Team

Dr. Brian Feldman, MD, M.Sc., FRCPC

Division Head, Rheumatology, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

Senior Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, SickKids Research Institute

Professor, Department of Pediatrics & Medicine, Health Policy Management & Evaluation, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

Dr. Brian Feldman graduated from the University of Western Ontario (MD, 1985) and he did further graduate training in clinical epidemiology at the University of Toronto (M.Sc., 1994). He interned at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and went on to do a core paediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Dr. Feldman returned to Toronto as the associate chief resident at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). There, he completed a fellowship in paediatric rheumatology.

Dr. Feldman is a member of the Pediatric Rheumatology Collaborative Study Group, the Canadian Alliance of Pediatric Rheumatology Investigators, the International Myositis Assessment Criteria study group, and other collaborative organizations. He was one of the founding members of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA), and was the head of the protocol evaluation subcommittee and chair of the Juvenile Dermatomyositis subcommittee.

Research Staff

Kayla Baker

Clinical Research Project Coordinator

HBSc – Biology (Psychology Minor) -McMaster
University
Graduate Certificate –Clinical Research –Humber
College

Kayla started at SickKids in 2020 as a Clinical Research Intern in Dr. Feldman’s lab and officially joined the team in 2021. Prior to this, she had a diverse history working in both diagnostic and research labs for both humans and animals. In her current position, Kayla coordinates several registries and biorepositories for kids with JIA, JDM and autoinflammatory conditions. When she’s not entering data, you will find her biking along the Toronto waterfront or enjoying some friendly competitive card games.

Vanessa Carbone

Clinical Research Project Coordinator

HBSc (Spec.) - Kinesiology and Health Science - York University
MSc (C) – Kinesiology and Health Science – York University

Vanessa started at SickKids in 2018 as a clinical research volunteer with SPARRK and officially joined Dr. Feldman’s lab in 2023.  Her interest in pediatric rheumatology research stems from her own diagnosis with a childhood rheumatic disease.  Vanessa is currently coordinating several registries for children with JIA, JDM, and other rheumatological diseases.  She also serves as a patient collaborator with the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA).  In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys going to the gym, reading novels, and trying new restaurants with family and friends!

Hayyah Clairman

Clinical Research Project Manager

HBSc – Cell and Molecular Biology & Human Biology (Anthropology minor) – University of Toronto
MSc – Medical Science – University of Toronto

Hayyah has been involved with SickKids since 2010 when she was a summer research student. Since then she has been involved in several research projects across a number of departments. Hayyah joined the Feldman team in 2017 where she now coordinates all of the juvenile dermatomyositis studies. Her favorite thing about SickKids is the robust collaborative network among physicians and researchers. She is also a chocolate lover, and likes difficult sudoku and jigsaw puzzles.

Ingrid Goh

Senior Research Associate (PM)

HBSc – University of Toronto
PhD – University of Toronto

Ingrid has been active at SickKids as a student, volunteer, and employee. She manages a portfolio of studies in the Division of Rheumatology. Ingrid is interested in patient engagement, quality improvement, digital technology, and knowledge translation research. During her spare time, Ingrid volunteers with many organizations.

Natasha Naraidoo

Clinical Research Project Coordinator

HBSc – Psychology – York University

Natasha has been working at SickKids since 2016, and has been part of the Feldman team since 2018. She is currently coordinating and assisting with projects in rheumatology and haematology. Prior to this, she worked at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). She has always held a special interest in paediatric mental health, working as an instructional therapist helping children with developmental disabilities and behavioural difficulties. She is also a member of the Peer Support and Trauma Response Team at SickKids. In her free time, Natasha loves to spend time with her family which generally involves lots of food!

Katherine Sawicka

Katherine is a PhD student in Clinical Epidemiology at the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. She has been working on her PhD at SickKids since July 2020. She completed her MD at the University of Saskatchewan and is also currently in postgraduate neurology training at the University of Toronto. Her research interests are: self-management in adolescents and young adults with multiple sclerosis, long term outcomes of people with paediatric onset multiple sclerosis in adulthood, and transition from pediatric to adult care. Katherine is a member of the Neurology Pediatric-Adult Transition Working Group (University of Toronto), and the Health Hub inTransition (Children’s Healthcare Canada). In her spare time she plays tennis and makes pasta by hand.

Lizabeth Teshler

Lizabeth is a MSc student in the Institute of Medical Science program at the University of Toronto. She completed her undergraduate studies in the Honours Arts and Science program at McMaster University where she received a broad-based science and humanities education. Lizabeth has actively engaged in various research opportunities at Mount Sinai Hospital and at the McMaster Rehabilitation Science department since 2019. Lizabeth’s research interests and passions include improving child health outcomes, quality of life and hematology research. Most recently, she has worked at Bayer Pharmaceuticals Canada in their medical research department collaborating and contributing to study management in various therapeutic areas. Lizabeth loves road biking, spending time outdoors and volunteering for various community initiatives.

Ben Traubici

Ben is a MSc student in the Institute of Medical Science program at the University of Toronto. He completed his undergraduate education at Queen’s University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Life Sciences. Ben has previously been involved in different research areas at SickKids, in Child Health Evaluative Science and Cell Biology, through the SickKids Summer Research (SSuRe) Program. His research interests include quality of life measurements, complex care of the paediatric patient and the role of T cells in tissue injury. Ben is volunteering at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital as a Therapeutic Recreation volunteer with Complex Continuing Care patients. He is also involved with the IMS Magazine as a photographer and copy-editor. Ben enjoys hockey, travelling and hiking.

Research Fellows

Jayne MacMahon

Childhood Myositis Clinical Research Fellow

MB BCh BAO – Royal College of Surgeons Ireland

Dr. Jayne MacMahon graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland and completed her Paediatric training in Ireland. She has been a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (MRCPH) since 2015. Jayne has recently completed her clinical fellowship in Paediatric Rheumatology at SickKids. She is now sub-specialising in Childhood Myositis with a research focus on developing biomarkers for use in Juvenile Dermatomyositis. She is a member of several national and international Paediatric Rheumatology societies. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and exploring Ontario.

Past Students

Dr. Luisine Abrahamyan, PhD
Dr. Laura Avila, PhD
Dr. Susanne Benseler, MSc
Dr. Hermine Brunner, MSc
Dr. Manuel Carcao, MSc
Aubrey Chiu, MSc
Dr. Peter Church, MSc
Dr. Ivan Diamond, PhD
Dr. Andrea Doria, MSc
Dr. Grace Gong, Post-doctoral
Rachel Goren, MSc
Dr. Marissa Hang, MSc
Dr. Diane Hebert, MSc
Dr. Adam Huber, MSc
Dr. Sindhu Johnson, PhD
Dr. Jennifer Lee, MSc
Dr. Lily Siok Hoon Lim, PhD
Dr. Tomo Nozawa, Post-Doc
Dr. Irena Nulman, PhD
Dr. Moaath Saggaf, PhD
Dr. Samantha Stephens, PhD
Dr. Elizabeth Stringer, MSc
Dr. Lillian Sung, PhD
Dr. Andrea Taddio, Post-doc
Dr. Simon Tian, PhD
Dr. Pamela Valentino, MSc
Dr. Andréanne Zizzo (Benidir), MSc