MICYRN Welcomes Three New Board Members and Celebrates the Contributions of Two Outgoing Directors
MICYRN is pleased to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors. They bring expertise spanning pediatric research, clinical care, public health innovation, and digital health and health system leadership.
Please join us in welcoming:
Matt Cohen
Founder and CEO of PlaySpace Health
Matt Cohen is the Founder and CEO of PlaySpace Health, a pediatric mental health platform that supports clinicians and families in promoting children’s wellbeing. Drawing on his experience in health technology, Matt is focused on expanding access to effective care for children, caregivers, and healthcare providers.
Carolina Koutras
Chief Operating Officer of One Yukon Coalition
Carolina Koutras leads public health and community health research initiatives across the Canadian North. With experience spanning the private, public, academic, and non-profit sectors, Koutras brings expertise in health innovation and partnership development, and brings data-driven approaches to improving community health.
Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
Director of the Autism Research Centre at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Professor at the University of Alberta; Associate Director and Academic Lead, Children's Health Research, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute
Dr. Zwaigenbaum is a nationally recognized leader in autism research whose work focuses on improving early detection and diagnosis of children with autism. He also chaired the Canadian Pediatric Society Task Force, that issued practice statements on autism diagnosis and ongoing pediatric care in 2019, and the oversight panel of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Autism Assessment.
We also welcome Dr. Constantine Samaan to MICYRN’s Board of Directors as an ex-officio Board member and the new representative of the Pediatric Chairs of Canada (PCC). A pediatric endocrinologist, professor, and Head of the Department of Pediatrics at Queen’s University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Dr. Samaan leads a research program focused on pediatric diabetes and obesity and is committed to advancing child health through research, education, and healthcare leadership.
As these new members join our board, we would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to three outgoing Board Members whose leadership and dedication have helped shape MICYRN over many years.
Dr. Sandra Davidge has served on the MICYRN Board since 2013 and acted as Board Chair in 2020-2021. Dr. Davidge is an internationally recognized leader in pregnancy and cardiovascular research and is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Alberta and Executive Director of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute.
Dr. Suzanne Tough served on the MICYRN Board since 2016. A Professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, Dr. Tough is a respected leader in maternal, child, and population health research.
Dr. Anne Monique Nuyt also concludes her service on the MICYRN Board, where she has served as the ex-officio Board member representing the Pediatric Chairs of Canada (PCC). A neonatologist and senior clinician-scientist at CHU Sainte-Justine, she is Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Université de Montréal. Dr. Nuyt is internationally recognized for her research on the long-term cardiovascular health of individuals born preterm and for her commitment to mentoring the next generation of clinician-scientists.
We extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Davidge, Dr. Tough, and Dr. Nuyt for their contributions, and we look forward to the expertise and leadership that our new Board Members will bring as MICYRN continues to advance maternal and pediatric health research across Canada.