Our Team

Founder and Director of HOPE Lab

Farinaz (Naz) Havaei, RN, MERM, PhD
(she/her)

What does it take to create a healthcare system where nurses can thrive and patients receive the best possible care? That question is at the heart of Dr. Farinaz Havaei’s work. An Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, a former Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar (2021–2026), and a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Strengthening the Health System (2026–2031), Dr. Havaei is the founder and director of the HOPE Lab (Healthy Outcomes and Patient and Provider Experiences). Her work focuses on strengthening the nursing workforce and creating healthier, safer, and more sustainable healthcare systems. She is particularly interested in the conditions that shape nurses’ everyday experiences at work—from staffing and workload to workplace violence and team-based care—and how these factors affect well-being, retention, and patient care. Working closely with healthcare workers, leaders, policymakers, and professional organizations, Dr. Havaei is committed to turning evidence into practical solutions that support nurses, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and improve care for patients.

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Megan Kaulius, MA
(she/her)

Megan graduated with a BAH in Psychology from Queen’s University and a Master’s from UBC’s School of Kinesiology. She has created, implemented, managed, and researched numerous health and well-being initiatives in healthcare and academic settings, including most recently as the Manager of Research Projects and Resources at the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction at Simon Fraser University. Megan joined Dr. Havaei’s team in April 2022 and helps to oversee Dr. Havaei’s program of work. Megan has a variety of research interests and is deeply passionate about improving health outcomes for providers and patients.

Michele Trask, MIHP, DNP, RN, EDAC, CHE, FCAN
(she/elle/ella)

Michele Trask is an enthusiastic leader and change agent. She earned a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing with Honours from the University of British Columbia, a Master of International Public Health from the University of Sydney, and Doctorate from Duke University.

Michele’s nursing career has spanned various roles from care provider, educator, consultant, clinical planner, and leader across a variety of specialty areas. She currently works as the Director of Professional Practice Nursing at Vancouver Coastal Health and is a surveyor with Accreditation Canada.

Michele’s practice demonstrates her dedication to person-centered care and leadership. She has published and presented on topics such as creating leadership education courses, developing mentorship models within specialty nursing, reducing waitlists, increasing patients’ participation in their own care, and improving efficiency and cost effectiveness of healthcare. Michele was named as one of the inaugural Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Nursing by the Canadian Nurses Association and has received awards for leadership, practice, administration and as a member of high functioning teams. As a nurse leader, Michele is highly respected by her teams and is recognized for her enthusiasm, compassion, and commitment to excellence.

Zoë Esseiva, RN, BSN
(they/she)

Zoë is a doctoral student at the UBC School of Nursing, supervised by Dr. Havaei, and passionate about applied mixed-methods research. They discovered this interest while studying sociology and dialogue at Simon Fraser University. During their BSN, Zoë contributed to a published mixed-methods project and presented at a conference in Germany. Since graduating, Zoë has worked as an emergency department nurse, clinical research nurse in addiction medicine, and research assistant on health authority projects. Their current research interests concern occupational safety and equity – particularly workplace violence. Outside academia and clinic work, Zoë enjoys bouldering at the local climbing gym, cooking elaborate meals, and cuddling with their terrier, Bernie.

Hirpal Hundial, RN, BSN, MSN (CCNE)
(she/her)

Hirpal is an experienced nursing educator and critical care practitioner with an impressive educational background, including a BScN, MSN (Hons) and an extensive array of certifications, including Canadian Certified Nurse Educator, Canadian Certified TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer, and a residency with the British Columbia Patient Safety and Quality Council, Hirpal exemplifies dedication and leadership in nursing education and practice with a particular focus on patient safety. Hirpal has utilized the knowledge gained from these certifications to implement patient safety curriculum throughout the BScN program, providing workshops to both students and colleagues about patient safety science. Hirpal also serves as an expert on standard of care in legal matters.

Sabina Staempfli, RN, MN
(she/her)

Sabina started working with Dr. Havaei as a Research Assistant in June 2020 when she began her PhD at the UBC School of Nursing. The two have worked together on many research projects particularly in the long-term care sector. Dr. Havaei is also Sabina’s doctoral supervisor. When she isn’t studying or working on a research project, Sabina is working as an Emergency Nurse in Toronto, riding her bike with her growing family, and playing hockey on a local rink. Find her on twitter at @svstaempfli

Harroop Sharda

Dr. Harroop (Roop) Sharda is a nurse, qualitative researcher, and methods scholar with the Institute for Research and Theory Methodologies. With 24 years of nursing experience spanning clinical practice, education, and research, her scholarship focuses on understanding and addressing complex challenges in nursing education, workforce integration, and retention. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the MacIsaac School of Nursing and a member of the UBC HOPE Lab under the supervision of Dr. Naz Havaei, Harroop leads provincial research examining the labour market integration and professional experiences of internationally educated nurses (IENs) in British Columbia. Through the UBC Excellence Cluster, she brings a qualitative and theory-driven perspective to interdisciplinary research aimed at advancing equitable, sustainable, and responsive nursing workforce systems.

Lilia Laihem

Lilia Laihem is a Master of Public Health (MPH) candidate in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests include health services research, improving population health and patient outcomes, and leveraging digital health technologies to enhance healthcare delivery. Previously, she has previously worked at the BC Cancer as a Research Assistant and Research Coordinator, contributing to patient-centred research, supporting Dr. Havaei’s early evaluation of team-based care models, and policy development to advance the Clinical Nurse Specialist workforce.

Our Team

Our Team

Founder and Director of HOPE Lab

Current Students

Postdoctoral Fellows

PhD Students

Master’s Students

Our Alumni

Our Collaborators