Teresa Cheung
MEG Laboratory Manager

Teresa is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physics at Simon Fraser University. Her MEG experience comes from being part of the research and development team who built the first whole-head MEG system (CTF Systems Inc). During the decade that she worked for CTF, Teresa was involved in source modeling research, software development and helped install MEG systems worldwide. She joined DSRF in 2003 to assist in the installation of the DSRF MEG. She is currently the MEG laboratory manager, helping researchers learn how to set up and collect MEG data. Teresa's PhD thesis involves the development of hardware models called phantoms that simulate complex brain activity. Teresa's research is supported by Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
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Sunita Devi 
Teacher

Sunita is a BC-certified teacher with over 16 years of teaching experience. She is currently completing her Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Special Education at Simon Fraser University and also holds a degree in Health Science, Curriculum and Instruction from Simon Fraser University.  Sunita has a robust record of supporting and leading school activities requiring deep responsiveness to individualized student needs including cultural and socio economic concerns. Ensuring that no child feels unattended or slips through the cracks of the educational system is her priority as an educator. Email Sunita 

Christopher Ian Dickson
Office Assistant

Christopher has worked as an office assistant with the foundation for approximately six years. He is a hard working young man with Down syndrome. His duties in the office include reception and the maintenance of office recycling. In his spare time Christopher is involved in Special Olympics where he participates in swimming, floor hockey and softball. He is also an active member in the “Developmentally Challenged Youth Basketball Association”. Christopher is currently enrolled in the DSRF Transitions program as well as the Next Chapter Book Club. His experience, knowledge, and friendly personality have become an asset to the DSRF office over the years.

Susan Fawcett, M.Sc. RSLP
Registered Speech Language Pathologist

Susan acquired her M.Sc. degree in Speech-Language Pathology from UBC. She obtained research scholarships relating to her thesis on language assessment in young children with autism. Previously, Susan had worked for 10 years with people with developmental disabilities before starting her work with the Down Syndrome Research Foundation in 2003. Susan provides individual assessment and therapy sessions, consultative services and facilitating conversation and social skills in small group programs. She also enjoys giving presentations to parents and professionals, and teaches an education course at Simon Fraser University. Susan’s research interests include the efficacy of speech-language treatment specific to people with intellectual disabilities, and along with colleagues from UBC, she has conducted a pilot research program on the use of ultrasound to help improve speech in young adults with Down syndrome. Email Susan

Marla Folden
Teaching Assistant

Marla graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2011 with a degree in Linguistics. She has worked in a variety of programs at the DSRF, and is currently working in the Reading and Communication Plus and Reading and Communication programs with Eleanor. She also leads the Critical Thinking pathways course and the art program in summer school.  Marla is looking forward to continuing her education with a Master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology at some time in the future.  Email Marla



Catherine Kubat
Teacher

Catherine graduated from the University of Victoria in 1983 with her teaching degree in Early Childhood/Special Education. She came to the DSRF in 2007 with extensive experience in teaching individuals with varied learning disabilities in the regular classroom, special education resource room and early intervention environments. Catherine is the Teacher for the adult literacy program in South Surrey which focuses on strengthening literacy, math and computer skills following an individualized ability approach. Catherine finds that teaching in this setting has been the most rewarding of her career to date and looks forward to future years of teaching with the DSRF organization. Email Catherine

Hina Mahmood
Administrative Assistant, Volunteer Coordinator

Hina has been with the DSRF since August 2008 and is working as the office administrative assistant and volunteer coordinator. She is also the design and production coordinator for the DSRF newsletter, 'Hand In Hand' and manages the DSRF/CSL wesbites and facebook page. She graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Psychology and hopes to attain a Masters in Occupational Therapy. Hina comes to the foundation with 4 years of experience as an admin assistant and manages basic office tasks including program registrations. Hina is also the contact person for prospective volunteers wanting to work at DSRF. Although Hina has only been with the foundation for a short time she is excited about the opportunity to work with individuals who have developmental disabilities and to also help in making DSRF a great success. Email Hina

Maria Marano
Events Coordinator
Maria has had over 30 years of experience in the media industry as well as in strategic planning, marketing, community and customer relations and event management.  Maria is responsible for developing and maintaining revenue producing events that create awareness for new supporters and cultivation opportunities for existing supporters. Maria welcomes the opportunity to make a significant contribution to empowering individuals with Down syndrome to reach their full potential. Email Maria

Danielle McKinney
Teacher, One-to-One Reading Program

Alexander Moiseev
Signal Processing Scientist

Alexander's background is in physics and signal processing. He received his Ph.D. from Moscow Physical Technical Institute (Russian Federation). Alexander got hands on experience with MEG (Magnetoencephalography) working for three years as a research scientist at CTF Systems (later VSM Medtech), which until 2007 was one of the world leaders in design and manufacturing of MEG instruments. He joined DSRF in April 2007 to help scientists and doctors working in DSRF MEG lab with their projects and data analysis. Alexander's own research interests are mainly focused on development of new techniques in analyzing magnetic fields of the human brain, that may help us better understand its functioning.
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Jill Petersen, M.Sc. RSLP
Registered Speech Language Pathologist

Jill earned her Master’s of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of British Columbia and her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Linguistics from McGill University. At UBC, she was involved in research on the narrative skills of bilingual school-aged children and also did her thesis research on the vocabulary skills of bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders. Jill worked as a Supported Childcare Consultant, a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, and a Behaviour Interventionist before coming to DSRF in January 2010. She is now providing individual, consultative and group therapy, as well as assessment services at our main location in Burnaby and in South Surrey. Jill is excited to work as a member of DSRF’s team and to continue conducting speech-language therapy research in the future. Email Jill

Riley Rosebush, M.Sc. RSLP
Registered Speech Language Pathologist

Riley studied psychology and linguistics before completing her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at UBC. She has worked with children and adults with disabilities in a variety of social and educational settings for many years. Riley is passionate about helping people improve their communication and social skills as a speech-language pathologist. She is excited to be a member of the DSRF’s dynamic team. Riley currently provides individual speech and language therapy and assessments at the DSRF.

Deanne Sharon Russell
Office Assistant

Deanne has worked as an office assistant with DSRF for approximately 10 years. She brings with her skills she has acquired through 21 years of work experience at Mc Donald’s and Pacific West construction company. In addition Deanne also runs her own home business crocheting and knitting various items for special customer orders. Deanne is a very dedicated office assistant. She assists in answering the phones, stocking offices supplies and provides a friendly face to the reception office. Deanne is a dedicated sister and aunt who spends much of her spare time with her family. Her other passion in life is singing - she loves a good kareoke night!

Eleanor Stewart
Teacher

Eleanor joined the DSRF team in August 2008 and has her degree from McGill University in Kindergarten and Elementary Education. Eleanor has years of experience working with youth including experience at Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre where she was grant manager of the summer and winter day camps. She worked at Aunt Leah’s Independent Life Skills Society, a non-profit organization that assists disadvantaged youth lacking stable support systems in their lives. As a youth worker she provided support and helped adolescents learn the necessary life skills to live independently. Eleanor also worked at the Vancouver Learning Centre for 4 years where she taught adults and children with learning difficulties. Here at DSRF Eleanor's roles expand beyond teaching students in class, She also hosts seminars for teachers, support workers and family members to show them successful techniques to teach people with developmental disabilities literacy skills. Email Eleanor

 

Amanda Szabo
Teacher

Amanda is new to the DSRF team. She has had a diverse career in education since graduating from UBC in 2000. Her experience includes classroom teacher, ESL teacher, school owner and operator, tutor for students with learning disabilities and president of a Montessori preschool. Amanda feels that her new job as an Early Foundations Reading teacher is both challenging and very rewarding.