Welcome!
Meet the team
Dr. Lauren E Kelly
Dr. Lauren E Kelly is a Pharmacologist, Associate Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology & Pharmacology at the University of Western Ontario and nil salary adjunct in Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Manitoba and Certified Clinical Research Professional. She is the Director at Increasing capacity for Maternal and Paediatric Clinical Trials (IMPaCT). Dr. Kelly received her Doctorate in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Western Ontario and completed two post-doctoral fellowships at the Hospital for Sick Children and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Kelly is the PI for the Clinical Pharmacology Lab and co-supervises graduate students with both Drs. Leong and ‘tJong.
Trainees
Wanting Ding
Wanting joined the team in September 2024 as a graduate student under the supervision of Dr. Lauren Kelly who defended in June 2026. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacology from Guangzhou Medical University. Her research focuses on the use of medical cannabis for symptom management in children with autism and contributing to a living systematic review in medical cannabis.
Dr. Sepideh Mahboobi
Sepideh Mahboobi holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. She specializes in randomized clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses of randomized trials, with a particular focus on human nutrition and chronic diseases. Her work and expertise have led to numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, and she also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for clinical journals. In addition, she teaches as a Sessional Instructor at the University of Manitoba.
In her current role as a C4T Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Manitoba, Sepideh is integrating into a large pan-Canadian platform of investigators in cannabis and pediatrics research, contributing to a living systematic review on medical cannabis use in pediatric populations, and conducting process validation for clinical trial tools.
Shahab Moradi Haghighat
Shahab Moradi Haghighat is a PhD student in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Manitoba, working under the supervision of Dr. Lauren Kelly. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Before joining the lab in Winter 2026, he gained extensive experience practicing as a hospital and community pharmacist, bringing a highly practical, patient-oriented perspective to his research. His interests revolve around cardiovascular, pulmonary, cardiopulmonary, and CNS diseases, and his methodological expertise includes designing and conducting clinical trials and observational studies. Currently, he is involved in a multifaceted living systematic review evaluating the impact of cannabinoids on pediatrics, while exploring innovative translational research on pharmacological aspects of medical cannabis in pediatric and adolescent populations.
Staff
Zina Zaslawski
Zina joined the team in September 2019 as a Research Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba and a Masters of Arts from Queen’s University. She has several years experience supporting research teams in various disciplines. Currently, she is supporting lab research projects and coordinating communications. In this role, Zina also splits her time as a Knowledge Broker for the Canadian Childhood Cannabinoid Clinical Trials (C4T).
Jessica Overby
Jess joined the team as a Research Coordinator in July 2023. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg and is currently a MSc Student in Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan. She has experience as a Research Coordinator in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Manitoba and the Department of Psychology at the University of Winnipeg. Her thesis is a qualitative study exploring physician and caregiver perspectives on the use of medical cannabis in children with autism.
Jodi Anderson
Jodi recently completed her Master of Science in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia and has now joined C4T and IMPaCT for a term as Research Coordinator. Her master's research project, led by Dr. Rod Rassekh and Dr. Hal Siden, aimed to characterize the prevalence of medicinal cannabis use in children and youth, to describe practices of use and sources of information for families, to understand attitudes and opinions, and to identify any challenges families may face regarding use. Prior to this degree, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Winnipeg.
Alumni
Arun Paul
Liza Latta
Uma Yakandawala
Danielle Hart
Dr. Manik Chhabra
Kayla Joyce
Clarisse Romera
Dr. Omaymah Abulannaz
