Stella Ng PhD
Senior Scientist, The Wilson Centre and The Institute for Education Research
Senior Scientist and Director, Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education, UHN
Professor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr Stella Ng is the Director and Scientist of the University of Toronto's Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) at University Health Network. Originally a paediatric audiologist, Stella’s research trajectory was shaped by complex practice experiences in school-based healthcare. For nearly two decades, her research has advanced education as a powerful mechanism for transforming health and social care. Her early research identified how critically reflective practitioners enact truly collaborative, compassionate, and equitable care, and her recent research has demonstrated the outcomes of specific teaching approaches designed to foster critically reflective practice. This innovative research program connects education to changed practices and improved care experiences. As a Wilson Centre scientist, Stella collaboratively leads the Praxis Lab, an interdisciplinary community of scholars funded by competitive grants and fueled by common purpose. An award-winning educator, she holds faculty appointments in Speech-Language Pathology and Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, and has co-founded several widely influential professional development programs, including Teaching for Transformation and Collaborative Advocacy & Partnered Education (CAPE).
Current Fellows and HPER Doctoral Students: Grecia Alaniz, Jacquelin Forsey, Melanie MacKinnon
Current Fellows and HPER Doctoral Students
Grecia Alaniz
Grecia Alaniz is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, as well as a PhD Candidate in the Health Professional Education doctoral program at Western University, and a practicing pelvic health physiotherapist. She completed her Master of Science in Physiotherapy and Honours Bachelor of Science (Kinesiology) at McMaster University. Grecia's research draws on her interests in critical health discourse and reproductive health. Through this work, Grecia aims to understand the ways in which dominant discourses shape and inform the use of various reproductive technologies in maternity care provision, based on the experiences of maternity care providers. Grecia is also the recipient of the SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral) for 2022-2025.
Supervisor: Stella Ng
Olivia Drodge
Olivia Drodge is a Registered Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) Doctoral Program at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and a clinician at Women’s College Hospital. She completed her Master of Science in Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto and her Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Olivia’s clinical work is centered within the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI) and the Transition-Related Surgeries Program at Women’s College Hospital, where she provides care for individuals with chronic pelvic pain and gender-diverse populations undergoing gender-affirming surgeries. She has co-authored peer-reviewed publications and research projects on post-operative pain, pelvic health physiotherapy, and recovery outcomes, while also contributing as a co-advisor to graduate student thesis projects in physical therapy and biomedical communications.
Her commitment to education includes teaching as a lab assistant with Pelvic Health Solutions, leading the Pelvic Health Selective in the University of Toronto’s Physical Therapy Program, and serving as Professional Practice Advisor for Physiotherapy, Kinesiology, and Dietetics at Women’s College Hospital.
Olivia’s doctoral research addresses persistent knowledge gaps in the care of marginalized populations, with a focus on women and trans and gender-diverse individuals. Her work seeks to identify and implement effective educational strategies to improve patient-centered care in sensitive clinical contexts. She is the recipient of the Women’s College Hospital Education Catalyst Grant.
Supervisor: Stella Ng
Rashan Edwards
Rashan Edwards is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Rashan completed a Masters in Occupational Therapy at Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Art& Science in Biology and Family and Child Studies at the University of Guelph. Her clinical work focuses on pediatric neurorehabilitation in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Under the supervision of Dr. Stella Ng and Dr. Nicole Woods, her research aims to explore the ethical implications of healthcare professional students participating in international fieldwork opportunities.
Supervisors: Stella Ng and Nicole Woods
Melanie MacKinnon
Melanie MacKinnon is a PhD student in Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, in collaboration with the faculty of the Wilson Centre, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Melanie is a practicing Physiotherapist, and she holds an Assistant Professor, teaching stream position in the Department of Physiotherapy, in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She completed a Master of Clinical Science in Physiotherapy (Manual Therapy) at Western University, a Master of Science in Physiotherapy from the University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor of Science Kinesiology (First Class Honours) from Dalhousie University.
Melanie's research is exploring how assessments can integrate technical skills with social and humanistic elements of practice to better prepare clinicians for real-world care. Her research emphasizes critically reflective practice, examining personal and societal assumptions and power relations that shape professional behavior. By fostering critical reflection that leads to action, she aims to help future clinicians challenge biases and systemic inequities, ultimately preparing them to deliver care that is both clinically competent and socially responsive.
Supervisor: Stella Ng
Andrea Pozo-Barruel
Andrea Pozo-Barruel is a Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre, and a PhD student in the Health Professions Education Research (HPER) doctoral concentration offered by the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She completed a Master of Education at the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science in Human Communication Sciences at the Universidad de las Americas in Mexico. Her research interests focus on how disability is represented in the healthcare context, and how these representations construct the identity of people living with a disability. Currently, Andrea’s doctoral work explores how disability is conceptualized in paediatrics populations within rehabilitation.
Andrea is the recipient of the Kimel-Schatzky Scholarship at the Wilson Centre for 2022-2025.
Supervisors: Paula Rowland. Stella Ng, Maria Mylopoulos