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Charlene Ronquillo
Our team
Above all, we value doing good work with good people.
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Our core values are:
Compassion
Justice
Equity
Humility
Diversity
Inclusion
Transparency
Interdisciplinarity
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We work as a collaborative and value the unique and diverse contributions each person brings. We work on interesting problems to help technology be used for good. We are interested in developing thoughtful and inclusive technologies that are meaningful and useful to people.
Current Lab Members
Dr. Chantelle Recsky
(she/they)
Research Associate
Dr. Recsky is a Registered Nurse and her areas of interest include health information technologies, quality and safety, and knowledge translation, as well as supporting students to gain knowledge and experience in research.
Nicole Ketter
(she/her)
Research Manager
Nicole earned her MSc in Rehabilitation Science from UBC, beginning in the lab as a work-study student in 2022 before stepping into the role of research manager in 2023. While her thesis focused on chronic disease multimorbidity prevention and management, she is particularly drawn to the dynamic intersection of technology and health research explored in the HIE lab. Nicole enjoys mentoring students and contributing to the lab’s supportive, team-oriented culture.
Outside the lab, she loves hiking and swimming with her dog, Ollie.
Ruinan Jin
(he/him)
PhD Trainee
Ruinan is currently a graduate student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UBC. He previously earned a BSc in Computer Science, during which he spent over two years working at the HIE lab. His research centers on wound infection prediction and health equity in this process, and he is especially interested in exploring cutting-edge machine learning engineering techniques.
Currently, he focuses on advancing trustworthy AI and promoting equitable machine learning solutions in the healthcare domain.
Kate Sturgess
(she/her)
Research Assistant
Kate is a current nursing student at UBCO and originally from Calgary, Alberta. Kate is hoping to pursue a master's in nursing specializing in research. She grew up ski racing and loves to spend time in the mountains between classes.
Vanessa Lo
(she/her)
Research Assistant
Vanessa is a Registered Nurse passionate about medical device development and integrating digital technologies into healthcare. She is also interested in working with vulnerable populations to minimize health disparities so that more equitable care can be provided to all members of the community.
During her free time, Vanessa enjoys going cafe hopping, eating dessert with friends, singing, and listening to true crime podcasts.
Winnifred Adzo Vittor
(she/her)
Research Assistant
Winnifred is a Registered Nurse and a prospective MSN student from Ghana with interest in nursing informatics. She looks forward to learning how technology can be integrated into health especially nursing. She is very excited to be part of this team and looks forward to gaining knowledge and experience in the field of research pertaining to Nursing and Health informatics.
Outside work and studies, Winnie loves to watch movies and listen to music.
Andrea Burrows
(she/her)
PhD Candidate
Andrea is a Registered Nurse and Graduate Student working on her Ph.D. at UBCO in health informatics.
She is a mother of two curious and active boys. Her sons bring a deep sense of joy to her life, encircled by their company; they enjoy being active and outside together.
In parallel with her studies, Andrea works for the Interior Health Research Department as a Manager of Research to create and foster linkages between health system actors and community partners. She supports knowledge mobilization activities, facilitates navigation through research processes and supervises graduate student projects.
Andrea is keen to be working with the Health Informatics Equity Lab. Her training plan includes honing research and knowledge translation skills, gaining expertise in patient-oriented research approaches and developing a research portfolio examining the interface between human and technology.
Naureen Mukhi
(she/her)
Masters Trainee
Naureen is a Registered Nurse and Graduate Research Assistant working on her Masters in Nursing at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan). Her thesis is on investigating health system stakeholders' perspectives and use of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) for clinical decision support tools. Naureen has recently completed her diploma in Digital Health and Data Analytics from the Michener Institute of Education in Ontario.
Naureen enjoys nature, running and spends time volunteering in her community prayer place.
Amrit Kaur Dhami
(she/her)
Research Assistant
Amrit is currently in their third year of nursing and thrilled to be a part of the research team.
When she is not studying, she is most likely reading a book and enjoying the fresh air. She is deeply committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive community within the team. She believes that research provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to the enhancement of nursing experiences, advocate for the needs of our peers, and facilitate meaningful connections among students, faculty, and the broader nursing community.
She loves spending the summers in Kelowna and enjoying the warm weather, beaches, and good company.
Josephine Nanyonjo
(she/her)
Masters Trainee
Josephine is deeply committed to addressing the persistent health inequities that exist globally.
As a Registered Nurse, Josephine has dedicated the past few years to improving healthcare in rural and underserved areas of Uganda, utilizing her knowledge, skills, and time to make a tangible impact. Josephine is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of using technology to provide innovative solutions to this enduring global challenge.
She is a social person, and values spending time with friends and family. Josephine
enjoys swimming, hiking and spending time in nature.
Abubakari Mohammed Sherif
(he/him)
Research Assistant
Abubakari Mohammed Sherif is a Registered Nurse from Ghana with an interest in improving electronic health records in rural communities in Ghana. He is a prospective graduate student.
Jannatul Ferdous Shapnil
(she/her)
Research Assistant
Jannatul is a registered doctor in Bangladesh under the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council. Their primary research focus is equitable healthcare and health informatics. In her free time, she loves cooking and baking.
Jannatul is also a cat parent to Kai and likes watching cat memes.
Jianan Wang
(she/her)
Visiting PhD Candidate
Jianan is a nursing PhD student at Zhejiang University, China, and is currently a visiting international research student at UBCO. She received a China Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship (2025-26) to support her time at UBCO.
She completed her BSc in Nursing from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China. Her research focuses on the ethical implications of information technology in the nursing field, with a particular interest in understanding how these technologies influence nurses’ behaviors.
Furry Lab Members
Maya T. Butts
(Shiba Inu)
The actual PI
Likes: playing ball on the beach, cheese, attention from strangers, extreme temperatures (scorching hot and freezing cold), taking myself for a walk
Dislikes: fireworks, fruit, baths, affection
Alumni
Mahtab Matin: Research Assistant, PhD School of Nursing
Jane Shi: Research Assistant, MSc Electrical and Computer Engineering
Nicole Favor: Research Assistant, BSN Student
Isabella Mendoza: Research Assistant, BSc Computer Science Student
Sarah Schumacher: Research Assistant, BSN Student
Mehak Mundi: Research Assistant, BSN Student
Kenna Hunter: Research Assistant, BSN Student
Reagan Chicoine: Research Assistant, BSN Graduate
Sharon Ilesanmi: Research Assistant, BSN Graduate​
Ammar Zavahir: Research Assistant
Ashish Giri: 2021-22 MURPH Scholar
Emily Mayzes-Kotulla: 2021-22 MURPH Scholar
Dawson Penner: 2021-22 MURPH Scholar
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