About Us
At Collaboration Station, we are passionate about learning through sharing lived experiences, and to making research meaningful to families.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a sustainable and collaborative space for families to share the richness, joys, and challenges of navigating neurodiversity. We aim to build a body of evidence based on these experiences in order to support families in their journeys, and to enhance family-centered care through the sharing of these experiences through knowledge translation, for many years to come.
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.
Omolara Akinwale • Research Coordinator
Omolara Akinwale is a passionate public health researcher and the Research Coordinator for Collaboration Station. She dedicated her career to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities through scientific inquiry and evidence-based intervention. She has a strong interest in public health issues affecting children, youth, and women.
Roberta Woodgate • Collaborator
Dr. 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.
Kristy Wittmeier • Collaborator
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.
Shahina Parvin • Research Coordinator
Dr. Shahina Parvin is a Research Coordinator at the University of Manitoba. Her research focuses on rethinking deficit approaches to mental health conditions and disability of racialized immigrant women and Indigenous folx from Canadian and International contexts drawing on feminist, postcolonial and post structural scholarships. Shahina examines diversity in lived experiences of women and other marginalized folx to develop diversified and person-centered health approaches to better address the folx’s needs. Shahina received her Ph.D. from the University of Lethbridge, Alberta and completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at Brandon University, Manitoba from 2021-2023. As an immigrant settler researcher, Shahina is deeply committed to decolonizing research and her co-edited special issue, “Symposium on anti‐racist and anti‐colonial theorizing,” in the Canadian Review of Sociology is an outcome of the approach.
Elizabeth Hammond • Collaborator
Elizabeth Hammond is a physiotherapist with a PhD interested in the management of pain and rehabilitation of the shoulder, arm, and hand. She works in the research department at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children (RCC) and a faculty member in the Physical Therapy department at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Manitoba.
Aniela Mora • Student Trainee
Aniela Mora 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.
Bunmi Adeyemi • Student Trainee
Bunmi Adeyemi 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
Are you a student, clinician, or researcher keen on becoming part of our team? Please reach out to us via email collaborationstation@umanitoba.ca, and we'll reach out to you shortly. Thank you for expressing your interest; we look forward to your involvement!