Our Team

AHA Centre Team

CO-DIRECTORS
COMMUNITY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES
GOVERNING COUNCIL
NATIONAL ABORIGINAL RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE (NARAC)

STAFF
ELDERS
RESEARCH TEAM

Co-Directors

Charlotte Loppie
Principal Investigator

Dr. Charlotte Loppie is a Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria, and the Director of the university’s Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE). The Centre provides a supportive environment for students, researchers and communities to engage respectfully in research activities aimed at addressing the health disparities experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. In 2016, Dr. Loppie was awarded the CIHR Gold Leaf Prize for Transformation: Patient Engagement.

Dr. Loppie’s guiding principle is to be of service to the Indigenous communities who will benefit from her research. She has made it her life’s work to bring Indigenous peoples into research projects that touch their lives. Her goal is to empower communities, build research capacity and tackle the health disparities faced by Indigenous peoples.

She partners with First Nation communities, regional and national Indigenous organizations, health charities and government bodies on a range of projects.

Her research interests include Indigenous health inequities, Indigenous HIV/AIDS, barriers to accessing the social determinants of health, racism and cultural safety, cancer among Indigenous peoples, research capacity-building and the sexual and reproductive health of Indigenous women, among others.

Renée Masching
Nominated Principal Knowledge User

Renée Masching is a First Nation woman originally from Southern Ontario who has dedicated her professional energies to working with Indigenous Peoples in health related programs. Renée was the Executive Director of Healing Our Nations (the Atlantic First Nations AIDS Network) from 1997-2005 and then began employment with the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN) as a community-based research facilitator supporting a community response to HIV/AIDS.

Presently, Renée is the Director of Research and Policy with CAAN and Principal Knowledge User or Knowledge User on several active research projects. Some of her professional contributions include: support to community-based HIV/AIDS organizations and working closely with Indigenous people living with HIV/AIDS; serving as a Board member with national organizations; the development of government policy in the Atlantic Provinces and Federally; numerous committees and reports.

Her research interests are focused on community-based research frameworks, Indigenous knowledge and community health. Renée is the author/co-author of several peer reviewed publications and has delivered numerous poster and oral presentations at local, regional, national and International conferences. Renée lives with her husband, sons and menagerie of pets by the ocean in Mi’kmaq Territory (Nova Scotia).

Staff

Community-Based Research Manager

Community-Based Research Manager (KT)

Executive Research Assistant

Communications Assistant

Community Research Associates

Renee Monchalin

Sandy Lambert

Elders

Maggie Paul

Maggie is an Indigenous Passamaquoddy Elder, teacher and song carrier who has travelled around the world to share Maliseet and Passamaquoddy culture. Also a sweat lodge keeper, Maggie Paul is known for her singing, and both performs and records traditional songs. Born in Maine, she has raised six children and lived most of her adult life on the Maliseet St. Mary's First Nation in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Maggie has been a cherished AHA Centre Elder since 2012.

Cliff Thomas

It is with very heavy hearts that we announce that our dear friend and Elder, Cliff Thomas passed on to the Spirit world on July 22, 2019.
Cliff, originally from the Peguis First Nation (Manitoba), lived for many years in Ottawa with his wife Patricia.
Cliff began working with CAAN in 2004 and has been a steady hand and loving presence ever since. In addition to the myriad research teams that Cliff served on with us over the years, he has been the Elder for CAAN’s National Aboriginal Research Advisory Committee (NARAC) since 2011.
He became an Elder for the AHA Centre in 2012 where he served on our Governing Council, guiding the Centre’s work along with Elder Maggie Paul.
Cliff saw the people he met and worked with through CAAN as his family and he deeply valued the work that he did with us over the years.
We ask that you please keep Cliff and Patricia in your thoughts and prayers as this next part of their journey unfolds.

In Cliff’s own words, “we will miss your smiling voice …”