About Us
At Collaboration Station, we bring families together to share lived experiences through storytelling and creative expressions.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a welcoming, accessible, and collaborative space where families share the joys, challenges, and everyday experiences of navigating neurodiversity. By valuing and sharing lived experiences, we aim to build meaningful knowledge that supports families and strengthens family-centred care over time.
Meet the Team
Dr. Mandy Archibald • Lead Researcher
Dr. Mandy Archibald leads a research program focused on the creative engagement and use of research findings based on family’s lived experiences. She is a nurse-researcher, artist, Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba, and Research Scientist with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. She received her PhD from the University of Alberta in 2016 and completed CIHR postdoctoral training at Flinders University from 2016-2019. As an applied research methodologist, she develops and applies technological and arts-based innovations to promote family involvement in child health research and care using mixed methods approaches. She is a CIHR SickKids New Investigator, Research Manitoba New Investigator, recipient of the Falconer Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Award, and she is the Principal Investigator for Collaboration Station.
Amy Abegglen • Research Coordinator
Amy brings a background in Exercise Science (B.Sc.) and Kinesiology (M.Sc.) to her role as Research Coordinator for Collaboration Station. Her research centers on patient and caregiver lived experiences, including work in women’s heart health, community engagement, and early mobilization in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit. She is passionate about creating meaningful opportunities for families to engage in research and share their experiences to help improve care and outcomes.
Dr. Roberta Woodgate • Collaborator
Dr. Roberta Woodgate is an internationally renowned Child/Youth researcher who holds a prestigious Tier 1 Canadian Research Chair in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare. An integrated knowledge translation approach that engages children, youth, and families in the co-design of research is a cornerstone of her research program entitled ‘IN•GAUGE.’ Roberta researches the perspectives and lived experiences of children and youth across a wide range of health conditions, disabilities, and challenging life events by employing innovative and arts-based participatory research methods for knowledge production and translation. Roberta’s research works to improve the health and social outcomes of children, youth, and their families, as well as advance the type and extent of care and services they receive.
Dr. Kristy Wittmeier • Collaborator
Dr. Kristy Wittmeier co-leads the Excellence In Neurodevelopment and Rehabilitation Research in Child Health (ENRRICH) Research Theme. She is a physiotherapist clinician researcher, and has affiliations with the University of Manitoba, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba and Rehabilitation Centre for Children / SSCY Network. Kristy leads and participates in research that aims to move knowledge into action to make healthcare more relevant, effective, and accessible for families. She does much of her work in partnership with family members and health care providers. Kristy is also a physiotherapist with the Jordan's Principle Program in the Outreach Department at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children.
Dr. Elizabeth Hammond • Collaborator
Dr. Elizabeth Hammond is a Physiotherapist and an Associate Professor in the department of Physical Therapy in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Manitoba, research associate at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children (RCC)/ SSCY Network and affiliated with the Excellence in Neurodevelopment and Rehabilitation Research In Child Health (ENRRICH) at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM).
Aniela Mora Menendez • Student Trainee
Aniela is a Registered Nurse currently on the path to achieving her Master in Nursing degree, specializing in clinical-focused research. She has years of hands-on experience in a specialized service for children, adolescents and their families living with neurodevelopmental needs. Aniela is committed to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and its real-world applications.
Princess Finecountry-Okezie • Student Trainee
Princess is a Master of Nursing Student at the University of Manitoba, with a research interest in neurodevelopmental differences in children and family‑centered care. She has contributed to research examining the nurses' attitudes and perceptions toward managing the care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, offering insights that support a more responsive and evidence‑informed practice. She is committed to informing better strategies to improve the care and support available to individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families.
Tyler Fernando • Student Trainee
Tyler is a 2nd-year Honours Science–Business Co-op student at the University of Waterloo with an interest in biotechnology, patient engagement, and pediatric health research. His experiences volunteering in healthcare settings and working with families motivated him to become involved with Collaboration Station. Tyler was drawn to the project’s focus on making research more accessible and meaningful for families navigating neurodiversity. He hopes to pursue a career in medicine and is interested in how research grounded in family voices can inform more compassionate and responsive care.
Bunmi Adeyemi • Student Trainee
Bunmi is a 2nd year student completing her bachelors in the Interdisciplinary faculty of Health Sciences (IHP) at Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Bunmi’s valuable experiences while volunteering in the neurodivergent and neurodevelopmental communities in Winnipeg, attracted her to the Collaboration Station. She is passionate about raising awareness and making researcher accessible to neurodivergent community particularly youth. She received the URA award to work as a summer research assistant for Dr. Mandy Archibald on the Collaboration Station Project.
Our Story
At Collaboration Station, we are passionate about learning through sharing lived experiences, and to making research meaningful to families. We aim to create a creative space where families can share their experiences of neurodiversity, learn from others, and feel supported. Storytelling is a powerful vehicle for knowledge sharing, a way to make sense of experiences, and a way to learn through the experiences of others. Collaboration Station was developed with families and for families, it grew from a partnership with the Rehabilitation Centre for Children at the Specialized Services for Children and Youth Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 2019 when we discovered a need to better support families to become involved in, and to benefit from research, and to also learn from the rich experiences of others along similar journeys. Collaboration Station helps connect families with research, in a way that matters to them. It also helps health professionals learn about these experiences, learn what support is needed, and learn what is important to their care.
Get Involved
Interested in joining our team? Whether you’re a student, clinician, or researcher, please fill in the form below or email us at collaborationstation@umanitoba.ca —we will be in touch soon. We can't wait to connect!