WelcomeOur Institute
Award Winners

Check out the recipients of our 2023 Awards Program

Events

Growing our event lineup

Leadership

A Message from Our Leaders

Metrics

A year in numbers – facts and figures about research in FY2023-2024

Past Reports

View our annual reports from previous years

Stewardship

See how St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation supports research in the Heart of Hamilton

Our Beginnings

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has included Discovery as part of its Mission since the Sisters of St. Joseph’s first established their Hospital in 1890. With the formation of the medical school at McMaster University in the 1960s, the academic research endeavours at St. Joe’s expanded significantly. As the Hospital’s capacity for research grew, the need to establish a research administration team was met through the creation of the Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre in 1993.

More recently, Research St. Joseph’s – Hamilton (RSJH) was conceived as a separate entity that would allow further growth of research at our Hospital. Branded as The Research Institute of St. Joe’s Hamilton, RSJH became the official, autonomous administrative body for research at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton on April 1, 2014.

As a SR&ED eligible entity for third-party research investors, the newly minted Research Institute was able to pursue previously missed opportunities to directly fund research. Combined with an effective marketing campaign launched in mid-2014, The Research Institute gained prominence and steadily grew the body of research and innovation within St. Joe’s. The Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre became one of four original pillars of The Research Institute. Today, RSJH operates across five research pillars with annual funding exceeding $45 million.

While staying true to its original mandate by providing administrative support to researchers within St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, The Research Institute has grown to become a fully operational Institute with specialized IT for research, marketing, finance, training, and compliance services. It has helped to build research programs within other hospital systems, including Niagara Health, and works with our McMaster University partners to protect and commercialize intellectual property. Through seminars and events, The Research Institute has also contributed to recognizing the achievements of our researchers, providing continuing education opportunities, and integrating St. Joe’s within Hamilton’s innovative network of health science organizations.

Staff of The Research Institute pose for a photo during our Celebrate Research event on November 9, 2023.

The Research Administration Team

The Research Institute’s administration team consists of the Scientific Director, the Chief Operating Officer, and specialists from a variety of fields who work collaboratively to meet the needs of St. Joe’s research community. The team is continuously working to improve the various processes of research administration in order to create efficiencies that allow our research community to thrive.

Dr. Lehana Thabane

Scientific Director

Sarah Howe

Chief Operating Officer

Mackensey Bacon

Manager, Innovation & Partnerships

Mike Beattie

Research Communications Manager

Jamie Bennett

Research Communications Specialist

Shawn Billington

Research Financial Analyst

Doug Campbell

Research Systems Manager

Sylvia Chong

Research Facilities Manager

Andrew Cowan

Research Contracts & Legal Officer

Suzana Damjanovic

Clinical Trial Activation Specialist

Gabriella Di Santo

Research Contracts & Legal Officer

Laura Garrick

Business & Programs Manager

Niloofar Heidarinejad

Project Coordinator, Innovation & Partnerships

Serena Lu-Beskrovnyi

Executive Coordinator

Priti Mckinnon

Executive Coordinator

Zayn Moosa

Innovation & Partnerships Analyst

Nam Nguyen

Research Communications & Marketing Intern

Alana Penny

Research Contracts & Legal Manager

Julienne Riviere

Research Administration Coordinator

Adam Weerdenburg

Pre-Award & Clinical Operations Manager

To learn more about the services offered by The Research Institute, check out the Research & Innovation Services section on our website.