Meet the team.

CISP is comprised of individuals who bring a broad range of experiences and expertise to the team. They are connected by a common enthusiasm for and dedication to advancing holistic community health and wellbeing grounded in equity and belonging.

A woman in a black shirt is smiling in front of a palm tree

Srija Biswas

Project Manager

Srija Biswas has a Masters of Health Science with a specialization in community health. Srija has worked with several non-profit community based organizations to manage and evaluate provincial programs and partnerships. Srija is skilled in program planning and evaluation, program and project management, community engagement, qualitative and quantitative research. Srija is passionate about evidence-based client-centered approach to healthcare, mitigating the gap between clinical and social care, and non-clinical and social interventions for improved overall health outcomes while implementing a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Safiya Clarke-Mendes

Education and Learning Specialist

Safiya is a passionate public health professional with expertise in design research methodologies. Safiya has experience working in health promotion and research across the public and private sectors in Canada and the Caribbean. Safiya has applied her skills to enable collaboration between diverse stakeholders to address various public health and systems issues, including sexual and reproductive health, chronic disease, and holistic health systems transformation. Taking an intersectional and anti-oppressive approach to research, Safiya works to break down complex health issues and their determinants into actionable insights that reflect community priorities and drive social innovation.

Nicole Cormier

Event Manager

Nicole is an event production and management professional with experience in both the not-for-profit and corporate worlds. She loves every part of an event, from creative and logistics planning to day-of execution. She has worked for a variety of organizations, from boutique marketing firms to large not-for-profit venues. She has worked on events locally, nationally, and internationally.

Winny Fung

Evaluation Specialist

Winny holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a specialization in global health. She brings a wealth of experience from the non-profit, academic, and public sectors, with a strong focus on research and evaluation. Driven by her passion for promoting health equity and supporting vulnerable populations, Winny works to address the social determinants of health through innovative solutions. Her work centers on providing evidence-based insights into the outcomes and impacts of social prescribing interventions across Canada.

Sonia Hsiung

Director

Sonia brings experience managing multi-sectoral projects in Canadian and international community-based organizations spanning from health care, food security, housing, women’s empowerment, to engineering. Having led multiple social prescribing initiatives, Sonia is passionate about bringing the strengths of diverse sectors together to build equitable, resilient and more connected communities.

Dr. Kate Mulligan

Scientific Director

Dr. Kate Mulligan is an Assistant Professor in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Instrumental in the formation of CISP, Kate is a globally recognized expert in community approaches to health and wellbeing, evaluation and research, and led one of Canada's first social prescribing pilot projects.

Yordanos Woldemariam

Senior Project Manager (on leave)

Yordanos is an accomplished public health and social service professional with expertise in community health, health equity, mental health, and chronic health conditions, with a specialization in design thinking and design research methodologies. She has experience managing complex health systems projects and collaborating with diverse stakeholders to improve population health outcomes. She also brings over 12 years of experience working frontline in the health and social service sectors in Ontario.

Shereen Zahid

Communications and Knowledge Mobilization Specialist

Shereen has a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) and is an experienced brand manager and digital communications specialist that is committed to driving meaningful change through effective communication strategies. Previously, Shereen honed her expertise as a Communications Specialist at the Toronto Region Board of Trade, where she led and managed communication projects, strategized new initiatives, and coordinated with stakeholders. Her journey includes roles with different marketing agencies where she developed strong skills in business writing, presentations, and analytical thinking.