Our Team

  • 'Dr. Hilton is Research Chair, Forensic Mental Health at Waypoint, Professor of Psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, and Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto . She is also a fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association. Since joining Waypoint 35 years ago, she has been both a front-line clinician and a full-time researcher. Dr. Hilton conducts research that pertains to justice-involved individuals in the criminal justice and psychiatric systems, and the professionals who provide services for them. She has conducted influential research in the areas of domestic violence, risk assessment, risk communication, and more recently the physical health and psychological wellbeing of both patients and staff at psychiatric hospitals. She was the lead of the research team that created the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA).

  • Dr. Junqiang Zhao joined Waypoint Research Institute as a research scientist in early 2023. His research expertise is in implementation science and integrated knowledge translation (i.e., co-production). He approaches his work through a lens of behavioral science and complexity system approaches. His methodological expertise includes realist approaches, qualitative study, mixed methods, systematic reviews, and complex system approaches for intervention development and evaluation.

  • Kristy Allen (she/her) holds an Honours BA in Psychology and a minor in Family & Child Studies from the University of Guelph. In 2020, she completed her Masters of Public Health degree with a concentration in Social Inequities in Health from Simon Fraser University. In addition, she has obtained certificates in Knowledge Mobilization from the University of Guelph, and in Family Engagement in Research (FER) & Leadership in FER from McMaster University. She has previously held community engagement and knowledge translation roles with Frayme and the Canadian Mental Health Association- BC Division.

    Kristy is passionate about knowledge mobilization and community engagement as drivers of implementation and sustainability within research, programs, and services. Through her personal experiences, she advocates for patients & families to be key stakeholders in mental health system transformation. Outside of work, Kristy enjoys doing anything outside, swimming, and reading.

  • Dr. Christopher Canning joined the Waypoint Research Institute as Director, Research & Academics in March of 2021. As Director he oversees the strategic goals of a diverse team of research scientists, clinician scientists, and other research and clinical staff within a tertiary mental healthcare setting. He maintains an independent research program in mental health policy and patient-oriented and community-engaged research. Bringing his own lived experiences to his research, policy and advocacy work, Christopher is deeply and personally committed to health equity, anti-racism and anti-oppression, and creating meaningful system transformation that puts people with lived experience at the center of services and supports.

  • Linda Zhou joined Waypoint Research Institute in 2025. She is working under Dr Zoe Hilton on the development of a strategic manual to reduce trauma among psychiatric health workers. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto and a Master of Public Health from Queen’s University. Prior to joining Waypoint, Linda worked as Project Coordinator at the Provincial Health Services Authority in Vancouver, BC, where she led several public health initiatives, including emergency preparedness and virtual health. Her experience in mental health research, public health program development, and health systems coordination informs her commitment to improving the well-being and resilience of healthcare professionals.

  • Elke Ham, OCGC, is Research Psychometrist at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. She has 15 years of experience in conducting both quantitative and qualitative research. She has co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles. A key contributor to the Trauma among Psychiatric Workers project, she was involved in a multi-site initiative where she conducted research and coordinated the integrated knowledge translation model. This role included engaging with various stakeholders—such as interdisciplinary teams, government agencies, unions, and health associations—to collaboratively create evidence-based recommendations aimed at preventing workplace violence and trauma among mental health workers. As a result, she has become a content expert on evidence-based recommendations and the literature surrounding psychological trauma in healthcare settings.

  • Nicole C. Rodrigues, MEd (Counselling Psychology) is a Canadian Certified Counsellor with a focus on forensic psychiatric populations. She has conducted psychiatric and forensic research for the last 15 years and co-authored over 12 peer-reviewed articles in forensic psychiatry, criminology, and nursing. She is the lead research coordinator for the Brockville Mental Health Centre (part of The Royal) for 13 years. She was instrumental in the implementation and maintenance of the Safewards Model of Care in The Royals’ Integrated Forensic Program. She was a co-investigator and local lead at The Royal of the Trauma among Psychiatric Workers project and has worked closely with occupational health and safety to facilitate the uptake of the project recommendations. As a content expert on evidence-based practices regarding psychological trauma among mental health frontline staff in the workplace, Ms. Rodrigues will provide assistance with quantitative and qualitative survey content creation and interpretation, along with manual development.