The Team

Samer Faraj, Director

Professor Samer Faraj (Canada Research Chair in Technology, Innovation and Organizing) is the founding director of the ɬ�﷬ Institute for Transforming Healthcare and head of the at the Desautels Faculty of Management at ɬ�﷬. He is an associate member of the ɬ�﷬ Department of the Social Studies of Medicine, and has served as Director of the Faculty’s PhD program for ten years. Outside of ɬ�﷬ he is the president of the scientific council of Institut national d'excellence en santé et services sociaux (INESSS). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Research Fellow at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. He is internationally recognized for his contributions to the study of expertise coordination in teams, online knowledge communities, complex collaboration in the workplace, and the transformative effects of emerging technologies on existing and novel forms of organizing. His current focus is on collaboration and organizing within the Canadian healthcare sector, particularly exploring the potential of emerging technologies to enhance healthcare provision.

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Marija Djekic, Associate Director

Dr. Marija Djekic is the Associate Director of the Institute for Transforming Healthcare at ɬ�﷬, where she supports the Institute’s strategic development, partnerships, and operational growth. In this role, she works with academic, clinical, and policy leaders to build collaborative initiatives that accelerate innovation and translate research into practical solutions for healthcare system transformation. From 2020-2025 she worked on the strategic development of the ɬ�﷬ School of Population and Global Health, supporting the creation of interdisciplinary academic initiatives, international partnerships, and training programs designed to prepare future leaders in population and global health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served on the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, coordinating national research on COVID-19 immunity, impact on vulnerable populations, and supporting rapid evidence generation for public health decision-making in Canada. Earlier in her career at the Research Institute of the ɬ�﷬ Health Centre, she coordinated the implementation of a multi-site clinical trial focused on improving pain management for older adults in emergency departments across Montreal. Internationally, her research has focused on maternal and child health, nutrition, disease prevention and health promotion across Canada, Europe, and West Africa. Dr. Djekic is a pharmacist by training and holds a PhD in clinical biochemistry and nutrition.

marija.ivankovic [at] mcgill.ca (Email)

Göktuğ Bender, Research Coordinator

Göktuğ Bender is the Research Coordinator at the Institute for Transforming Healthcare at ɬ�﷬, where he supports research development, coordination, and knowledge translation activities across the Institute’s projects. In this role, he works closely with various stakeholders to advance interdisciplinary initiatives focused on healthcare innovation and system transformation. Göktuğ graduated from ɬ�﷬ in 2025 with a B.A. in Psychology, and was a BMO Responsible AI Junior Scholar and Global Health Scholar. He is interested in the implementation of artificial intelligence in healthcare systems.

goktug.bender [at] mcgill.ca (Email)