Meet the QI Team

Tara Kiran is the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation and Vice-Chair Quality and Innovation at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto. Much of her research has focused on evaluating the impact of Ontario’s primary care reforms on quality of care. More recently, she is focusing her efforts on quality improvement research including initiatives to improve patient experience including access to care, increase cancer screening rates, treat Hepatitis C, reduce high-risk opioid prescribing, measure and reduce care disparities, and support physicians to learn from data. She practices family medicine at the St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team where she led the quality improvement program from 2011 to 2018. She is a Scientist in the Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital and an Adjunct Scientist at ICES. 

Erin Plenert, MPH 

Erin Plenert is the Quality & Innovation Program Manager at the Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto.  Erin brings a diverse set of skills after working in both clinical and community-based research for many years.  Erin has extensive experience working with different stakeholder groups, including patients and community-members.  She also brings a wealth of experience in growing and managing diverse yet cohesive teams.  Overall, Erin is passionate about contributing to meaningful changes to our healthcare system to ensure that all people can access care that is safe, equitable, and of high quality.   

Dana Arafeh, MHI

Dana Arafeh is the Patient & Family Engagement Specialist, Quality and Innovation Program at the Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto. Dana is passionate about involving patients and their families in every aspect of their care. Her goal is to promote patient and family voices as a key driver in all DFCM activities, and look for opportunities for meaningful patient and family engagement. Dana brings a diverse background of skills, including working in paediatrics and mental health at organizations such as SickKids and the Women’s College Hospital, and experiencing managing a national paediatric research network. She also holds a Master’s degree in Health Informatics from the University of Toronto and, as someone living with a chronic condition, serves as a patient partner on multiple projects and committees.

Kirsten Eldridge, MPH

Kirsten Eldridge is the Quality and Innovation Program Research Officer at the Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto.