OBRI Operations Team

Dr. Bombardier is a widely published clinical researcher and rheumatologist. She is the Senior Scientist for the Toronto General Research Institute, past Director of Rheumatology for the University of Toronto, and former Co-Scientific Director at the Canadian Arthritis Network. Dr. Bombardier holds a Pfizer Research Chair in Rheumatology and a Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Transfer for Musculoskeletal Care. She is an international expert for quality improvement research, and has led the development of guidelines for the safe pharmacologic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients in Canada and abroad. Dr. Bombardier has published more than 345 scholarly articles, and has received many international and Canadian awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, and the prestigious American College of Rheumatology Master Designation Award for her outstanding contributions in the field of rheumatology. In 2005, Dr. Bombardier founded the Ontario Best Practice Research Initiative (OBRI – www.obri.ca) to monitor the safety and efficacy of treatments for people with rheumatoid arthritis to improve treatment and quality of care for people in Ontario. Her commitment to excellence in rheumatology is recognized, and as a Principal Investigator brings research expertise and visionary leadership to the OBRI team.

As the OBRI Clinical Research Manager, Angela Cesta works closely with OBRI statistical analysts, programmers, data entry staff, and interviewers to oversee all aspects of OBRI data collection and research activities. Angela also works with a broad range of partners, internal and external to the OBRI.  Her responsibilities include managing all research ethics submissions, preparing study reports, advancing research questions, and engaging with patients and rheumatologists through the OBRI Patient and Clinical Advisory Committees. Angela holds a MSc in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Toronto and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP). She has over 20 years of clinical research experience in the fields of Arthritis, Sleep Disorder Medicine and Cancer.

Assistant Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and  Evaluation, University of Toronto.

Clinical Epidemiologist and Staff Scientist, Ontario Best Practices Research Initiative, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute.

Dr. Movahedi holds a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology from University of Leeds, UK (2005) and a Medical Degree (MD) from Tehran University, Iran (1992).

Using his many years of experience in real-world clinical research and pharmacoepidemiology, he is currently conducting research in field of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic diseases using data from the OBRI and, at times, in collaboration with other rheumatic disease registries. He has a key role developing novel research questions, assessing study feasibility, designing studies, creating and implementing statistical analysis plans, and publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Dr. Movahedi is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto and teaches courses in the clinical epidemiology program.  He is currently an academic editor for the journals “PLOS One” and “Frontiers in Drug Safety and Regulation” and is a peer reviewer for other medical and pharmacoepidemiology journals.

As the OBRI Site Coordinator, Carol Mously works closely with OBRI investigators and site coordinators to ensure data collection and queries are effectively managed and communicated back to the OBRI Data Management Centre.  She also oversees the OBRI Annual Conference, the OBRI Annual Report, and the patient newsletter, In the Loop. Carol has a B.Sc. degree from the University of Toronto and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) with over 25 years of experience in Sleep Disorder Medicine and Arthritis.

As the Data Manager for OBRI, Xiuying Li manages data storage, cleaning, and analysis at the OBRI Data Management Centre. Her responsibilities include managing data and conducting statistical analysis for OBRI abstracts, posters, publications, and industry and investigator reports. Before joining the OBRI team, Xiuying Li worked as a Cardiologist in China. She has a M.Sc.in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Peking Union Medical College, Tsinghua University, training in Biostatistics from the University of Toronto, and over 20 years of statistical research experience.

As the Budget and Finance Manager, Leanie Culanding monitors and sets up new accounts, manages site payments, and provides quarterly financial reports for OBRI.

As the Administrative Assistant, Cheryl Dawson-Titus manages administrative tasks and logistics for the OBRI research team as well as for staff within the University Health Network’s Division of Support, Systems and Outcomes.