The Team
The Dementia Action Co-Lab is a team of people who share a passion for supporting communities to become more dementia inclusive. Here is a little about each of them:
Founder and Director:
Mariko Sakamoto, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Faculty of Human and Social Development
Research Fellow – Institute of Aging & Lifelong Health
University of Victoria
Lab Founder and Director Mariko Sakamoto is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Victoria where she spearheads a number of exciting action research projects. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia and the Alzheimer Society of BC and holds several key positions with related associations throughout the province. She is President of the Gerontological Nurses Association of BC, for example, as well as BC Chair of the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association, and a research fellow at the Institute of Aging & Lifelong Health at UVic. Sakamoto is known for her pragmatic enthusiasm for building up the people around her. She lives in Vancouver and Victoria BC depending on the day of the week.
Staff:
Heather Neale Furneaux, MFA
Heather is a writer and knowledge translation consultant with the Dementia Action Co-Lab. She was the Knowledge Mobilization Lead for UBC’s Building Capacity Project over the past five years, (a federally funded grassroots initiative empowering people with lived experience of dementia to live as full social citizens) and works in a community engagement and knowledge translation role for UBC Okanagan’s Compassionate Dementia-Inclusive Communities project led by Dr. Barb Pesut. She is the author of a series of books on end-of-life decision-making for people living with dementia being released this fall as a free online resource through Press Books. She lives on Vancouver Island with her four daughters.
Paulina Santaella Tafolla
Paulina is a physician specializing in Pharmaceutical Medicine, holding two Master’s degrees: one in Health Leadership and Policy in Senior Care, and another in Social Responsibility. She is fully committed to enhancing the quality of care for older adults, particularly those living with dementia. She has been working in interdisciplinary research at institutions such as the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic). Her work spans projects on creating age-friendly communities, dementia care, and transforming health systems. Paulina bridges cultures and disciplines to foster meaningful, inclusive research that makes a real difference across Canada’s aging and healthcare communities. She has been an instrumental part of the Dementia Action Co-Lab’s research coordination and knowledge translation team and continues to be a driving force in sharing with the world all the exciting work being done.
Grayson Kelly
Grayson Kelly is the Dementia Action Co-Lab’s website designer and graphic artist. Originally from Kamloops, BC, she currently lives on Vancouver Island studying Art History, Visual Studies, and Digital and Interactive Media at the University of Victoria. Her goal is to become a creative director, combining her love of art with technology to help businesses create a strong image and branding strategy. When she isn’t studying, Grayson enjoys reading, being active, and spending time at the beach. She has thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city of Victoria’s rich culture and natural beauty, and is excited about being part of this project.
Suzanne Ahearne
Executive Producer and Project Coordinator for the Call to Mind Podcast series, Suzanne is a podcast producer, communications strategist, and multimedia journalist. She led the creative direction for the Call to Mind series, liaising with research team members and stakeholders, setting and managing project timelines, and developing and implementing a multi-channel communications strategy. Her wisdom, experience, and passion have been invaluable.
Trainees:
Jaymelyn Hubert
Jaymelyn is a registered nurse with a clinical background in mental health and palliative care. In addition to her work with the Dementia Action Co-Lab, she supports the CARING Dementia Collaborative in her role as Project Coordinator.
As a student in UVIC’s Master of Nursing program, Jaymelyn’s research interests include improving wellbeing across the lifespan, the value of intergenerational relationships, aging-in-place, and building dementia-inclusive communities.
Karen Terra
Karen is a PhD student in the Social Dimensions of Health program at the University of Victoria. Her research examines the intersections of arts, aging, well-being, and quality of life, with a focus on how arts-based activities can support people living with dementia.
She has worked with individuals of all ages with disabilities in school and community settings and is deeply committed to connecting academic research with community practice. Karen advocates for inclusive, arts-based, person-centred approaches to health and well-being.
Kendall Pun
Kendall is a Registered Social Worker and Master of Social Work graduate from the University of British Columbia with extensive experience supporting children, families, and people encountering mental health challenges.
As a Research Assistant on the Flipping Stigma project at the University of Victoria, she collaborates closely with people living with dementia to share their stories, challenge stigma, inspire changes, and promote inclusion through research and community engagement.
Charlotte Oxford
Charlotte Oxford is a third-year nursing student at North Island College in Courtenay who is completing her community practicum with the Comox Valley Dementia Friendly Community project. Raised in the Comox Valley, she brings a strong understanding of the local community and a deep interest in advocacy and relationship-building. Charlotte has worked as a Community Health Worker in the Comox Valley and as an Employed Student Nurse at Cumberland Lodge, experiences that have shaped her commitment to person-centred, stigma-reducing care. Drawn to healthcare through an interest in science and meaningful human connection, she is motivated to help strengthen links between healthcare systems and community supports for people living with dementia and their families.
Kendra Graves
Kendra Graves is a third-year nursing student currently completing her community practicum with the Dementia Friendly Community (DFC) initiative. She is 20 years old and has lived in the Comox Valley her entire life, fostering a strong connection to the community and a desire to give back. Her decision to pursue nursing was driven by a genuine commitment to supporting others during vulnerable moments and making a meaningful, positive impact on people’s lives. Through her practicum, Kendra hopes to build meaningful relationships, further develop her community nursing skills, and contribute to creating inclusive, supportive, and dementia-friendly spaces for individuals living with dementia and their families.
Contributing Trainees for Completed Projects:
Paulina Malcolm
Paulina Malcolm is the Community Research Coordinator for several community-based research projects focused on addressing dementia-related stigma and promoting more dementia-inclusive spaces. She works closely with people with lived experience to better understand their social landscape, co-create research priorities, and support greater project engagement. Paulina has experience working on participatory action and co-design research projects in the field of dementia and older-adult mental health. She is currently working on her Masters in Rehabilitation Science
at UBC.
Alison Chung
Alison Chung is a clinical neuropsychology PhD student at the University of Victoria who was co-lead of the Dementia Friendly Communities for People Living Alone project alongside Co-Lab Director Mariko Sakamoto and Dementia Advocate Lynn Jackson.
Cole Tamburri
Cole is a PhD student at the University of Victoria whose research focuses on the cognitive neuroscience of aging. He’s been involved with investigating arts-based interventions for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers, early predictors and biomarkers of cognitive impairment and dementia risk, and innovative longitudinal statistical modeling approaches for exploring intraindividual change. Cole was a key part of the Audio Diaries project and is co-writing a paper with Dr. Mariko Sakamoto about that experience.
Cindy McDowell
Cindy is a Lifespan Health and Development PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria and research fellow within the Brain Aging and Neurocognitive Health lab. Her research concentrates on risk and protective factors for healthy and pathological aging in later life, with an emphasis on dementia prediction and prevention. She is also the Co-Founder and COO of WellIntel, an evidence-based wellness solutions company that equips individuals and organizations with science-backed information and actionable strategies to enhance mental health and well-being. Cindy was a key part of the Audio Diaries Project, working closely with both Mariko Sakamoto and Cole Tamburri.
Lab Collaborators and Partners:
Karen Lok Yi Wong
Karen Lok Yi Wong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She received her PhD in Social Work from the University of British Columbia and is a registered social worker and researcher. Her scholarship and practice address aging and care across diverse contexts, including community senior services, long-term care, and geriatric acute care. Her research focuses on aging in culturally and racially diverse populations, the lived experiences of dementia, family caregiving, and the intersection of aging and technology. She has been recognized for her contributions to social work and gerontology, receiving the Inspiring Social Worker of the Year Award from the BC Association of Social Workers in 2021 and the Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Association of Social Workers in 2024.
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