About
Dr. Sivananthan is a leading healthcare leader and passionate advocate, who has worked with multiple health systems and organizations nationally and internationally to build strategies and solutions for older adults. In her roles as both Affiliate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University, and former Chief Research & Knowledge Translation Officer at the Alzheimer Society of Canada, she has been instrumental in raising the profile of the needs of people living with dementia in Canada.
In 2020, she was appointed by the federal Minister of Health to the Ministerial Advisory Board on Dementia. Previously, Dr. Sivananthan served as a senior strategy and policy advisor consulting for the World Health Organization (WHO) on its global dementia strategy. She co-drafted the WHO's Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia which received unanimous consensus at the World Health Assembly. This plan served as the template for Canada's National Dementia Strategy. She has served as the WHO representative at the OECD, European Commission, EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) and Alzheimer Disease International, working to coordinate global relationships and advocacy activities on dementia.
While at the Alzheimer Society she oversaw a tripling of funding for dementia research, and created multiple platforms for people living with dementia to engage in research, advocate and co-design programming for their needs. This helped create a more engaged research community who co-designed projects with people living with dementia, as well as designed studies that have immediate and long-term impact on their lives.
She is co-lead for the inaugural non-pharmacological interventions working group of the Canadian Consensus Guidelines on Dementia which developed the first national recommendations on psycho-social interventions for the management and treatment of dementia.
She is a neuroscientist and health data scientist who has contributed to numerous national and international publications, articles and reports. Her doctoral thesis work on transitions experienced by people living with dementia through the health system was used to inform the BC Dementia Strategy and Alberta Dementia Strategy.
Dr. Sivananthan earned her PhD from the University of British Columbia. She lives in Toronto with her husband and son.
Education
2010 - 2014
University of British Columbia | Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health
Dr. Saskia Sivananthan received her Doctor of Philosophy in Population & Public Health with a focus on Health Services Research. Her thesis identified the key points of transitions that people with dementia experience through the BC health system and was used to support the BC Dementia Strategy and the Alberta Dementia Strategy. It was during this time that she also lived at two long-term care homes to understand the experiences of residents.
2006 - 2008
McGill University | Masters of Science in Neurology and Neurosurgery
Dr. Saskia Sivananthan received her Masters of Science in Neurology in which she explored the role of the death enzymes - caspases - in Alzheimer's disease and their role in cellular transportation. During this time she was the only basic research trainee to volunteer at the first Memory Clinic in Canada to link basic research to patient care.
2001 - 2005
University of British Columbia | Bachelor of Science in Biology
Dr. Saskia Sivananthan received her Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of British Columbia, where she developed a passion for neuroscience and the study of the brain.
Skills & Expertise
- Dr. Saskia Sivananthan is an expert in the field of neuroscience and has extensive knowledge and experience in the following areas:
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Data analysis and interpretation
- Care and support for individuals with dementia and other neurological illnesses
- Research design and methodology