Elissa Brookes, who served so efficiently as the Study’s Program Manager since December 2022, left the CHILD team on July 31, 2026.
Elissa took over from predecessors with many years in CHILD but got up to speed in no time and managed to more than fill their shoes, becoming an absolute pillar underpinning the Study’s most crucial functions—and she did so with tremendous charm, thoughtfulness and professionalism.
Among her core accomplishments during her tenure as Project Manager were:
- leading the execution of the 13-year visit;
- planning and implementing the 16-year visit, including the introduction of harmonized consents;
- overseeing countless participant-facing details, including giveaways, general communications, sample collection packages, and visit-related instructions;
- planning and conducting the inaugural in-person site coordinator retreat;
- spearheading the Let’s Be Precise conference in 2024 that brought together Canadian and international scientists and CHILD staff to discuss how birth cohorts can advance child precision health; and
- heading up the 2024 workshop that gathered invited experts, CHILD researchers, staff and NPEC families together to plan the Study’s future.
“Elissa worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help coordinate so many complex, multi-site activities and to ensure all our projects stayed on track,” comments Deputy Director Dr. Charisse Petersen.
“We are especially grateful for the care she consistently showed toward CHILD families, the site teams, and NCC staff. She will be sorely missed for both her personality and her invaluable contributions to the Study’s operations.”
“I feel fortunate to have worked these last three years with my dedicated colleagues in the remarkable CHILD team,” says Elissa. “I’m grateful for the experiences shared and the knowledge gained, and I’m excited to see where the next stage of my professional journey leads.”
The entire CHILD team extends its heartfelt gratitude to Elissa and wishes her every success in all her future endeavours.
