Alyssa Brierley is a lawyer and public policy professional with more than a decade of experience in public policy, legal service and operations management. She was most recently the Executive Director at the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA), Canada’s leading non-profit organization focused on advancing the right to housing. Over her four years in the post, she led the organization through a significant period of growth and transition that included a national expansion, organizational rebranding, and significant expansion of its research, policy advocacy, strategic litigation and services work.

Prior to joining CERA, Alyssa served as the health, social, justice and labour policy advisor to the President of the Treasury Board of Ontario, and as Director of Policy to the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure. Alyssa has also worked as a legal research and communications advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, a lawyer and policy analyst at the Ontario College of Teachers and a Lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University, and she completed her articles at Torys LLP.

Alyssa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo, a Master’s degree in Political Science from York University, a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University.

Dr. Samir Sinha is the Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, Director of Geriatrics at Sinai Health System and the University Health Network in Toronto, and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

A Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Sinha is a highly regarded clinician and international expert in the care of older adults. He is the Architect of the Government of Ontario’s Seniors Strategy and in 2014, Maclean’s proclaimed him to be one of Canada’s 50 most influential people and its most compelling voice for the elderly. Dr. Sinha was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Government of Canada’s National Seniors Council, and is also leading the development of new National Long-Term Care Standards for Canada.

Beyond Canada, Dr. Sinha is a Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society and a member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. Dr. Sinha has further consulted and advised hospitals and health authorities in Britain, China, Iceland, Singapore, St. Kitts and Nevis, Taiwan and the United States on the implementation and administration of unique, integrated and innovative models of geriatric care that reduce disease burden, improve access and capacity and ultimately promote health.

Ryan Lester, CFRE, is the Director of Partnerships and Development at TMU’s National Institute on Ageing (NIA). His focus for the past fifteen years has been on developing the resources needed for non-profit and charitable organizations in Canada to deliver on their missions and improve the lives of vulnerable and marginalized communities. He was most recently the Director of Principal Gifts at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation, inspiring philanthropy and partnerships that enabled research, care and education at CAMH – Canada’s leading hospital for mental health. Prior to joining CAMH Foundation, Ryan held the position of Senior Director of Development and Communications at Hospice Mississauga, a healthcare organization in Ontario’s Peel Region, providing compassion, support and advocacy that lessens the distress of serious illness and loss on individuals, families and the community. Ryan has also worked with organizations in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion space as a Director at Egale Canada, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, and Pride Toronto. As a volunteer, Ryan has served as the Treasurer for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and on the Education Committee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Toronto Chapter.

Talia Bronstein is an experienced public policy professional with a passion for social change. Most recently, Talia held the position of VP Research & Advocacy at Daily Bread Food Bank where she was an outspoken advocate for income security, affordable housing, and decent work. Through previous roles at Ontario Health, the Association of Ontario Midwives, CAMH, and the Alliance for Healthier Communities, Talia helped shape upstream investments to create thriving communities across the lifespan. As a consultant, she led public consultations and advised on complex policy transformations for public sector clients across Canada. Her unique experiences spanning the public, private, and non-profit sectors provide Talia with a unique perspective to building collaborative relationships with community members, partner organizations, and government to tackle systems-level change. Talia holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Toronto and she was honoured to receive the Frances Lankin Inspiring Leadership Award in 2021.

Megan Acton is the Manager of Operations and Special Projects at the NIA. Prior to working for the NIA, Megan completed her BA in Health Studies and Gerontology at McMaster University, and MA in Ageing and Society at King’s College London (UK) where she gained a strong understanding of the experiences of ageing societies and policies for an ageing world. Following her education, Megan worked as a Program Manager at the International Federation on Ageing leading the Vaccines4Life, Hearing and United Nations portfolios. Megan also has experience working in the ageing field within the areas of retirement living, long term care, and public health through her internship at Public Health England where she assisted the Older People Team to provide evidence-based research and national recommendations for the UK Department of Health.

Ashley Flanagan (she/her) completed her PhD in Ageing, Health, and Wellbeing at the University of Waterloo. She brings extensive expertise in the areas of socio-cultural gerontological and leisure perspectives, social justice and diversity, qualitative research methodologies, and social theory. Specifically, Ashley’s research focuses on 2SLGBTQIA+ ageing and old age with the goal of advancing comprehensive health and wellness policy, programs, and services for older adults with diverse gender and sexual identities. Ashley is also a member of the Ontario Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation’s (CLRI) Supporting Diversity & Inclusion in Long-Term Care Advisory Group.

He Chen, FRM, is a Research Fellow at the National Institute on Ageing. Passionate about improving the financial well-being of older adults, He worked at Canada’s top pension funds before joining the NIA. With nearly 10 years of experience in the financial industry — including with hedge funds, banks, pension funds and in asset management — he brings extensive knowledge of capital markets and pensions. With a Master of Mathematics in Actuarial Science and a Bachelor of Mathematics in Actuarial Science & Statistics from University of Waterloo, he received the Statistics and Actuarial Science Chair’s Award and has co-authored academic papers on retirement financial security and education. Previously, he collaborated with Statistics Canada on the LifePaths project, a longitudinal microsimulation model analyzing individual and familial behaviour in Canada. He also teaches Financial Risk Manager courses and supports new graduates and finance professionals to build their inventory of skills.

Arushan Arulnamby first came to the NIA as a graduate practicum student in May 2020. In this role, he was involved in the co-authorship of the shingles white paper and the development of the NIA Long-Term Care COVID-19 Tracker. Arushan completed the Master of Public Health program from the University of Toronto, along with the Collaborative Specialization in Global Health and the Collaborative Specialization in Aging, Palliative and Supportive Care Across the Life Course programs. Since his practicum, Arushan has worked on projects with the NIA, such as a jurisdictional review and impact assessment. He has also worked as a Research Assistant for the Knowledge Translation Program at St. Michael’s Hospital, taking part in data collection, data analysis, and report writing for multiple research projects.

Elizabeth Mebrahtu is a Health Policy Researcher at the NIA. She currently holds both a Master of Global Health Systems & Management and an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) from Western University. Elizabeth has experience as a research coordinator and a health policy and systems analyst. Her research interests are centred on strengthening health system building blocks and addressing health policy gaps in order to mitigate health disparities between global populations.

Kathryn Peterson is a research and special projects coordinator at the National Institute on Ageing. She holds a Master of Health Administration (Community Care) from the Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, and has over 15 years of experience in health and social care. Kathryn is also a philanthropist and serves as Executive Director and trustee of The Peterson Foundation, supporting Canadian mental health, addiction, and wellness initiatives. Previously, she studied and worked as a registered massage therapist, providing holistic and person-centred care to various populations, including older adults and adults with chronic conditions. Kathryn was also a 2021-22 Healthy Ageing Scholar at the National Institute on Ageing, in partnership with the LIFE Institute.

Christopher Carter is a Healthy Ageing Scholar at the NIA. Currently pursuing a MA in Public Policy and Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University, he is dedicated to working towards creating positive change in the lives of seniors. Christopher’s research experience includes working on projects that examine vaccination coverage of Canadian seniors and a report that evaluates the current state of dementia care in Canada. He also has experience in the non-profit sector, developing policy recommendations in areas related to social and physical health, long term care, elder abuse, and infection prevention.

Sam Zhang is an enthusiastic and dedicated undergraduate student majoring in Global Health with minors in Economics and Immunology at the University of Toronto. With a strong passion for enhancing the well-being of seniors, Sam has actively participated in research projects related to the National Institute on Ageing's focus areas. Their research includes studying the economic implications of the retirement system in Canada for older adults, as well as investigating community resilience among aging populations. With a diverse academic background and research experience, Sam is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of seniors and supporting the mission of the National Institute on Aging.