Founder and Director of HOPE Lab

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

Dr. Havaei is a registered nurse, an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, a health system researcher, a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar (2021-2026), and the founder and director of the Healthy Outcomes by improving Patient and Provider Experiences Lab (HOPELab) at UBC. Dr. Havaei has a passion for exploring and addressing workplace and policy factors that enable healthy outcomes for providers, patients, and healthcare organizations. She is recognized as an emerging leader in health system research and has contributed to policy, practice and media platforms that support knowledge mobilization and research impact. To date, Dr. Havaei’s program of research has received over $8 million in funding support from local, provincial and national funding agencies as primary or co-investigator, resulting in nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications and over 50 conference presentations. Dr. Havaei teaches nursing leadership at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Current HOPELab Team

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.

Danjie (Jerry) Zou, PhD
(he/him)

Jerry earned both a master’s degree and a PhD in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology (MERM) from the University of British Columbia, where he pursued his studies from September 2015 to July 2025. He joined Dr. Havaei’s team in August 2024 and has since contributed to multiple projects, including studies on optimal minimum nurse–patient ratios, trends in nurse-reported work and care delivery experiences, disability disclosure among university students, faculty/staff, and employees in other organizations, and longitudinal changes in team-based care within cancer care centers. His responsibilities have included conducting statistical analyses of survey data and drafting the Methods and Results sections of manuscripts. He maintains a broad range of research interests and is particularly passionate about advancing the application of statistical methods in health care research.

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.

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.

Komalpreet Kaur Nandra, BSc, BEd
(she/her)

Komal is a MA student at the Faculty of Education in the Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology program at the University of British Columbia. She has a BSc degree with Specialization in Mathematics, and a BEd degree with Honours with Distinction from the University of Alberta. Komal joined the HOPE lab in April 2024 and has been assisting with the lab’s psychometric analysis work. Concurrently, she works in the Data Analytics and Reporting team at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and conducts research at the Birth Place Lab at UBC. In her pastime, Komal practices no-dig gardening and goes adventuring into Vancouver forests with her toddler.

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