Meet the FER Training Program Leadership Team
Dr. Andrea Cross is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University, and Scientist at CanChild. Cofounder of the CanChild McMaster FER Program, she co-leads two other family-centred research programs at CanChild: ENVISAGE and the F-words for Child Development programs.
Connie Putterman is a longtime parent partner in autism research initiatives in Canada and internationally. Co-founder of the CanChild McMaster FER Program. With a business background combined with a translational research background, she brings entrepreneurial and communication approaches to inclusive and meaningful family engagement in research.
Donna Thomson is a parent, author, and passionate educator in the fields of family engagement and caregiving. Co-founder of the CanChild McMaster FER Program. Donna is the past vice-chair of Kids Brain Health Network and currently sits on the advisory board of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence.
Dayle McCauley is the Research Development Officer at CanChild and a co-founder of the CanChild McMaster FER Program. n addition, she manages major research initiatives including the Child Health Hub in Transition to Adult Healthcare as well as co-leads the Knowledge Translation initiative for the Ontario Brain Institute funded CP-NET.
Dr. Sam Micsinszki is the Training Director of the CanChild McMaster FER Program. With a research and clinical background, Sam leads the implementation of a dynamic, growing, and innovative family engagement training program for researchers, people with lived and living experience, and their families in neurodevelopmental and child health research.
Our courses are truly a team effort and wouldn’t be possible without the support of so many individuals. Our core FER team plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of our courses, with contributions from individuals specializing in accessibility, knowledge mobilization, and education. We are also fortunate to be backed by leaders at CanChild and KBHN. Additionally, we are proud to have >40 trained instructors who are graduates of the FER Course and bring expertise and dedication to all our training course offerings.
For questions related to the Family Engagement Program, contact fer@mcmaster.ca
