The AVA team is comprised of 203+ members and growing, including 69 academic partners and 85 community partners across Canada.
AVA also has key partnerships with:
- UNICEF (L. Wolff)
- Families Canada (Z.Salih)
- Ending Violence Association of Canada (E. Whitmore)
- Federal Minister of Women and Gender Equality’s Advisory Council on Gender-Based Violence (L. Wells)
- Seven Support for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) networks across Canada
- Four women with lived experience of violence and adversity to ensure collaborative and meaningful patient engagement.
- Sixteen outstanding “named” mentors

Over the course of the AVA Training Platform, additional academic and community agency team members will be added for succession planning and address emergent training needs.
See below for a comprehensive list of our partners by region
British Columbia
Principal Applicants | Co-Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Margaret Jackson | Shirley Chau Jackie Gruber Balbir Gurm Jennifer Marchbank Sarah Merrill | Alliance of Canadian Research Centres on Gender-Based Violence (ACRC) Lead: Devinder Chatta BC Women’s Health Foundation Leads: Tamil Kendall & Lori Brotto BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre, Provincial Health Services Authority Lead: Ann Pederson Dixon Transition Society Lead: Monika Verma, Director Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver Lead: Vera LeFranc Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC) Lead: Kate Rossiter FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children Lead: Sarah Yercich Engaged Communities Canada Society Lead: Upkar Tatlay Jewish Family and Child Service Lead: Pamela James Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships Leads: Balbir Gurm & Jim Cessford WINGS Lead: Lorrie Wasyliw, Director |
Alberta
Principal Applicants | Co-Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Jennifer Leason Nicole Letourneau Kharah Ross | Lubna Anis Carla Bertsch Deborah Dewey Aliyah Dosani Deinera Exner-Cortens Gerald Giesbrecht Susan Graham Rebecca Hudson Breen Angelique Jenny Regine King Sheila McDonald Stephanie Montesanti Sarah Moore Brent Oliver Maria Parrilla-Lopez (Santana) Lana Wells | Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters Lead: Miranda Pilipchuk Alberta Health Services Leads: Carolyn Pada & Kelsey Berg Alberta SPOR Patient Engagement Team Lead: Paul Fairie Awo Taan Healing Lodge Lead: Josie Nepinak, Carolyn Woodroffe, Raquel Marquez Calgary Counselling Centre Lead: Robbie Babins-Wagner Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter Lead: Gillian Weaver-Dunlop CHILD Studies Lead: Martha Hart CUPS Calgary Leads: Carlene Donnelly, Raymond Downie & Nicole Williams Discovery House Leads: Leslie Hill & Lowi D’Sa Elizabeth House Lead: Michelle Haywood HelpSeeker Technologies Lead: Aline Turner HomeFront Leads: Justin Dafoe & Joy Steppacher Hull Services Leads: Emily Wang, Nicole Berggren & Tiffany Beks | Kindred Leads: Jessica Cope Williams & Melanie Grylls Palix Foundation Lead: Nancy Mannix Reforming the Family Justice System Lead: Diana Lowe Ruth’s House Lead: Dee Adekugbe (Mama Dee) Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation Lead: Nicole Eshkakogan Sagesse Leads: Carrie McManus & Amy Munroe Sonshine Community Services Leads: Susan Herman & Lisa Congo Stardale Women’s Group Inc. Lead: Helen McPhaden Starlings Community Inc. Lead: Agnes Chen University of Calgary Leads: William (Bill) Ghali & Penny Pexman University of Calgary, GradSkills Lead: Tara Christie Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Lead: Tanya Voth |
Saskatchewan
Principal Applicants | Co-Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Jorden Cummings | Pamela Downe Alexandra King Malcom King Stephanie Martin Lise Milne Nathalie Reid | Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS) Leads: Crystal Giesbrecht & Jo-Anne Dusel Regina Family Services Lead: Shellie Pociuk Regina Transition House Lead: Meghan Gould Saskatoon Family Services Lead: Janine Baumann SOFIA House Lead: Tmira Marchment STOPS to Violence Lead: Tracey Knutson |
Manitoba
Principal Applicants | Co-Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Kendra Nixon Ashley Stewart-Tufescu | Tracie Afifi Christine Ateah Terry Klassen Javier Mignone Caroline Piotrowski Leslie Roos | ChezRachel Lead: Sonia Grmela Centre for Social Science Research and Policy (CSSRP) Lead: Shayna Plaut Manitoba Association of Women Shelters (MAWS) Lead: Deena Brock Marymound Inc. Leads: Nancy Parker & Dawn Isaac Mosaic – Newcomer Family Resource Network Leads: Maisa’a Haj Ahmad, Val Cavers & Jean Tinling PAC (U Manitoba) Lead: Marie Grisbrook Patient Engagement Committee Lead: Angela Soulsby Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting Lead: Joan Durrant Steinbach Family Resource Centre Lead: Jo-Anne Dalton Willow Place Lead: Marcie Wood |
Ontario
Principal Applicants | Co-Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Francine Darroch Peter George Jaffe Katreena Scott | Linda Baker Tara Black Dillon Browne Ian Graham Lyndsay Hayhurst Kim Jackson Simon Lapierre Tara Mantler Debbie Sheppard-Lemoine Panagiota Tryphonopoulos Mark Wade | Anova Lead: Annalise Trudell Child Welfare Institute, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto Lead: Deborah Goodman Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario Leads: Marta Hajek & Raeann Rideout Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa Leads: Diane Serré & Zoe West Jean Tweed Leads: Julia Bloomenfeld, Susy Cannon & Connie Cheung Jewish Family & Child Service of Greater Toronto Lead: Sharyn Feldman Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration Lead: Mohammed Baobaid |
Quebec
Principal Applicants | Co-Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Geneviève Lessard | Geneviève Belleville Kathrine Larose-Hébert Sylvie Lévesque | Regroupement des organismes ESPACE du Québec Lead: Janie Bergeron Viol-Secours Lead: Julie Tremblay |
Maritimes
Principal Applicants | Co-Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Tracey Rickards | Shelly Doucet Carmen Gill Heather Helpard Megan Huckins Alison Luke Lillian MacNeill Ted (James) McDonald Holly Richardson Matt Rogers | Liberty Lane Inc. Lead: Alyson Pizzey New Brunswick Social Pediatrics Leads: Sarah Campbell & Sarah Gander PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre (PEIRSAC) Lead: Rachel Cowder PEI Alliance for Mental Well-Being Lead: Karen Cumberland Tri County Women’s Centre Lead: Trish McCourt |
Northwest Territories
Principal Applicants | Community Agency Collaborators/ Knowledge Users |
Pertice Moffitt | YWCA NWT Lead: Hawa Dumbuya-Sesay |
National/International
Community Agency Collaborators/Knowledge Users |
CAAN (Communities, Alliances & Networks) Leads: Renee Masching, Tim Grouette Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion Lead: Steve Leong Canadian Centre on Substance use and Addiction (CCSA) Lead: Doris Payer Ending Violence Association of Canada (EVA) Lead: Erin Whitmore & Stephanie Lanthier Families Canada Leads: Rebecca Balcerzak & Zindu Salih InsightFormation Inc. Lead: Bill Barberg UNICEF Canada Lead: Lisa Wolff |
Knowledge Users
Province | Individual | Affiliated Institution |
British Columbia | Ranjit Dhari | University of British Columbia, School of Nursing |
Manitoba | Lorna Turnbull Diane Hiebert-Murphy Marlyn Bennett | University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law University of Manitoba, Faculty of Social Work University of Manitoba, Faculty of Social Work |
Ontario | Ramona Alaggia | University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work; Women and Gender Studies Institute |
Maritimes | Rosann Edwards | University of New Brunswick, Department of Nursing and Health Sciences |
SPOR (Strategies for Patient Oriented Research) Partners
Province | Individual | Affiliated Institution |
Alberta | Paul Fairie Cliff Lindeman Denise Thomson Gabrielle Zimmermann | Alberta SPOR Patient Engagement Team, University of Calgary Alberta SPOR & PIHCIN Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit |
Manitoba | Alanna Baldwin Gayle Halas | Manitoba SPOR & PIHCIN Manitoba SPOR & PIHCIN |
Maritimes | Ted (James) McDonald Elizabeth Lappin | Maritime SPOR Support Network (MSSU) |
Platform Advisory Committee (PAC)
Member | Role | Affiliation |
Carlene Donnelly | PAC Chair & Principal Knowledge User | Executive Director of CUPS |
Lubna Anis | Co-Applicant | Post-doctoral Fellow, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary |
Carla Bertsch | EDI Champion & Collaborator | Sexual Violence Support Advocate, University of Calgary |
Susan Graham | Co-Applicant | Director of the ACHRI Owerko Centre for Children’s Neurodevelopment and Mental Health |
Diane Hiebert-Murphy | Collaborator | Vice-Provost, University of Manitoba |
Malcom & Alexandra King | Indigenous Champion, Co-Applicant | Professor, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan |
Regine King | Racialized Diversity Champion, Co-Applicant | Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary |
Doris Payer | Collaborator | Knowledge Broker, Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction |
Maria Jose Parilla Lopez (Santana) | PEC Co-Chair & Co-Applicant | Associate Professor, Dept. of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary |
Angela Soulsby | PEC Co-Chair & Co-Applicant | Patient |
Lana Wells | Co-Applicant | Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Calgary, and Member of Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development’s Advisory Council on Gender-Based Violence |
William (Bill) Ghali & Penny Pexman | Collaborator | Vice-President Research, University of Calgary |
Janelle Lee | Trainee | PhD Student in University of Calgary, Community Health Sciences |
Marie Grisbook | Trainee | PhD student in the University of Calgary, Faculty of Nursing |
TBA | CEC Chair |
Women & Gender-Diverse Engagement Committee (WGDEC)
Member | Role | Affiliation |
Marcia Bruce | Patient | PaCER |
Simone Lalonde | Patient | |
Rabea Chishti | Patient | |
Barb Tiedemann | Patient; Co-Chair | |
Heather Martens | Patient; Co-Chair | PaCER |
Rhonda Walter Desjarlais | Patient | PaCER |
Masidon Bischoff | Patient | |
Karen Moffat | Patient | |
Hayley Cressall | Patient; Co-Chair | |
Amanda Saunders | Patient |