Sylvia Baedorf Kassis, MPH, CYT, joined the MRCT Center as a Program Manager in January of 2018.  With 20 years of clinical research-related experience in Canada and the United States of America, her expertise includes ethical/regulatory review of research, clinical trial workforce training and capacity building, and study coordination, management and oversight. In her current role, Sylvia is focused predominantly on efforts to make clinical research more understandable and accessible to patients and participants through her work on Health Literacy in Clinical Research, and she provides input on other MRCT Center initiatives through a health literacy lens.  Sylvia is also involved in the Individual Return of Results project and capacity-building efforts.

Sylvia’s clinical research interests include: understanding trial participants’ experiences in research and incorporating their insights into study processes; supporting research coordinators through networks and training; and ensuring all trial stakeholders are supported in the ethical and compliant conduct of studies involving human subjects and their data/samples.

Sylvia possesses a Master of Public Health degree in Global Health from Boston University School of Public Health (2008) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto (2001).  She is also a Certified Yoga Teacher (2011) and trained in mindfulness techniques.