children and an ICES Fellow. She uses epidemiologic methods and administrative data to investigate opioid use in pregnancy and maternal and child health. She strives to generate evidence to inform policy and practice to support families impacted by opioid use and reduce maternal and child health inequities. Alongside Dr. Astrid Guttmann and Dr. Hilary Brown, Andi is currently leading a PHAC-funded project to establish Canada’s first public health surveillance system for perinatal opioid use called the Canadian Perinatal Opioid Project. Andi collaborates with people with lived/living experience and knowledge users to study opioid use during the perinatal periods and its impact on maternal and child health across Canada.

Andi holds a PhD in Public Health Sciences in Epidemiology and an MPH in Epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Health and Society at the University of Toronto.

Iris is a Clinical Research Project Assistant at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. Her work involves supporting the Centre’s research initiatives, operational processes, and grant and funding activities. She joined The Hospital for Sick Children in 2022 as a clinical research intern and has since contributed to both patient-facing and behind-the-scenes research work. Her experience includes supporting research activities in clinic settings, participating in industry-sponsored studies, and coordinating multi-site registry data collection for neonates with congenital heart disease. Known for her positive attitude and enthusiasm, Iris is committed to advancing the Centre’s mission and making a meaningful impact within the community and beyond.

Iris holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biomedical Toxicology with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Guelph, as well as a Graduate Certificate specialized in Clinical Research from Humber College.

Jameela Kassam is the Communications Advisor for the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children and TARGet Kids! She is responsible for crafting communication initiatives and managing public relations for the centre’s child health research. With a background in communications, and a passion for promoting health equity and children’s well-being, Jameela brings expertise in translating complex health information into accessible content. Her dedication to fostering positive community engagement plays a pivotal role in amplifying the impact of the centre’s work.

Jameela holds a Bachelor of Social Science in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Science in Media, Communication and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ally Lucchese is a Research Coordinator at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. Her work primarily focuses on the investigation of social and structural determinants of health, health outcomes, and healthcare access for international students in Canada and internationally. Her passion for child health equity and interest in community engaged research is applied in her supporting role on many research projects and initiatives at the Centre. Ally is experienced in systematic and scoping reviews, qualitative and quantitative data synthesis, and knowledge dissemination strategies.

Ally holds a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences from Queen's University and a Master of Public Health from McMaster University.

Aggie Mazzucco is the Senior Project Manager at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. Her work examines the impact of prenatal opioid exposure in First Nations communities in Ontario. She strives to support First Nations-centred research with an emphasis on healthy equity and community engagement.

Aggie holds a Master of Health Science in Health Promotion from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Priscilla Medeiros has over 10 years of experience leading community-engaged research. Her work includes supporting Centre researchers with their community engagement and knowledge mobilization needs, and leading training initiatives that help researchers and trainees practice meaningful community engagement. A recent highlight of her work is collaborating with nine First Nation communities in Ontario to co-design knowledge-sharing activities related to prenatal opioid exposure.

Priscilla holds a PhD in Anthropology from McMaster University and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Women’s College Hospital.

Dr. Susitha Wanigaratne, PhD is a Senior Research Associate at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children, a Fellow at ICES and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.  As a social epidemiologist her work examines immigration as a structural and social determinant of health. She has extensive experience conducting community-engaged research combining the lived and living experience and perspectives of community members, with the power of analytics from population-based administrative health and social data. Her current projects include describing the sociodemographic characteristics of immigrant children with a likely disability in Canada and understanding how these characteristics may shape navigation and access to healthcare, and examining healthcare access and health outcomes among international students in Canada. Her aim is to contribute to and help facilitate positive social change which improves the health and well-being of minoritized and immigrant communities.

She holds a PhD in Epidemiology and a Masters of Health Science in Epidemiology and Community Health from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Yulika Yoshida-Montezuma is a Senior Data Analyst at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children. Her work examines the impact of social and structural factors on child health. She strives to harness administrative and national data to identify interventions that yield maximal impact in reducing inequities in children's health, development, and well-being.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Genetics from McMaster University and a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto with a specialization in Global Health.