Paula Robson, Principal Investigator
Paula is a nutritionist by training. She obtained a first class honours BSc in Human
Nutrition in 1991 and her PhD in 1995, both from the University of Ulster in the United
Kingdom. She became a registered nutritionist (RNutr) in 2002. Early in her career,
she was a contributor to several chapters in the Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of
Cancer report, produced by the World Cancer Research Fund. Between 1995 and 2004,
she worked as a research fellow in the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health,
where her research interests revolved around the roles played by food and nutrient
intakes in the etiology of chronic disease. During that time, she co-authored over
30 scientific papers and research reviews in the area of diet and health.
Paula moved to Alberta with her husband in July 2004, and one month later, she joined The Tomorrow Project as Project Director. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing the scientific integrity and all of the day to day operational aspects of the study. In August 2006, she became the Principal Investigator and, in addition to her previous duties, she is now responsible for expanding and developing the scope of The Tomorrow Project. This will include building on, and developing new collaborations with other Canadian and international researchers in order to take advantage of new and exciting technologies that will help answer some of the challenging questions surrounding why some people develop cancer, while others do not. Paula’s favourite activities outside work include walking, gardening, cooking and reading.
Heather Whelan, Research Manager
Heather grew up in Montreal and obtained a BSc in Physiology from McGill University.
She then completed an MSc in Kinesiology from the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to joining
The Tomorrow Project in 2007, she held teaching and research positions at the University of
Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and the University of Glasgow in Scotland. She is responsible for all the day-to-day activities involved in creating and managing the large volume of study materials, coordinating the newsletters, and overseeing all communication with participants in the study. Heather’s favourite activities outside of work include skiing, playing volleyball, and traveling.
Jason Spurrell, Research Coordinator - Biological Samples
Jason, originally from St. John’s Newfoundland, obtained a B.Sc. in cellular, molecular,
and microbial biology from the University of Calgary in 1994. Before joining The
Tomorrow Project in 2008, he worked for 13 years in medical research with primary
interests in immunity to: viruses, bacteria, and cancer. In addition to aiding in
conceptualization and writing for several successful grant proposals; he is an author
of more than 30 peer-reviewed and non peer-reviewed publications. His principal responsibility is to oversee the ongoing, day to day operations of the biological sample collection phase of The Tomorrow Project. In his free time, Jason mentors students at a martial arts school that he founded. He also enjoys playing guitar, skiing, and spending time with family.
Olga Maciejewski, Operations Coordinator
Olga originally comes from Poland, she moved to Calgary, Canada in 1999. Olga completed
her BSc degree in Psychology at the University of Calgary and is now pursuing a
Masters of Business Administration degree at the Haskayne School of Business.
Olga coordinates business administration and operations management activities
of the Tomorrow Project. She manages all contracts with outside vendors and
manages planning of the project. Olga’s favourite activities outside of work include crafts such as mosaic arts, pottery painting, card making and scrapbooking, as well as traveling.
Geraldine Lo Siou, Statistical Associate
Geraldine joined The Tomorrow Project team in 2005. Born and raised in Tahiti, she continued her education
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics at the University of Montpellier in France and a Master’s Degree in
Statistics at the University of Montreal, Quebec. Geraldine brings experience in the design, methodology
and statistical analysis of various social research projects. Her responsibilities with the team include data analysis and assistance with preparation of articles for submission to scientific journals. Geraldine already loves Calgary and is busy learning to ski and to rock climb.
Will Rosner, Privacy Officer
Will received a BSc in Biology from the University of Calgary and an MSc in Clinical
Biochemistry from Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. Before joining the Tomorrow Project, Will worked in the Edmonton office of a
multi-national pharmacuetical company and as a private consultant with Aries Biologics in Vancouver. His responsibility is to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of our participants.
Will's hobbies include skiing, curling and slow pitch.
Deep Monga, Research Database Specialist
Deep is originally from Mombasa, Kenya. He completed his BSc in Computer Engineering from
the University of Calgary. He joined the Tomorrow project in late 2008. At the Tomorrow
project his responsibilities include handling data, cleaning data and writing
custom software for
the Tomorrow project
His hobbies include watching hockey, playing soccer and playing poker. Major accomplishments
include winning the first prize at the University of Calgary intramural soccer tournament in 2006 and
winning some online poker tournaments.
Sanaz Vaseghi, Senior Research Assistant
Sanaz joined The Tomorrow Project team in 2008. She studied medicine and continued her
education in MPH (Master of Public Health) and community medicine residency program in
Iran. Sanaz worked on a research study of anthropometric indicators and nutritional
status of children
under five (2003-2004) in Iran. She was also involved in a study for calculating
indicators of burden of disease and injuries (2005-2007), which provides comparable
assessment of mortality and loss of health due to diseases and injuries as an important
input to health decision-making. Her responsibilities with the team include overseeing the processing, coding and data entry of all the questionnaires.
Wendy Powell, Senior Research Assistant
Originally from Northern Ontario, Wendy is fascinated with the field of health research.
In 1977, she moved to London where she obtained a BSc honors degree in Physiology
and an MSc in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Western Ontario.
Inspired to follow a career in research, she worked 9 years as head technician
in a research lab located first at University Hospital in London, then moving
to the Max Bell Research Institute in Toronto. In the lab, she investigated the
causes of and treatments for reproductive problems in women.
Wendy joined the Tomorrow Project in 2008 as a research assistant. Her responsibilities with the team include
overseeing the physical measurement collection taken
during study centre visits She is excited to be part of the biological samples team, eager to face the challenges of developing and implementing the methods for collecting, processing and storing the samples donated by study participants. After work, Wendy loves watercolor painting, bird watching, hiking and camping.
Project Assistants The Tomorrow Project also employs a team of Project Assistants to compile all of the data. Project Assistants are responsible for checking forms for completeness and accuracy, data entry and phoning participants. The Tomorrow Project wouldn't be a success without them!!!
