Dr. tara kajaks, PhD
research coordinator

Tara Kajaks holds a PhD in occupational biomechanics and ergonomics from the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University where she used virtual technologies to measure and predict injury risk to assembly line workers and firefighters. She was supported in this work by a CIHR doctoral award, an Ontario Graduate Student award, and the S. Leonard Syme Training Fellowship in Work and Health from the Institute for Work and Health. She carried her love for technology to her first Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University Health Network's Toronto Rehabilitation Institute where she held the Hallisey Fellowship in Technology for Family Caregivers. In this role, she supported a team of interdisciplinary researchers to study and develop tools to support paid and unpaid caregivers. Dr. Kajaks also contributed to research in older driver safety, which paved her way to being awarded the AGE-WELL/MIRA Post-Doctoral Fellowship at McMaster University.

When COVID-19 hit, an opportunity arose for her to join Dr. Andrew Costa and Dr. Dawn Bowdish, a leading immunologist at McMaster University, as the program manager for a COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness study in residents of long-term care. With the support of over 70 staff across the Departments of HEI and Medicine at McMaster University, as well as dozens of staff at partner homes, this project grew to become Canada's largest and most impactful COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness study. Dr. Kajaks is continuing to conduct interdisciplinary research in the long-term care sector.