Team

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Vivian Tsang

, MD, MPH

Researcher Lead

Dr. Tsang is a physician specializing in psychiatry. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia (MD), the University of Toronto (ICD.D), and Harvard University (MPH). She is recognized as a National Schulich Scholar, TEDx speaker, and WE Day National Speaker. Dr. Tsang is the research lead of Roots to Thrive, a non-profit clinic and a Director of the new Naut Sa Mawt Psychedelic Institute on Vancouver Island.

She is the CEO of The HOPE Initiative, an award-winning Canadian charity, working to improve access to education and employment opportunities for vulnerable youth. Dr. Tsang is involved with paediatric patient advocacy as the National Director of KidsCan, a youth research advisory group involving 17 paediatric centres across Canada. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Childhood Cannabinoid Clinical Trials, one of Canada’s largest paediatric studies on the effects of cannabinoid-based products on children and youth. Dr. Tsang represented the Faculty of Medicine on the Senate, the university’s highest academic governing body. She has lead the evaluation of the organization and management of over 60 university-affiliated research institutions and centres. Dr. Tsang also spent time working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in South Africa and Zimbabwe implementing the WHO HealthWISE toolkit as well as at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva in the Special Programme for Tropical Diseases Research.

Other Research and Development

Shannon Dames

RN, MPH, EdD

Visioning and Development Lead & Organization Steward

Shannon Dames (maiden Magnus) is a third generation immigrant with mixed ancestry from Britain, Norway, and Germany. She is a descendant of GT Magnus and Lianne Telnes, the proud mother of Piper and Beckett Dames, and the life partner of Phil Dames.  She lives and serves as a Health Professional ...
Wes Taylor

Development Integrator (focus on curriculum and evaluation)

Wes’s core practice is recognizing the heart and beauty in everyone.  Joining in the early days of the Roots to Thrive community was therefore a no-brainer.  During the ‘80s and ‘90s, he worked as a therapist in addiction and trauma recovery in the US and Australia. He focused on providing advanc...
Krys Sciberras

MA, RCC

Operations Integrator, Facilitator

Krys is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, and she has worked in the Mental Health and Substance Use field for 25 years, managing teams in various leadership capacities. This varied experience working in clinical environments offers a thorough understanding of the challenges in health care and a p...
Tamara Pearl

MA, RCC

Research and Development

As a Registered Clinical Counsellor, Tamara has worked and taught in the field of trauma healing for over 20 years, using somatic therapies, expressive arts therapy, EMDR, and other modalities, in a wide variety of settings. She is particularly interested in healing personal, intergenerational, c...