Our Research Group
We are a space for patient partners, undergraduate student volunteers, Master's and PhD students, multidisciplinary clinicians and collaborators.
If you are interested in joining or collaborating with our team, please reach out to us at ceres.lab.mcgill@gmail.com.
The Team
Our group is led by Dr. Justin Sanders, the Kappy and Eric M. Flanders Chair of Palliative Care and Director of Palliative Care McGill.
Justin J Sanders, MD, MSc, FAAHPM
Principal Investigator
Dr. Sanders thinks relationships are the most critical and understudied factor in high quality healthcare. A good day has pizza in it.
A favorite quote:
"Ultimately, the secret of quality is love. ... If you have love, you can then work backward to monitor and improve the system."
-Avedis Donabedian
Dorothy Ting Du, MLS
Lab Manager
Research interests: library science, educational technology, learning theories
Life Advice: Doing the right thing, at the right time, with the right people and right information
Samara Perez, PhD
Co-Investigator
Dr. Samara Perez, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Psychosocial Oncology Program, Cedars Cancer Centre, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC); Associate Investigator, Research Institute of MUHC; Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology, McGill University.
Interests: Building one on one connections, finding meaning, bringing joy, learning and laughing always.
"Think good, and it will be good."
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Kajamathy Subramaniam, MS
Research Assistant
Master of Science & BA in Psychology
With an enduring fascination for the brain and technology, I’ve pursued research across sleep, AI, psychiatry, and now palliative care.
Favorite brain poem:
The Brain—is wider than the Sky—
For—put them side by side—
The one the other will contain
With ease—and you—beside—
Kevin Brazil, PhD
Member
Professor of Palliative Care, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom.
Research interest: Dementia Care, Aged Care, Implementation Science, Health Services Research, Community Care, Long Term Care, communication / shared decision making on goals of care at the end of life
Fun fact: former blacksmith, medieval Ireland
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Juliana Herrera, MA
Research Volunteer
Research Interests:
Emotions and connections shape our experiences in profound ways. I am interested in how psychological processes influence the experience of serious illness and how they may support, or hinder, healing and recovery.
Fun Fact:
Born in Colombia, raised in California, and now living in Montreal.
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Georgina Cama Lee, MBA, MS
Programmer
Georgina Cama Lee is an industrial engineer with an MBA and a Master's in Quality Systems Engineering from Concordia University. She started her career in IT, where she developed software and optimized processes to improve service quality in the financial sector. After a personal health journey, she was inspired to support individuals impacted by cancer and lymphedema. She began volunteering, gaining deep knowledge in cancer care and developing a compassionate approach.
Now, as a programmer in the Cancer Research Program and CERES lab, she applies her engineering background and healthcare experience. Her area of interest focuses on improving the access, processes, and quality of service in cancer supportive care.
Outside of work, Georgina is a passionate dragon boater who loves the sport for its emphasis on teamwork, resilience, and staying active on the water. She'll tell you dragon boating is a lot like line dancing on water, for a team to be successful, every paddler must be in sync.
Andrea Schumeth
Patient Partner
Andrea brings curiosity, empathy, and lived experience to the CERES Lab as a cancer survivor, caregiver, and advocate for her aging parents.
With a background in user experience and project management, she’s passionate about improving how patients and older adults experience care—making it more human, accessible, and supportive every step of the way. She also is an avid Dragon Boater and Singer!
Fellows & Students
Aiman Abdul, MSc.(A)
Medical Student / Researcher
Research Interests: Signs of Imminent Death, Prognostication in Palliative Care
Other Interests: Badminton, hiking, fishing, Malaysian cuisine!
Great Quotes:
"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." - FDR
"Reality is inside the skull."
- George Orwell
Alex Cai
Medical Student Researcher
Credentials: BSc.; OLY Tokyo 2021; working on MDCM
Research interests: normative behaviours, group dynamics, humanism, personalized medicine, regenerative medicine
Fun Fact: I once set the high-score on an arcade basketball machine in Tokyo, Japan
Imtinan Alsahafi, MD
Palliative Care Researcher
Imtinan Alsahafi is a palliative care physician passionate about people, purpose, and perfectly brewed coffee — ideally all at once.
Life advice? Don’t wait for a crisis to drink the good coffee or say the awkward truth. Do both early and often. ☕️
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Brigitte Durieux
PhD Student
Thesis topic: Leveraging technology to improve serious illness communication
Research interests: computer science, tool-building, ethical AI, health systems research, serious illness communication, patient experience
Fun fact: I love camping, making music and art, and listening to people tell their stories. I have a love-hate relationship with AI (I want to explore using both advanced and simple tools to improve patient care, and I want to see AI used carefully, intentionally, and safely).
Current favorite book:
The Undying by Anne Boyer
Cassandra Jones, Mac
PhD Student
Ph.D. Candidate in Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University under the supervision of Dr. Justin Sanders and Dr. Claudia Mitchell), MSc in Medical Anthropology, University of Oxford, B.A. in Anthropology (major) and Sociology (minor)
Dissertation topic: My Ph.D. research is a sensory ethnographic study on sensory and phenomenological experiences in palliative care, investigating the sensory environment, sensory care and therapies, as well as the relational environment of the (un)therapeutic landscape. Research findings will inform designing healthcare environments and medical education curriculum.
Research interests: My research focuses on the design of healthcare environments that create therapeutic landscapes for patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare professionals. I explore how the physical, sensory, and relational qualities of care spaces influence well-being, and how humanistic, evidence-informed research can promote comfort, dignity, and meaningful connection. I am also dedicated to advancing healthcare education and training for learners and professionals, ensuring that the built environment supports compassionate, person-centered care across settings. In the community context, my interests include fostering death literacy and encouraging serious illness conversations to enhance well-being across the life course.
-Qualitative health research, Palliative Medicine, Healthcare education, Medical anthropology (biocultural and evolutionary perspectives), Sensory ethnography, Arts-based research/ Poetic inquiry, Narrative medicine, Relationship-centered care.
Karen Wassef, MSc
PhD Student
Research interests: Healthcare equity, health services, quality of care, clinical communication/interpersonal relationships
Raja Tobolkova
Research Trainee
Raja is an undergraduate student of sociology and anthropology at McGill University. She’s particularly interested in the phenomenological, experiential side of serious illness and end-of-life care. Raja is, however, always happy to explore other research areas related to serious illness and end-of-life care.
Fun fact: Raja loves listening to traditional Balkan music
Rachael Harper
Honours Student
4th-year Honours Equivalent Psychology, BSc. student at McGill University, Fairfax Scholar
Research interests: My research interests focus on family and parenting psychology, particularly in supporting youth and young adults within family contexts, addressing conflict, and advancing approaches in clinical psychology and psychotherapy.
Interests: Spending time with God and others, nature walks with my puppy Shiloh, making memories with loved ones, singing, genuine conversations, hiking, being outdoors, and baking.
Life Advice: “Walk in faith through the journey of life—trusting that all things work together for good, and every step has purpose.”
Lab Alumni
Emily Adam, MD
Palliative Medicine Researcher
Emily is a palliative medicine physician from the UK, who spent her sabbatical in Montreal in 2024!
Hyunjung Jho, MD
Visiting scholar at Palliative Care McGill
Palliative care physician/educator,
National Cancer Center, Korea
PhD student, Medical education, Seoul National University, Korea
Enjoys walking around, cooking and watching animal videos.
Kamesha Valoo, MB BCh BAO, CCFP
Palliative Care Fellow
Family physician & Palliative care physician.
Research interests: palliative care and pancreatic cancer.
Fun fact: I love hiking, 2000s emo music, cats, and being in bed by 10pm!