Development Advisory Team
Don Copeman
Founder & Director, Harrison HealthcareMr. Copeman is an experienced health care and information technology executive with over 40 years of parallel experience in each field. In 2005 he created Copeman Healthcare, the first private family healthcare organization in Canada. It grew to become the largest in the country, with 4 major clinics in Western Canada, and began earning recognition by Deloitte Canada as a “Best Managed Company” in 2013.
In 2011, Mr. Copeman designed and directed the engineering of Carebooktm , one of the world’s first universal personal health records for patient self-management and inter-professional collaboration, which became an important cornerstone in Copeman Healthcare’s vision to bring important health data and technology to patients to assist them with therapeutic lifestyle change.
In 2002 Mr. Copeman was the CEO and principal of Motivus Software Inc, a developer of enterprise software for secure communications, which was sold to Citrix Systems in June 2004. Before his work with Motivus, he was Vice-President of Oracle Corporation Canada Inc., responsible for business applications and corporate market development for a $150 million business. Prior to that engagement he was founder and CEO of Canada’s leading supplier of health care information systems for finance and logistics, Ormed Information Systems Ltd.
Dr. Boaz Saffer
Chief Scientific Officer, Harrison HealthcareDr. Boaz Y. Saffer earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2021 from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and completed his pre-doctoral residency at Vancouver Coastal Health. An accomplished scientist, he was ranked among the top 5% of PhD health researchers in Canada and has secured funding from notable organizations, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Killam Foundation, UBC, and the US Department of Defense. His research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences.
Formerly the Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Skillsetter.com, Dr. Saffer applied his extensive knowledge of psychological research and expertise in statistics and AI to create multimodal deep learning models that helped psychotherapists enhance their clinical and interpersonal skills. Earlier in his career, he developed an automated neuropsychological assessment scoring system and later significantly advanced the disease prediction algorithms for Carebooktm, an advanced health management system technology.
Dr. Kevin Kjernisted
Consulting PsychiatristDr. Kjernisted received his Medical Degree from the University of Manitoba in 1983. He worked as a general practitioner for 5 years before completing his psychiatry residency at the University of Manitoba. He became the Medical Director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic and the Director of Research at St. Boniface General Hospital in the Department of Psychiatry, a position he held from 1994 to 2005. Dr. Kjernisted moved to British Columbia in 2005 where he became Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, teaching residents and medical students.
Dr Kjernisted has acted as principal investigator in over 60 clinical trials investigating medications for mood and anxiety disorders, and ADHD. He has held grants to study the causes and treatment of social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder, and has published on these topics as well as PTSD, panic disorder, hypochondriasis, and depression. He is also co-author of the Canadian Anxiety Disorder Guidelines.
Dr Kjernisted is an internationally active speaker on the topics of mood and anxiety disorders, ADHD, the “mind-body connection”, psychoneuroimmunology, neurobiology and psychopharmacology.
Dr. Kjneristed is a key player on the MHAT development team, helping validate its findings with “gold standard” measures that he has employed in his many years of clinical practice.
Marty MacLure
PsychotherapistMarty earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Prince Edward Island and went on to complete a Master of Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary. She is a practicing psychotherapist and Canadian Certified Counsellor with broad experience. She has worked as a Mental Health Therapist for provincial community health services, in private practice, and has supported employee mental wellness through corporate contracts. Grief and loss are a particular area of interest for her.
Marty thrives as a contributor on multidisciplinary teams and enjoys problem solving to ensure high quality care and efficiency. She is a valuable link between the Harrison physician and nurse practitioner teams, specialists, the mental health community, and the MHAT development team.
Amra Dizdarevic
Nurse PractitionerAmra completed her Bachelor of Science (cell biology and genetics) in 2001 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2004. She went on to earn a master’s degree in nursing from the University of British Columbia and received her nurse practitioner. Amra is an adjunct professor for the nurse practitioner program at UBC’s School of Nursing and holds a board certification with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a family nurse practitioner.
Amra is passionate about working with children, youth, and young adults in primary care, and through many years of practice, has developed a rich understanding of mental health conditions and treatment strategies. In addition to other training through her career she holds a fellowship from the CanREACH Institute for Patient Centered Mental Health in pediatric primary care.
Amra has presented at various national and international conferences and attracts audiences around the world with the breadth and depth of her clinical skills and experience.
Dr. Eric Gulliver
Family PhysicianAfter graduating at the top of his class with a major in mathematics, Dr. Gulliver obtained his MD at the University of Manitoba. There he was awarded the Robin Krause Human Values Award for being a leader in total patient care and demonstrating outstanding skills in his social, ethical and non-biomedical approach to overall health and wellness. He went on to complete his residency in Family Medicine while serving as Chief Resident at the University of Calgary. During his residency, Dr. Gulliver completed additional training and is certified in Advanced Trauma and Life Support (ATLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).
Dr. Gulliver has a particular passion for mental health and young adult health. He is an effective problem solver which allows him to navigate complex medical concerns to find patient-centered solutions. He brings mindfulness and a biopsychosocial approach to his care plans.
Dr. Bernard Esquivel
Senior Medical Advisor, Precision MedicineDr. Esquivel is a practicing physician and scientist with advanced training as a clinical immunologist, allergist, and medical geneticist. Dr. Esquivel received his medical degree from the University of Mexico in 2009. He went on to receive a doctorate in immunogenetics from the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City and masters training in medical genetics from the University of Valencia in Spain.
Dr Esquivel is the former Chief Medical Officer of OneOme, a pharmacogenetics spin-off program from the Mayo Clinic in the US, and the current Chief Medical Officer of GenXys Healthcare Systems, a world leader in precision prescribing solutions. Dr. Esquivel is passionate about incorporating mental health into precision medicine strategies, understanding the very strong relationship between physical and mental health.
Andy Summers
Chief Technology OfficerMr. Summers holds a master’s degree in engineering & design from the Far Eastern University of Technology in Russia and is an experienced technology executive. In his 33 years as a software engineer, analyst, systems architect, project manager, and Chief Technology Officer, he has contributed to several complex development projects, including work with Heath industry clients in Canada, the U.S.A. and Australia.
As the Chief Technology Officer for Copeman Healthcare, and later for Carebook Applied Research Limited Partnership, Mr. Summers led the technology group and helped reengineer the company’s internal medical record systems and the internet-based health management system, Carebooktm. He therefore brings invaluable practical knowledge and continuity in design thinking to the MHAT technology.
Vera Gladkikh
Medical Technology AnalystVera earned her bachelor’s degree at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, British Columbia, and has had continued with advanced technical training at BCIT. She started her career in software testing at PolyOptimum, an international healthcare scheduling company, and more recently was the product manager and live operations manager for Carebooktm, an online health management tool that was an early concept that inspired Harrison Healthcare’s HealthChart technology.
Vera loves to problem solve and is committed to the development of healthcare technology as a scalable and sustainable way to improve overall health outcomes in our society.