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About Us

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Purpose and Mission

Human Research Accreditation Canada (HRA Canada) is an independent, not-for-profit accrediting body for Canadian human research. It accredits Human Research Protection Programs (HRPPs) of Canadian public and private organizations through a voluntary, peer-driven program based on education and excellence.
Accreditation signifies that an organization has proven that its HRPP meets a rigorous set of standards focused on research participant protection, evidenced-based practices, efficiency and quality of service. An organization with an accredited HRPP has made a commitment to continuous quality improvement and to conducting ethical and rigorous human research.
We believe that when it comes to risk management and safeguarding the rights and welfare of research participants, Canada is among the best places in the world to conduct human research. Our mission is to promote Canadian excellence in human research through accreditation.
  • Executive
  • Accreditation Advisory Board
  • Accreditation Council
  • Site Reviewers

Executive

Janice Parente

President & CEO

Janice completed both her PhD and Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Molecular Pharmacology, and proceeded to develop her skills at the Director level within global pharma before founding her first contract research organization (CRO) in 1992. During the ensuing 25 years, Janice established her credentials as a successful and respected business leader and entrepreneur.

Janice founded the ethica Group of Companies (ethica CRO Inc., Veritas IRB Inc. and Merita CQA Inc.) instilling in her companies her values and commitment to the protection of human research participants. This commitment led to her companies becoming the first Canadian entities and the first CRO in the world to earn full accreditation of its Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) in 2006.

Janice founded HRA Canada in 2017, and founded its sister company, Human Research Standards Organization (HRSO), in 2019. Janice is currently the President & CEO of both organizations. In February 2020, under Janice’s direction, HRSO was accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, giving it the authority to develop national standards for the conduct and oversight of human research.

Janice’s leadership and entrepreneurship have been recognized through numerous awards and nominations such as the prestigious Ernst & Young and RBC Women Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and PROFIT Magazine’s PROFIT W100 ranking of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs.

Clarissa Fleck

Director, Accreditation Services

As a member of the administration of HRA Canada, Clarissa’s role is to manage the accreditation program. Clarissa is also responsible for supervising and assisting the HRA Canada Accreditation Managers and the HRPP Development Managers.

Clarissa obtained her BSc in Biology from McGill University, minoring in Psychology. She was involved in research internationally and in various fields; population medical genetics, stem cell research, molecular biology, experimental evolution, behavioural ecology, among others.

Clarissa has been working at HRA Canada since its inception, initially in the role of an Accreditation Manager. Having participated in the development of the accreditation program, Clarissa has expertise in the accreditation process, accreditation requirements, and the Canadian and US normative documents. Clarissa also participates in the development of National Standards of Canada (NSCs) for human research as a Technical Committee member for Human Research Standards Organization (HRSO).

Accreditation Advisory Board

The HRA Canada Accreditation Advisory Board is composed of individuals who have made a historic and significant impact on research participant protection in our country. The Accreditation Advisory Board offers informed guidance to the Accreditation Council to ensure that its membership is balanced, its processes are transparent and its decisions are well-founded. The Accreditation Advisory Board also guides the Board of Directors on issues regarding public outreach, service direction, education and resources.

Accreditation Advisory Board Members

Sébastien Audette

C.Adm., MPA, CD

Sébastien Audette is a healthcare administrator and senior executive in Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais in the province of Québec (integrated health and social services centre of Outaouais).

He is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Accreditation Canada International, which position he held between 2011 and 2016. As the organization transformed, he became President, Global Programs at Health Standards Organizations, where he led the development of over 120 standards and numerous National Standards of Canada until 2019.

Mr. Audette is recognized for his contribution to the advancement of health services quality globally. He led the development of the Qmentum International™ accreditation program, as well as EQual™ program for allied health education, co-initiated the Canadian Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Framework and spoke and moderated numerous conferences around the world and participated in technical, advisory committees and Boards. He oversaw important international projects, notably the development of the blueprints for the European Reference Networks for Rare Diseases, funded by and for the European Commission. In 2021, Mr. Audette became member of the Standards Council of Canada Mirror Committee/ISO/TC 304 – Healthcare organization management.

Mr. Audette is a decorated reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces Health Services, serving since 1994 in the capacity of medical technician and later as health care administration officer. He deployed on numerous operations in Canada and abroad throughout his career. Mr. Audette holds a master’s in public administration from École Nationale d’Administration Publique.

Ann Cavoukian

BA, MA, PhD

Dr. Ann Cavoukian is recognized as one of the world’s leading privacy experts. Ann served an unprecedented three terms as the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada. There, she created Privacy by Design, a framework that seeks to proactively embed privacy into the design specifications of information technologies, networked infrastructure and business practices, thereby achieving the strongest protection possible. In 2010, International Privacy Regulators unanimously passed a Resolution recognizing Privacy by Design as an International Standard and, in 2018, Privacy by Design was included in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Ann is currently the Executive Director of the Global Privacy & Security by Design Centre. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Ted Rogers Leadership Centre at Ryerson University, and a Faculty Fellow of the Center for Law, Science & Innovation at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Ann is the author of two books, “The Privacy Payoff: How Successful Businesses Build Customer Trust” with Tyler Hamilton, and “Who Knows: Safeguarding Your Privacy in a Networked World” with Don Tapscott.

Ann has received numerous awards recognizing her leadership in privacy, including the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada for her outstanding work on creating Privacy by Design and taking it global (May, 2017), among others, such as:

  • Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada
  • Top 10 Women in Data Security and Privacy
  • ‘Power 50’ by Canadian Business
  • 50 Most Impactful Smart Cities Leaders
  • Top Women in Tech
  • Toastmasters Communication and Leadership Award
  • Top 100 Identity
  • Top 18 Global AI Influencers within the AI and Tech Space
  • 2020 Canadian Women in Cybersecurity Lifetime Achievement Award In Recognition of Outstanding Contributions to Cybersecurity and Privacy in Ontario

    • Ann holds a BA from York University and an MA and PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in criminology and law.

    Pierre Deschamps

    BCL, CM

    Me Pierre Deschamps graduated from the Faculty of Theology at Université de Montréal in 1972.  He graduated from the Faculty of Law at McGill University in 1975. He has been a member of the Québec Bar since 1976. Me Deschamps was an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law at McGill University for 20 years where he taught in the areas of tort law and human rights. He was also research director at the Quebec Centre for Private and Comparative Law for more than 20 years.

    Me Deschamps is well known for his expertise in human rights, health law, medical law, ethics, research ethics and organizational ethics. In 1994, he presided over a committee of experts in Québec set up by the Health Minister to study control mechanisms in relation to clinical research. The resulting Deschamps Report served as the basis for the elaboration of the Quebec Ministry of Health Services and Social Services’ Action Plan in Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity.

    Me Deschamps was a member of the research ethics board of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and at the Montreal Heart Institute for over 15 years. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on Ethics in Human Research (NCEHR) of Canada for eight years and chaired its Evaluation Committee for 6 years.

    Me Deschamps was a member of the Panel of Experts set up by the three Canadian Federal Granting Agencies to revise the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS 2001 – 2008). He also served as an expert on the Experts Committee on Accreditation set up by the three Federal Granting Agencies to assess the need in Canada for an accreditation system for organizations conducting research on humans (2006 – 2007). He is the author of several publications pertaining to research ethics.

    Me Deschamps has acted as a consultant for a number of universities, healthcare institutions and clinical research organizations in the area of research ethics. For ten years (2000 – 2010), he was a member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

    In 2000, Me Deschamps was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his contribution to research ethics as well as for his involvement in the cause of children suffering from cancer.

    Bartha Maria Knoppers

    LLB, PhD

    Bartha Maria Knoppers, PhD (Comparative Medical Law), is a Full Professor, Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine and Director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University.

    Dr. Knoppers is the founder of the Public Population Project in Genomics (P3G) and CARTaGENE Quebec’s population biobank (2007 – ). Since 2005, Dr. Knoppers has been active in Canadian Stem Cell policy and has chaired the Ethics Working Party of the International Stem Cell Forum (2005 – 2015). Furthermore, she is Chair of the Ethics and Governance Committee of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (2009 – ), as well as of the Ethics Advisory Panel, WADA (2015 – ).

    Dr. Knoppers is one of the co-founders of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (2013 – ), and Co-Chair of its Regulatory and Ethics Working Group. In 2015 – 2016, she was a member of the Drafting Group for OECD’s Health Data Governance Policy, and gave the prestigious Galton Lecture in November 2017.

    Dr. Knoppers holds four Doctorates Honoris Causa and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Hastings Center (bioethics), the Canadian Academy Health Sciences (CAHS), and the Royal Society of Canada.

    Dr. Knoppers is an Officer of the Order of Canada and of Quebec. In 2017, she also became the Commander of the Order of Montreal.

    Patricia Kosseim

    LLB, MA

    Patricia Kosseim is Counsel in Osler’s Privacy and Data Management Group and co-leads Osler’s AccessPrivacy platform.

    Patricia is a national leading expert in privacy and access law, having served over a decade as Senior General Counsel and Director General at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC). Patricia provided strategic legal and policy advice on complex and emerging privacy issues; advised Parliament on privacy implications of legislative bills; led research initiatives on new information technologies and advanced privacy law in major litigation cases before the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

    Prior to that, Patricia worked at Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, where she developed and led national strategies for addressing legal, ethical and social aspects of health and genomic technologies. She began her career in Montreal practicing in the areas of health law, civil litigation, human rights, privacy and labor & employment with another leading national law firm.

    Patricia has published and spoken extensively on matters of privacy law, health law and ethics. She has taught part-time at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law and has held many professional appointments and board memberships, including: Governor on the Board of Governors of The Ottawa Hospital; Chair of The Board of Directors of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Vice-Chair of the Research Integrity Committee of les Fonds de recherche du Quebec; and member of the National DNA Databank Advisory Committee.

    Michael McDonald

    BA, MA, PhD

    Dr. Michael McDonald was the founding Director of the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia and occupied the first endowed chair in applied ethics in Canada. From 1969 to 1990, Dr. McDonald taught ethics at the University of Waterloo.

    Dr. McDonald received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Bioethics Society in 2009 and was awarded honorary professional designation by the Certified General Accounts Association of Canada in 2006 for his extensive work in accounting ethics education.

    Dr. McDonald played a leading role in applied ethics and more particularly in research ethics. He served as the Deputy Chair of the Tri-Council Working Group that created the first version of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and led the group that wrote the report The Governance of Health Research Involving Human Subjects (2000) commissioned by the Law Commission of Canada.

    Dr. McDonald is the author of numerous publications and held several grants on human research protection. His most recent work has centred on the experiences of research participants and providing participants with strong evidence-based protection.

    He has been very active in research ethics education and was the Director of the joint UBC and Dalhousie University doctoral and post-doctoral CIHR Strategic Initiative in Health Research Training Program.

    Dr. McDonald has also been involved in the protection of animals in research including extensive service with the Canadian Council on Animal Care. He was also instrumental in the creation of the internationally renowned Program in Animal Welfare at UBC.

    Eric M. Meslin

    MA, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS

    Dr. Eric M. Meslin is the President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), a not-for-profit organization that conducts evidence-based assessments of leading policy topics for the Government of Canada. Prior to CCA, Eric spent 15 years at Indiana University where he was Founding Director of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics, Associate Dean for Bioethics in the IU School of Medicine, and a tenured Full Professor of Medicine, of Medical & Molecular Genetics, of Bioethics & Law, of Public Health, and of Philosophy.

    He also held academic positions at the University of Toronto, the University of Western Australia, and Université de Toulouse, and is currently Senior Fellow PHG Foundation University of Cambridge, Visiting Fellow Centre of Genomics and Policy at McGill University, and 2020 Mentor for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Eric received his BA from York University, and his MA and PhD from Georgetown University, both in philosophy/bioethics. He has published more than 200 articles and book chapters, and two co-edited books on ethical and policy issues in genomics, global health, science policy and research ethics.

    Eric was the Bioethics Research Director of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) program for the Human Genome Project, and Executive Director of the U.S. National Bioethics Advisory Commission established by President Bill Clinton.

    Eric has been an advisor to and sat on boards and committees of many organizations including the World Health Organization, UNESCO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Genome Canada, Institute of Medicine, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the UK Biobank.

    Among his honours, Eric is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Hastings Center, and is a Chevalier de l’Ordre Nationale du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit) for contributions to French bioethics policy.

    Michael Owen

    PhD

    Dr. Michael Owen is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at Brock University. Prior to rejoining Brock in August 2017, Dr. Owen was Professor and Associate Provost Research (2010 – 2012) and Vice – President Research, International and Innovation (2012 – 2017) and Interim Dean/Dean of the Faculty of Education (2017 – 2017) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (2010 – 2017), Vice – President Research and Graduate Studies at the Ontario College of Art & Design (2007 – 2010), Professor and Associate Vice – President Research and International at Brock University (2004 – 2007), Director of Research Services, Brock University (2000 – 2004), Director of Research Services, Ryerson University (1997 – 2000), Director of Research Services, University of Saskatchewan (1991 – 1997), and Assistant to the Vice – President Academic, Athabasca University (1985 – 1991).

    Michael Owen’s research represents his interests in the development of education in Canada, leadership and management of post – secondary education, and the governance of research ethics in Canada and internationally.
    Dr. Owen has published on the history of schooling and education in Canada, with a particular interest on the development of larger school units, Canadianization and immigrant children in the 1930s – 1950s, the place of the church in moral and social reform in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, distance education, and human research ethics.

    Dr. Owen has served as a member and leader of scholarly and professional organizations, including Ontario Council on University Research (OCUR), Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO), Canadian Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS), Southern Ontario Smart Computing & Innovation Platform (SOSCIP – Board member), SHARCNET (Board member and Chair), Canadian Association of Foundations of Education (President), Canadian Society of Church History (President), Canadian Society for Studies in Education (Board Member), Canadian Association of University Research Administrators (Board Member), Society of Research Administrators International (Board Member and President), Canadian Society for Studies in Religion (Board Member), the National Council on Ethics in Human Research (Board Member) and the Canadian General Standards Board working group on accreditation of research ethics boards.

    Accreditation Council

    Our Accreditation Council members are leaders in Canadian human research and are representative of the types of organizations applying for accreditation. The role of the Accreditation Council is to review accreditation applications, renewals and render decisions regarding accreditation. The Accreditation Council also ensures that the standards and requirements for accreditation reflect the current research environment in Canada. The Accreditation Council does not include any members of the Board of Directors or Administration of HRA Canada.

    Accreditation Council Members

    Louise Brisbois

    BA

    Louise Brisbois has been working in the field of rehabilitation science and spinal cord injury research for 12 years. Presently, Louise leads an innovative research participant recruiting service across Toronto Rehabilitation and the KITE Research Institute as Manager, Centralized Recruitment department. Louise is also a clinical research site coordinator for the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry.

    Louise has an interest in bioethics and has over 20 years of experience on Research Ethics Boards, including the Hospital for Sick Children, Veritas IRB Inc., and the CIHR Research Integrity Council.

    Louise has an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science degree, with a business minor. For 10 years, Louise worked in the Canadian pharmaceutical and health care consumer packaged goods industry in management and marketing.

    Ann Cavoukian

    MD, DPhil, FRCPC

    Dr. An-Wen Chan is the Phelan Scientist at Women’s College Research Institute and Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto. Dr. An-Wen Chan is a Mohs skin cancer surgeon and a clinical epidemiologist with recognized expertise in clinical trial quality, biases, and methods. He has published extensively in leading medical journals, and chairs the international SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) initiative to improve the quality of clinical trial protocols.

    Organizations and medical journals from around the world have endorsed the SPIRIT guidelines as part of their clinical trial policies. Dr. Chan has also served as a Special Advisor to the Clinical Trials Unit of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He helped coordinate the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform in Geneva and chairs its advisory board.

    Andrew Flewelling

    BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD

    Dr. Andrew Flewelling is the Research Project Facilitator for Horizon Health Network of New Brunswick, having joined the Office of Research Services in 2019. Dr. Flewelling supports all trainees across Horizon, students, and residents alike, in their research endeavours with a focus on project development, research methods, and data analyses.

    Andrew holds a BSc (Hons), and a MSc and PhD from the University of New Brunswick with a focus in Natural Products Chemistry. Andrew was a recipient of the NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship for doctoral studies. Andrew completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Calgary investigating antimicrobial drug leads from the human microbiome and was a recipient of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship.

    Andrew is a Technical Committee member of Human Research Standards Organization (HRSO), having contributed to the development of the National Standards of Canada (NSCs) CAN/HRSO-300.01-2022 “Conduct of Human Research” and CAN/HRSO-100.02-2022 “Development of a Training Program for Human Research”.

    Rosario Isasi

    JD, MPH

    Rosario Isasi is a Research Assistant Professor at the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She holds multiple appointments, including at the Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, within which she serves as Director of their Genetics, Ethics, and Policy Program, as well as the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics and the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute.

    Professor Isasi’s research is devoted to identifying and analyzing the social, ethical and policy dimensions of novel and disruptive genetic technologies. She has built an international reputation as a scholar with particular expertise in the area of international comparative law and ethics regarding genomics and regenerative medicine.

    Professor Isasi holds many leadership roles in major international initiatives. She was recently named the President’s International Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Professor Isasi is Co-Investigator and Ethics/Regulatory/Communications lead for the SouthEast Enrollment Center (SEEC) a consortium member of the NIH’s All of Us Research Program. In addition, she serves as the Ethics/Policy Advisor of the European Commission’s European Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry (hPSCREG), is a member of the Ethics Advisory Board of the Vanderbilt-Miami-Meharry Center of Excellence in Precision Medicine and Population Health and the American Society for Human Genetics (ASHG) Task Force on Gene Editing. Finally, Professor Isasi is a member of the Ethics & Policy Committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and is the Chair of the International Stem Cell Forum (ISCF) Ethics Working Party, a consortium of funding agencies for regenerative medicine.

    Alex Karabanow

    BSc, BAA

    Alex Karabanow brings to the Human Research Accreditation Canada Council extensive experience in research administration, Research Ethics Board (REB) operations as well as research ethics administration, education, process and systems improvement. Alex has worked for the past eight years in the development of an institutional authorization model and process bringing innovation to human research protection.

    Currently, Alex is the Manager of Clinical Research Support Systems at the University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest academic research network. He has been involved in the management of compliance, integrity, planning and communication activities both in healthcare and university environments. Alex has also developed and delivered education in research ethics, institutional authorization and clinical research considerations as a facilitator in UHN’s Quality Clinical Investigator Practices (QCIP) training program targeting new Principal Investigators, Clinical Fellows as well as Clinical Research Fellows and clinical research staff engaging in research involving humans.

    Alex is appointed as an Academy Scholar to The Institute for Education Research (TIER) at UHN. He has also been appointed to the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards (CAREB-ACCER) Circle of Experts and is an REB Operations Expert representative on the Clinical Trials Ontario College of Reviewers. Alex played a leadership role at CAREB-ACCER as President and on the Board of Directors and he currently serves as a member on several committees including the Human Research Standards Organization (HRSO) Technical Steering Committee.

    Alex has a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Human Biology and Physiology and a minor in Microbiology from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Applied Arts and a Certificate in Economic Analysis from Ryerson University, and has completed the UHN-Rotman Leadership Development Program at the University of Toronto.

    Liz Krivonosov

    PEng, CIH, ROH

    Liz Krivonosov is a senior engineer and industrial hygienist with over 30 years of experience. She is licensed as a Certified Industrial Hygienist (USA), Registered Occupational Hygienist (Canada) and as a Professional Engineer in British Columbia and Ontario.

    Liz is the founder and President of KRMC – Risk Management Consultants Inc., a multidisciplinary firm with expertise in the risk management of hazardous materials and processes. Her expertise is in managing risks resulting from the use of chemicals, biohazards, ionizing radiation and lasers.

    Liz spent approximately 25 years in the academic sector working at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University in various health and safety roles.

    Throughout her career, Liz has worked across Canada performing risk assessments, audits, program development and managed numerous hazardous materials projects in various sectors including research facilities, biotech and pharmaceutical, commercial, high tech, manufacturing, healthcare, government and public agencies.

    Jacquelyn Legere

    RN, BN, CIPP/C

    Jacquelyn Legere is the HRPP Director of Horizon Health Network (HHN) of New Brunswick. She has built her career in various roles throughout HHN where she began as a staff nurse with the internal medicine program in 1989.

    Jacquelyn’s venture into the research world began with clinical trials in 1995 as a clinical trials nurse and evolved into a position in Research Ethics from 2003 to 2013. Jacquelyn was Chair of the Research Ethics Board for the former Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation from 2004-2008. In 2008, New Brunswick’s eight regional health authorities were amalgamated and in 2009, a regional Research Ethics Board for HHN was established.

    Jacquelyn played an integral role in the planning and implementation of HHN’s regional REB which was recognized as a leading practice in 2010. She chaired the REB until 2011 and served as its administrator until 2013. Jacquelyn was an elected member of the Board of Director’s for the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards from 2008-2013 holding a VP position from 2011-2013.

    Jacquelyn is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/C) and a facilitator for HHN’s leadership development program. Jacquelyn received her diploma in nursing in 1988 from the Saint John School of Nursing and her Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of New Brunswick in 2011.

    Kevin Little

    BSc, PhD, CSAP

    Kevin Little is a Senior Partnership Director with Novo Nordisk, overseeing the development and management of the company’s portfolio of strategic research collaborations in the US.

    Kevin has held various executive roles in the life sciences, most recently as Chief Scientific Officer of 3D Signatures Inc. He previously led the start-up of Concordia University’s PERFORM Centre in preventive health, after several years leading the New Zealand government’s economic development efforts to build strategic investment relationships across the biotechnology industry sector.

    Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Victoria, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine from McGill University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in translational neuroscience and clinical gene therapy at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and is a Certified Strategic Alliance Professional.

    Kim McDonald-Taylor

    BSc, MSc

    Kim McDonald-Taylor has worked in the clinical trials arena for 30 years, including a 12-year tenure with Endpoint Research holding positions of Vice President of Operations, and Managing Director of Canada. She currently operates a clinical consultancy, McDonald-Taylor Consulting, offering training, project management, medical writing, teaching, meeting facilitation and strategic planning in clinical research.

    Kim has volunteered with the Clinical Research Association of Canada (CRAC) for the past 18 years. In her various roles, including President, Kim has provided leadership as CRAC went online, helped develop a certification program (CRPC), and continues to recommend quality speakers for the membership on topics of importance in Canadian clinical research. Kim is on the Board of Directors of Brain Injury Canada where she volunteers as secretary.

    Kim was named Volunteer of the Year in 2016 from Brain Injury Canada, and in 2018, was awarded the Canada Talks Pharma Excellence in Clinical Research Award.

    Kim earned her MSc in toxicology from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. She has presented and co-chaired sessions at DIA, DIA Canada, ACRP and other meetings over the past 15 years.

    Pertice Moffitt

    BScN, MN, PhD

    Dr. Pertice Moffitt is Manager/Instructor, Health Research Programs at Aurora Research Institute. She has over thirty years of practice, administration, education and research in the Northwest Territories. Dr. Moffitt completed her PhD at the University of Calgary.

    Dr. Moffitt holds an Honorary Professor designation at the University of the Arctic in Tromso, Norway where she is an invited lecturer and researcher. Dr. Moffitt studied in Potchefstroom, South Africa where she completed an International Internship for Health Science Researchers.

    For the past fifteen years, Dr. Moffitt’s research focus has been on Indigenous and Women’s Health and Rural and Remote Nursing. She has generated knowledge in breastfeeding, quality of life of older adults, intimate partner violence and the nature of rural and remote nursing in Canada.

    Dr. Moffitt is currently a Principal Investigator in the SPOR Evidence Alliance, a CIHR project, and contributes to the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. For her research contributions in the NWT, Premier McLeod bestowed her with the prestigious “Wise Woman” award.

    Sheri Webb

    BSc, RAQC

    Sheri Webb has an Honours BSc from the University of Toronto and a post-graduate certificate in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations from Seneca College.

    For the last 17 years, Sheri has been working in various roles in clinical research specializing in quality assurance, compliance and regulatory affairs. Sheri’s experience spans both the private and public sectors, having held positions at contract research organizations, academic research hospitals and assisting with the qualification of Research Ethics Boards through Clinical Trials Ontario and Toronto Academic Health Science Network.

    Sheri is currently the Manager of Research Safety, Ethics, Training & Compliance at the Health Sciences North Research Institute. In this position, Sheri assisted with the development of the ICES North satellite site in Sudbury, Ontario.

    Accreditation Advisory Board

    The HRA Canada Accreditation Advisory Board is composed of individuals who have made a historic and significant impact on research participant protection in our country. The Accreditation Advisory Board offers informed guidance to the Accreditation Council to ensure that its membership is balanced, its processes are transparent and its decisions are well-founded. The Accreditation Advisory Board also guides the Board of Directors on issues regarding public outreach, service direction, education and resources.

    Accreditation Advisory Board Members

    Sébastien Audette

    C.Adm., MPA, CD

    Sébastien Audette is a healthcare administrator and senior executive in Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais in the province of Québec (integrated health and social services centre of Outaouais).

    He is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Accreditation Canada International, which position he held between 2011 and 2016. As the organization transformed, he became President, Global Programs at Health Standards Organizations, where he led the development of over 120 standards and numerous National Standards of Canada until 2019.

    Mr. Audette is recognized for his contribution to the advancement of health services quality globally. He led the development of the Qmentum International™ accreditation program, as well as EQual™ program for allied health education, co-initiated the Canadian Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety Framework and spoke and moderated numerous conferences around the world and participated in technical, advisory committees and Boards. He oversaw important international projects, notably the development of the blueprints for the European Reference Networks for Rare Diseases, funded by and for the European Commission. In 2021, Mr. Audette became member of the Standards Council of Canada Mirror Committee/ISO/TC 304 – Healthcare organization management.

    Mr. Audette is a decorated reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces Health Services, serving since 1994 in the capacity of medical technician and later as health care administration officer. He deployed on numerous operations in Canada and abroad throughout his career. Mr. Audette holds a master’s in public administration from École Nationale d’Administration Publique.

    Ann Cavoukian

    BA, MA, PhD

    Dr. Ann Cavoukian is recognized as one of the world’s leading privacy experts. Ann served an unprecedented three terms as the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada. There, she created Privacy by Design, a framework that seeks to proactively embed privacy into the design specifications of information technologies, networked infrastructure and business practices, thereby achieving the strongest protection possible. In 2010, International Privacy Regulators unanimously passed a Resolution recognizing Privacy by Design as an International Standard and, in 2018, Privacy by Design was included in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

    Ann is currently the Executive Director of the Global Privacy & Security by Design Centre. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Ted Rogers Leadership Centre at Ryerson University, and a Faculty Fellow of the Center for Law, Science & Innovation at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

    Ann is the author of two books, “The Privacy Payoff: How Successful Businesses Build Customer Trust” with Tyler Hamilton, and “Who Knows: Safeguarding Your Privacy in a Networked World” with Don Tapscott.

    Ann has received numerous awards recognizing her leadership in privacy, including the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada for her outstanding work on creating Privacy by Design and taking it global (May, 2017), among others, such as:

  • Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada
  • Top 10 Women in Data Security and Privacy
  • ‘Power 50’ by Canadian Business
  • 50 Most Impactful Smart Cities Leaders
  • Top Women in Tech
  • Toastmasters Communication and Leadership Award
  • Top 100 Identity
  • Top 18 Global AI Influencers within the AI and Tech Space
  • 2020 Canadian Women in Cybersecurity Lifetime Achievement Award In Recognition of Outstanding Contributions to Cybersecurity and Privacy in Ontario

    • Ann holds a BA from York University and an MA and PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in criminology and law.

    Pierre Deschamps

    BCL, CM

    Me Pierre Deschamps graduated from the Faculty of Theology at Université de Montréal in 1972.  He graduated from the Faculty of Law at McGill University in 1975. He has been a member of the Québec Bar since 1976. Me Deschamps was an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law at McGill University for 20 years where he taught in the areas of tort law and human rights. He was also research director at the Quebec Centre for Private and Comparative Law for more than 20 years.

    Me Deschamps is well known for his expertise in human rights, health law, medical law, ethics, research ethics and organizational ethics. In 1994, he presided over a committee of experts in Québec set up by the Health Minister to study control mechanisms in relation to clinical research. The resulting Deschamps Report served as the basis for the elaboration of the Quebec Ministry of Health Services and Social Services’ Action Plan in Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity.

    Me Deschamps was a member of the research ethics board of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and at the Montreal Heart Institute for over 15 years. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on Ethics in Human Research (NCEHR) of Canada for eight years and chaired its Evaluation Committee for 6 years.

    Me Deschamps was a member of the Panel of Experts set up by the three Canadian Federal Granting Agencies to revise the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS 2001 – 2008). He also served as an expert on the Experts Committee on Accreditation set up by the three Federal Granting Agencies to assess the need in Canada for an accreditation system for organizations conducting research on humans (2006 – 2007). He is the author of several publications pertaining to research ethics.

    Me Deschamps has acted as a consultant for a number of universities, healthcare institutions and clinical research organizations in the area of research ethics. For ten years (2000 – 2010), he was a member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

    In 2000, Me Deschamps was made a Member of the Order of Canada for his contribution to research ethics as well as for his involvement in the cause of children suffering from cancer.

    Bartha Maria Knoppers

    LLB, PhD

    Bartha Maria Knoppers, PhD (Comparative Medical Law), is a Full Professor, Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine and Director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University.

    Dr. Knoppers is the founder of the Public Population Project in Genomics (P3G) and CARTaGENE Quebec’s population biobank (2007 – ). Since 2005, Dr. Knoppers has been active in Canadian Stem Cell policy and has chaired the Ethics Working Party of the International Stem Cell Forum (2005 – 2015). Furthermore, she is Chair of the Ethics and Governance Committee of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (2009 – ), as well as of the Ethics Advisory Panel, WADA (2015 – ).

    Dr. Knoppers is one of the co-founders of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (2013 – ), and Co-Chair of its Regulatory and Ethics Working Group. In 2015 – 2016, she was a member of the Drafting Group for OECD’s Health Data Governance Policy, and gave the prestigious Galton Lecture in November 2017.

    Dr. Knoppers holds four Doctorates Honoris Causa and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Hastings Center (bioethics), the Canadian Academy Health Sciences (CAHS), and the Royal Society of Canada.

    Dr. Knoppers is an Officer of the Order of Canada and of Quebec. In 2017, she also became the Commander of the Order of Montreal.

    Patricia Kosseim

    LLB, MA

    Patricia Kosseim is Counsel in Osler’s Privacy and Data Management Group and co-leads Osler’s AccessPrivacy platform.

    Patricia is a national leading expert in privacy and access law, having served over a decade as Senior General Counsel and Director General at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC). Patricia provided strategic legal and policy advice on complex and emerging privacy issues; advised Parliament on privacy implications of legislative bills; led research initiatives on new information technologies and advanced privacy law in major litigation cases before the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

    Prior to that, Patricia worked at Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, where she developed and led national strategies for addressing legal, ethical and social aspects of health and genomic technologies. She began her career in Montreal practicing in the areas of health law, civil litigation, human rights, privacy and labor & employment with another leading national law firm.

    Patricia has published and spoken extensively on matters of privacy law, health law and ethics. She has taught part-time at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law and has held many professional appointments and board memberships, including: Governor on the Board of Governors of The Ottawa Hospital; Chair of The Board of Directors of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Vice-Chair of the Research Integrity Committee of les Fonds de recherche du Quebec; and member of the National DNA Databank Advisory Committee.

    Michael McDonald

    BA, MA, PhD

    Dr. Michael McDonald was the founding Director of the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia and occupied the first endowed chair in applied ethics in Canada. From 1969 to 1990, Dr. McDonald taught ethics at the University of Waterloo.

    Dr. McDonald received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Bioethics Society in 2009 and was awarded honorary professional designation by the Certified General Accounts Association of Canada in 2006 for his extensive work in accounting ethics education.

    Dr. McDonald played a leading role in applied ethics and more particularly in research ethics. He served as the Deputy Chair of the Tri-Council Working Group that created the first version of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and led the group that wrote the report The Governance of Health Research Involving Human Subjects (2000) commissioned by the Law Commission of Canada.

    Dr. McDonald is the author of numerous publications and held several grants on human research protection. His most recent work has centred on the experiences of research participants and providing participants with strong evidence-based protection.

    He has been very active in research ethics education and was the Director of the joint UBC and Dalhousie University doctoral and post-doctoral CIHR Strategic Initiative in Health Research Training Program.

    Dr. McDonald has also been involved in the protection of animals in research including extensive service with the Canadian Council on Animal Care. He was also instrumental in the creation of the internationally renowned Program in Animal Welfare at UBC.

    Eric M. Meslin

    MA, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS

    Dr. Eric M. Meslin is the President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA), a not-for-profit organization that conducts evidence-based assessments of leading policy topics for the Government of Canada. Prior to CCA, Eric spent 15 years at Indiana University where he was Founding Director of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics, Associate Dean for Bioethics in the IU School of Medicine, and a tenured Full Professor of Medicine, of Medical & Molecular Genetics, of Bioethics & Law, of Public Health, and of Philosophy.

    He also held academic positions at the University of Toronto, the University of Western Australia, and Université de Toulouse, and is currently Senior Fellow PHG Foundation University of Cambridge, Visiting Fellow Centre of Genomics and Policy at McGill University, and 2020 Mentor for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Eric received his BA from York University, and his MA and PhD from Georgetown University, both in philosophy/bioethics. He has published more than 200 articles and book chapters, and two co-edited books on ethical and policy issues in genomics, global health, science policy and research ethics.

    Eric was the Bioethics Research Director of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) program for the Human Genome Project, and Executive Director of the U.S. National Bioethics Advisory Commission established by President Bill Clinton.

    Eric has been an advisor to and sat on boards and committees of many organizations including the World Health Organization, UNESCO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Genome Canada, Institute of Medicine, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the UK Biobank.

    Among his honours, Eric is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Hastings Center, and is a Chevalier de l’Ordre Nationale du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit) for contributions to French bioethics policy.

    Michael Owen

    PhD

    Dr. Michael Owen is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at Brock University. Prior to rejoining Brock in August 2017, Dr. Owen was Professor and Associate Provost Research (2010 – 2012) and Vice – President Research, International and Innovation (2012 – 2017) and Interim Dean/Dean of the Faculty of Education (2017 – 2017) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (2010 – 2017), Vice – President Research and Graduate Studies at the Ontario College of Art & Design (2007 – 2010), Professor and Associate Vice – President Research and International at Brock University (2004 – 2007), Director of Research Services, Brock University (2000 – 2004), Director of Research Services, Ryerson University (1997 – 2000), Director of Research Services, University of Saskatchewan (1991 – 1997), and Assistant to the Vice – President Academic, Athabasca University (1985 – 1991).

    Michael Owen’s research represents his interests in the development of education in Canada, leadership and management of post – secondary education, and the governance of research ethics in Canada and internationally.
    Dr. Owen has published on the history of schooling and education in Canada, with a particular interest on the development of larger school units, Canadianization and immigrant children in the 1930s – 1950s, the place of the church in moral and social reform in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, distance education, and human research ethics.

    Dr. Owen has served as a member and leader of scholarly and professional organizations, including Ontario Council on University Research (OCUR), Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO), Canadian Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS), Southern Ontario Smart Computing & Innovation Platform (SOSCIP – Board member), SHARCNET (Board member and Chair), Canadian Association of Foundations of Education (President), Canadian Society of Church History (President), Canadian Society for Studies in Education (Board Member), Canadian Association of University Research Administrators (Board Member), Society of Research Administrators International (Board Member and President), Canadian Society for Studies in Religion (Board Member), the National Council on Ethics in Human Research (Board Member) and the Canadian General Standards Board working group on accreditation of research ethics boards.

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