Faculty

Sheri-Lynn Kane, Associate Professor

Chair - Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Frailty, Multi-Morbidity, Curriculum Development and Evaluation
Biography: Dr. Sheri-Lynn Kane is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrician at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She completed her fellowships in both Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine at McMaster University. She is currently the Chair of the Provincial Geriatric Leadership Ontario Steering Committee, and the Medical Director for the Regional Geriatric Program of Southwestern Ontario. As a Geriatrician who provides care for older adults in the inpatient, outreach, rehabilitation, and clinic settings; she is very committed to improving the health care system for older adults experiencing frailty, both now and into the future.

Jaspreet Bhangu, Assistant Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Falls and syncope, Cardiac disorders in older adults, Frailty, Orthostatic Hypotension and Autonomic Dysfunction
Biography: Jaspreet Bhangu, MB, Bch, BAO, MRCPI, MSc, PhD is a Geriatrician and Assistant Professor with Western University. He graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin in 2004. He completed his specialist training in Internal and Geriatric Medicine in Ireland in 2016. He completed a PhD. in Medical Gerontology with Trinity College Dublin in 2017 studying falls and syncope in older adults.

Michael Borrie, Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Research interests include predictors of conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer Disease (AD), including sensitive Neuroimaging techniques, and the clinical evaluation of new treatments for AD, geriatric rehabilitation and falls in the elderly.
Biography: Michael Borrie, MB ChB, FRCPC is a Geriatrician and Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Western University. He was an MRC (New Zealand) Training Research Fellow 1983-1985 in Dunedin, New Zealand. He completed his training in Internal Medicine in Edmonton, Alberta and in Geriatric Medicine in London, Ontario.

Alishya Burrell, Associate Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Medical education, curriculum development and ageism in the hidden curriculum
Biography: Dr. Burrell is an Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. Dr. Burrell’s main area of expertise is curriculum development and innovation within Undergraduate Medical Education (UME). In 2022 she completed a Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) from Maastricht University.

Monidipa Dasgupta, Associate Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Delirium, Hospital Care of the Elderly
Biography: Dr. Dasgupta completed her medical degree from McGill University and did further post-graduate training in California (University of Southern California), University of Toronto and UWO. She completed her MSc. in epidemiology and biostatistics from UWO. She is actively involved in teaching residents and medical students in the medical clinical teaching units and the geriatric medicine subspecialty services. She is an active member of the Geriatric Fellowship Committee. Her research interests include delirium and hospital care for the elderly.

Laura Diachun, Associate Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Efficacy of medical education strategies, Innovative curriculum design
Biography: Laura Diachun, B.A.Sc., M.Ed., MD, F.R.C.P.(C), is a Geriatrician and Associate Professor with Western University. She graduated from the McMaster University Medical School in 1993. She completed her training in Internal Medicine at Western Univeristy in 1996 and in Geriatric Medicine at McMaster in 1998. She completed her Master of Education in the field of Health Studies Higher Education through the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.) of the University of Toronto in 2001.

Jacobi Elliott, Adjunct Research Professor

Director, Research & Strategy, Regional Geriatric of Southwestern Ontario, St. Joseph’s Health Care London

Research Interests / Specializations: Health systems, frailty, falls, integrated care approaches, patient and caregiver engagement
Biography: Dr. Elliott is an early career researcher, holding a position as Adjunct Research Professor at Western University. Jacobi is also the Director, Research & Strategy, for the Regional Geriatric Program of Southwestern Ontario, hosted by St. Joseph’s Health Care London. Dr. Elliott completed her PhD in Health Studies and Gerontology from the University of Waterloo and held a Fellowship Award with the Canadian Frailty Network (NCE). Dr. Elliott’s research aims to improve the health care system for older adults and their caregivers.

George Heckman

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Clinical interest in general geriatric medicine, multimorbidity, and frailty, with a specific focus on cardiovascular disease and heart failure. Research interests include health services research, with a focus on disease management approaches for older adults with complex health needs in primary care and long-term care. Fellow of interRAI (www.interRAI.org), a non-profit international research collaborative specialized in the development, validation, and implementation of assessment systems for vulnerable older adults.

Rachel Kyle, Assistant Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Holistic Approach to geriatric care
Biography: Dr. Rachel Kyle is an Assistant Professor and Geriatrician. Her clinical interests include a holistic approach to geriatric care, emphasizing patient goals in care plans. She also has a passion for communication, and regularly delivers training in Serious Illness Conversation Skills. Dr. Kyle did her undergraduate degree in Montreal at McGill University, followed by her medical and subspecialty training here at Western University. She completed her Master's Degree in Health Care Quality and Safety at Queen's University, and uses the skills learned there to work towards improving access for patients to high quality Geriatric Care. She has an active teaching role and aims to instill the principles of geriatric medicine to all learners she works with.

Taureef Mohammed, Assistant Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Falls, mobility; global and immigrant health as it relates to the ageing population. 
Biography: Dr. Mohammed earned his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. He relocated to Canada in 2019 to pursue postgraduate training at Western University where he completed Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine residencies. His areas of interest include falls, mobility, and global health. 

Manuel Montero-Odasso, Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: The relationship between cognition and mobility in the elderly. Gait as an early predictor of frailty and dementia. Falls prevention in older people with cognitive impairment.
Biography: Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso (MD, PhD, FRCPC, AGSF, FGSA) is Professor in the Departments of Medicine, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Western Ontario and Director of the “Gait & Brain Lab” at Parkwood Institute, London, Ontario. He is a geriatrician and clinician-scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute and serves as team leader at the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) and team co-leader at the Ontario Neurodegenerative Research Initiative (ONDRI). He leads the Gait and Brain Health Program with the goal of understanding mechanisms and potential treatments of mobility and cognitive decline in older individuals. He focuses on gait performance and has established the use of “motor biomarkers” like slowing gait and dual-task gait to predict frailty, falls, and dementia in older people. He has initiated clinical trials applying the novel approach of “improving cognition to improve mobility” using pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches such as physical exercise, cognitive training and non-invasive brain stimulation. As team leader in CCNA (Canada Research Dementia Strategy) he is focusing in multi-domain clinical trials, including the SYNERGIC Trial (www.synergictrial.com), to delay dementia in older adults at risk (MCI spectrum) using physical exercises combined with cognitive training, and nutritional interventions (Vitamin D). Dr. Montero-Odasso has created a successful research program while remaining an active clinician. His research has received uninterrupted peer-reviewed funding (>$7Million) from national and international agencies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health and Research (CIHR). He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals in aging and neurosciences, including JAMA Neurol, Brain, Neurology, JGMS, and JAGS. He has received several accolades including the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) New Investigator Award, the Schulich Clinician Scientist Award, the Premier of Ontario Excellence Research Award, the CIHR New Investigator Award, and Honorary Member of the Spanish Geriatrics Society and Argentina Geriatrics Society. He serves as editorial board member of aging journals including, Journal of Gerontology Medical Sciences, Geriatrics, and Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. He is member of the advisory board for the Institute of Aging (CIHR), CIHR review committee member, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Geriatrics Society. He has been invited to give more than 100 international presentations as a guest or key-note speaker.

Ameya Patwardhan, Assistant Professor

Neurologist

Research Interests / Specializations: Imaging and Fluid Biomarkers in dementia, Clinical trials, Dementia Education and Neurodegenration Fellowship Curriculum Development
Biography: Dr. Patwardhan completed his Neurology residency at NIMHANS, India, followed by fellowships in Cognitive and Movement Disorders at the University of Toronto, and in Dementia and Neurodegeneration at the University of Western Ontario. He is currently appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, with a cross-appointment in the Division of Neurology. As an investigator with the Cognitive Clinical Trials group at Parkwood Hospital, his research focuses on clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease, brain–behavior relationships, and the use of biomarkers in dementia.

Margaret Taabazuing, Associate Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Senior Friendly Hospital Initiatives, Readmission in the Elderly and QI initiatives.
Biography: Dr. Margaret Taabazuing is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Western University. She graduated from The Higher Institute of Medical Sciences, Havana, Cuba. She completed her residency and Geriatric Medicine training in the States. In 2018, she completed a Master’s degree in Health Evaluation from the University of Waterloo.

Jenny Thain, Associate Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Osteoporosis and Medical Education
Biography: Dr. Jenny Thain is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Western University. She graduated from the University of Nottingham, UK, where she also completed specialist training in Geriatric Medicine and General Internal Medicine.

Jennie Wells, Associate Professor

Geriatrician

Research Interests / Specializations: Alzheimer Disease and Geriatric Rehabilitation.
Biography: Dr. Jennie Wells is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry of Western University. Dr. Wells graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, completing Internal Medicine residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1994. After Geriatric Medicine Subspecialty Residency at the University of Western Ontario, she continued at the University of Western Ontario as faculty in the Division of Geriatric Medicine.