The Gateway board of directors is pleased to announce Leslie Walker has been appointed as a Research Associate.
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Leslie is currently completing her Doctorate of Social and Economic Sciences at the Vienna, Austria University of Technology. Her research focuses on technology theories and policies to reduce the inequality associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care. As such her research conclusions are highly relevant to regions such as Huron County.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Gateway team and have already been inspired by the world class research and the commitment to rural health in our region. I hope to use my consulting background to strengthen the organization and amplify the amazing value the Gateway team has created thus far” said Walker.

Originally from Goderich, Leslie completed her Honours Bachelor of Commerce and Psychology at McMaster University and Master of International Business from Queen’s University, including an international MBA exchange to Guanghua School of Management in Beijing, China. She has spent the last four years working with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), working globally on large digital enablement projects with major tech companies such as Google and Microsoft. Her focus on public-sector clients has allowed her to use cloud technology and a metrics-based approach to provide better, more cost-effective services to citizens.
Gwen Devereaux Gateway CERH said, “How fortunate we are to have Leslie join us bringing such exceptional talent to our region”.
Leslie has always celebrated her Huron County roots and is particularly fond of summers in Goderich. She can be frequently seen paddle boarding on the lake, enjoying the G2G trail and visiting the Goderich Library.

Gateway is pleased to announce that it has received donations totaling $1,000 from Hensall Co-op and the Poultry Farmers of Huron County.
 
The cheque presentations were held at the Gateway offices in Goderich.  Seen in the photo (l. to r.) are Jessica Kuiper representing both the poultry farmers and Hensall Co-op, Gwen Devereaux, president, Gateway CERH and Alex Westerhout of the Poultry Farmers organization.
 
Each September the poultry farmers hold a golf tournament and donate the proceeds of the event to a local charity.  For many years Gateway has been a recipient of some of the funds raised.  Hensall Co-op is assisting organizations in the region that have been affected by the COVID pandemic.
 
Gateway CERH’s president, Gwen Devereaux, expressed her appreciation and gratitude for these donations; “This ongoing support from the agriculture community is key in allowing Gateway CERH to provide research and programs supporting members in this vital sector of our economy”.

We are pleased to welcome Alis Bonsignore, PhD (candidate), R.Kin to our team at Gateway, Centre of Excellence in Rural Health. Ms. Bonsignore previously obtained her Master’s degree in the Department of Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia and is completing her PhD in the Department of Exercise Sciences at the University of Toronto (anticipated Winter 2021). During her PhD, she was honored with one of the highest ranked Canadian graduate scholarships from the Canadian Institution of Health Research and was successful in securing over $175,000 in funding to support her research. The focus on her research program examined the physiological changes that occur to both the blood vessels and the heart secondary to cancer therapies. Secondly, she examined how these physiological mechanisms can be used to inform clinical practice and policy to determine which cancer survivors should be referred to cardiac rehabilitation in order to reduce their risk of heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in this population.
 
In her new role as the Program Director, Healthy Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation, she has a growing interest in understanding the differences in the delivery, uptake and effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation programs in rural communities compared to more urban centres. Secondly, she is interested in designing more effective and integrated models of cardiac rehabilitation aimed at addressing the unique barriers that are experienced in rural communities. She hopes that this research will help inform policy makers, government and stakeholders on how cardiac rehabilitation can be improved to ensure equity of access and delivery of care in rural communities.
 
In addition to her research experience, Ms. Bonsignore has extensive experience as a clinical Kinesiologist in cardiac rehabilitation, in program design and development, and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level. These experiences will lend success to her new role at Gateway, Centre of Excellence in Rural Health. Please join us in welcoming Alis to her new role.