Meet the Team
HealtheSteps® was created to fill a gap in primary care, providing adults at-risk for a chronic disease with tools and supportive coaching to collaboratively develop pathways to leading a healthier lifestyle.
The program, led by Dr. Robert Petrella, is run by the Lifestyle Research Team at the University of British Columbia and Western University. The team consists of members with a range of backgrounds including epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, family medicine, eLearning design, nutrition, fitness and wellness, and exercise physiology. Meet the team below!
“Despite some evidence from controlled research studies supporting the impact of adopting a healthy lifestyle, there was very little research overall and very few programs available for patients and their physicians to apply the research. This gap led to my own research to develop simple, evidence-based tools and skills for family doctors, their health-care teams and patients to implement lifestyle change that was effective and long lasting.”
– Dr. Robert Petrella
Dr. Robert Petrella, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator and Project Lead, Professor & Head (Chair) Department of Family Practice UBC, Professor Emeritus at Western University
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Claire Styffe, MPH, Project Coordinator
Background: Public Health, Community Engagement, Health Geography
Interests: Swimming at the beach, reading, and spending lots of time with friends and family!
Why HealtheSteps? I’m really excited about getting to collaborate with a network of diverse individuals to co-develop a program that works and is focused on practical and accessible changes.
Dr. Dawn Gill, PhD, Research Manager
Background: Health Sciences; Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Interests: All things health & wellness – I especially enjoy outdoor activities (hiking, skiing, biking, stand up paddle boarding), yoga, & baking healthy treats!
Why HealtheSteps? HealtheSteps is a free, evidence-based program that is open to anyone who wants to get healthy & improve their lifestyle – and it is accessible to individuals at all stages of their health journey. What could be better than that? ?
