Research Manitoba Staff
Jennifer Cleary
CEO
Jennifer previously worked with Research Manitoba as the Programs Manager from 2019-2021 and brings extensive experience working with government and post-secondary institutions with her to this new position. Her thorough knowledge and understanding of the diverse research community in Manitoba is vital to supporting the work of researchers and industry partners.
Her most recent role was as Director of Economic Opportunities and Investments for the Manitoba government’s Department of Economic Development, Investment, Trade, and Natural Resources.
Jennifer’s projects have included the development of a dedicated provincial government unit specializing in providing navigation services to businesses looking to start up, expand or invest in Manitoba. This team provided support to over 300 Manitoba businesses in the last two years. While with the Manitoba government, Jennifer also led the development of a new software system supporting more effective business processes and client-orientated approaches.
As Programs Manager at Research Manitoba, Jennifer led the creation and launch of the Innovation Proof-of-Concept Grant, along with the COVID-19 Research Fund programming.
Pam Harrison
Director, Finance and Administration
Pam is a CPA CGA in good standing for over 25 years and is proficient in financial management gained in telecommunications, manufacturing, and financial services industries.
Pam has over 20 years of experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver results and implement industry leading sustainable solutions that satisfy corporate risk appetite and regulatory requirements. She is known for strategic thinking, leading change initiatives and building high performance teams.
Freyja Arnason
Director, Strategy and Programs
As the Director of Strategy and Programs, Freyja will focus on building a strong team and collaborating with academic institutions, industry partners, and provincial and federal agencies to identify strategic opportunities for research and innovation in Manitoba. Freyja has a deep understanding of research programming having begun in this area earlier in her career with the provincial research agency. She also served as the past Director of RITHIM for Research Manitoba. Freyja’s strong leadership and team-building abilities that she brought to her past role as the Director of RITHIM will greatly benefit the Programs team as Research Manitoba continues to respond to the needs and opportunities that enable us to contribute to Manitoba’s economic health and well-being.
Freyja has a Master of Arts Degree in Canadian Politics and Public Administration and over 15 years of experience working in progressively senior roles in the research and innovation sector, first with the Government of Manitoba and then with Research Manitoba.
Ashley King
Program Officer
Ashley is a Métis graduate from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience. Throughout her academic journey, she excelled in research and was actively involved with projects across various disciplines. With a background in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, Ashley has gained hands-on experience in health, social, and environmental sciences. Her ability to adapt to different domains has allowed her to make valuable contributions to diverse research projects. She is excited to leverage her skills and assist in impactful research endeavors as a program officer.
Yasmin Iman
Program Officer
Yasmin completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Nutritional Science at the University of Manitoba. She began as a research assistant during her undergrad in multiple areas including food science and nutrition, and transitioned to coordinating research trials focusing on dietary interventions in relation to chronic diseases.
Yasmin brings vast experience which has allowed her to publish manuscripts, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, interact with regulatory bodies and understand all aspects of managing clinical trials. She is thrilled to utilize and contribute her skills to Research Manitoba as a Program Officer.
Hope Holmes
Communications Officer
Hope was previously the Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator for the RITHIM initiative, and is excited to bring her communications background to promote the wide breadth of Research Manitoba’s activities. Prior to joining Research Manitoba, she worked for various organizations including the Sport, Culture and Heritage department of the Manitoba government and arts organizations including Deluxe Postproduction and Penguin Random House. She also enjoyed a successful career as a freelance arts consultant for many years, as an editor for over twenty published titles with a focus on amplifying underrepresented voices, and as a developer of film and television projects.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours from York University in Communications and Film Studies.
Ryan Catte
Policy and Programs Manager
Ryan is a born and raised Winnipegger with a master’s degree from the University of Manitoba in Sociology. In 2018 Ryan became a Credentialed Evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) and currently serves as the CES Manitoba Chapter President. Over the previous 10 years Ryan has worked with organizations from the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors completing operational reviews, summative and formative evaluations, environmental scans, other jurisdictional/best practice research, and business cases.
As Policy and Programs Manager, Ryan is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data related to funding programs, policies and initiatives related to the mandate of Research Manitoba.
Cheryl Francisco
Administrative Assistant
Cheryl offers invaluable support to all aspects and areas of Research Manitoba serving as the Administrative Assistant.
Liz Lylyk
Director, RITHIM
Liz has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare system including 16 years in the Clinical Trials Unit at CancerCare Manitoba. There, as the Resource Coordinator, Ethics & Regulatory Affairs, Liz held a key role in establishing standards, guidelines, and structure for clinical trial conduct. Liz is experienced in all aspects of clinical trials including research ethics board submissions, impact reviews, regulatory affairs, Health Canada submissions, consent development, pediatric trials, and investigator-initiated trials.
In her previous role as the Manager of RITHIM, Liz worked closely with the past Director of RITHIM and RITHIM Project Officers to support stakeholders including researchers, academic institutions, and health system partners to improve time-to-conduct for health research in Manitoba. Liz’s strong leadership and strategic abilities that she brought to her management role with RITHIM will benefit the program and team as she enters into her new role as the Director of RITHIM. Liz will continue to work toward completing the final phase of PRAS and resume stewarding the relationships with key stakeholders including researchers, post-secondary institutions, industry, government, and health system partners to foster research and innovation in Manitoba.
Anna Glybina
RITHIM Program Officer (CHIPER)
Anna is an International Medical Graduate and worked as a Nephrologist prior to moving to Canada in 2016. Here she started her career in Clinical Research and worked in the role of Research Assistant at SOGH Chronic Disease Innovation Centre for over 5 years, thus gaining experience in managing all aspects of clinical trials and various other research projects. Within RITHIM she will be the lead for ethics reviews by the Committee for Health Impact, Privacy, Ethics Review (CHIPER, coordinating submissions, review committee meetings, and providing support to researchers, members, and stakeholders.)
Elaine Burland
RITHIM Program Officer (PHRPC)
Elaine brings a wealth of experience with data and privacy to her role as lead for the provincial Health Research Privacy Committee (PHRPC). She received a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences and an MSc in Family Studies, both from the University of Manitoba. She worked at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) from 2001-2020. Prior to joining MCHP, she worked for the South-Eastman Regional Health Authority as a research project coordinator for the ‘Tots Study’ and as a research coordinator for the Pembina Valley Learning Centre. Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to gain experience in many different areas including program evaluation, research program management, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and working with administrative data.
Mark Pinder
RITHIM Program Officer (Support and Training)
Mark holds a MSc in Human Nutrition from the University of Manitoba. After several years of working on nutrition and exercise studies, Mark transitioned to a Clinical Trials Coordinator role where he spent three years running drug intervention studies with high risk/high morbidity populations.
Mark brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of trial management including ethics, privacy, impact approvals, and interacting with regulatory bodies. At RITHIM, Mark works to implement and provide ongoing training and support for the electronic administration system for all stakeholders, researchers, and support staff in Manitoba.