Lori Brotto, PhD, RPsych

SHAPE Program Principal Investigator

Director - UBC Sexual Health Laboratory, Canada Research Chair in Women’s Sexual Health, Professor - Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at UBC, Executive Director - Women’s Health Research Institute

Dr. Brotto completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of British Columbia (UBC), where her research focused primarily on psychophysiological aspects of sexual arousal in women diagnosed with sexual dysfunctions. Her psychology internship at the University of Washington (UW) specialized in the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for mood, anxiety, substance abuse and psychotic disorders. Following her internship, Dr. Brotto’s Fellowship in Reproductive and Sexual Medicine at UW was mentored by Dr. Julia Heiman, director of the Kinsey Institute.

As a registered psychologist, Dr. Brotto offers psychological therapy to patients referred from both UBC Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Psychiatry, as well as the BC Cancer Agency. Dr. Brotto also sees private patients.

Dr. Brotto has been awarded many scholarships, fellowships and research grants.

Melanie Altas, M.D.

SHAPE Physician Principal Investigator

Director - BC Centre for Vulvar Health

Dr. Altas is a Gynaecologist and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at University of British Columbia. She is the Director of the BC Centre for Vulvar Health at Vancouver General Hospital and a Sexual Medicine Consultant at the BC Cancer Agency. Her current clinical practice is dedicated to vulvovaginal conditions, sexual pain disorders and menopause. Dr. Altas is committed to empowering women with education and tools to heal themselves. Aligned with her professional mission to promote patient-directed care, Dr. Altas regularly collaborates with community health care providers and patient partners, to translate knowledge into practice and improve access to health services for individuals with undertreated conditions.

Alex McKay, PhD

SHAPE NGO Partner Principal Investigator

Executive Director - Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN)

Dr. McKay has a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in Education. Since 2016, he has been the Executive Director of the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN) and Managing Editor of the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality. At SIECCAN, Alex works with an expert interdisciplinary team focused on sexual health education/promotion research and content and resource development for professional and public audiences. Current SIECCAN projects address sexual health promotion for Autistic and disabled youth, developing and implementing effective sexual health education policy and practice to prevent gender-based violence, and the development of benchmarks for effective comprehensive sexual health education.

Jessica Wood, PhD

SHAPE NGO Partner Principal Investigator

Research Specialist, Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN)

Dr. Wood is a Research Specialist with The Sex Information & Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN). In this role she conducts research related to sexual health and sexual health education. She develops resources for educators, health professionals, and policy makers, such as The Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education, and Benchmarks for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Prevention within Sexual Health Education. She acts as an expert consultant with community and government organizations for the development of sexual health education related materials (e.g., media resources, sexual health education curricula). Jessica received her PhD from the University of Guelph in the Applied Social Psychology program. Her research has focused on the sexual health of youth, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people in multi-partner relationships. Jessica is currently an Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality.

Kaku Lema, MBA

Knowledge Mobilization Manager

Kaku Lema, the Knowledge Mobilization Manager for the SHAPE Hub is an expert in bridging the gap between research findings and practical applications.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree (Hons) in Human Geography from the University of British Columbia and Master’s of Business Administration in Project Management from Università degli studi Guglielmo Marconi.  She has led various projects such as the Medical Training & Fellowship Programme funded by the East Africa Development Bank at the British Council. This program led to the training of physicians in the early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.