Meet Kimberly

January 22, 2025

We are Women’s offers the WCH community a chance to get to know each other and share our stories.

Name: Kimberly Devotta

Pronouns: She/Her

Title & Department: Research Manager, WCH Research and Innovation Institute

On the WCH team for: 2.5 years


1. What does your typical day look like?

On a typical day I try to balance the time I spend in meetings with time to work on different deliverables. Currently, I work on a project with many community partners so a typical day would include at least one meeting with partners and an internal meeting with team members. I often have different pieces of writing such as manuscripts or reports to work on, as well as the design and refinement of data collection tools such as surveys and interview guides. Additionally, I monitor other aspects of project planning including finances and timeline development. I also engage in opportunities to give presentations and guest lectures.

2. What excites you the most about working at WCH?

The leadership WCH has shown in the cancer research ecosystem excites me the most. The dedication to provide the highest standard of cancer care, both within and beyond the walls of WCH is amazing to see.

3. How does your work contribute to making a positive patient experience?

We strive to make our research responsive to people on the margins of society. This means understanding the lives and experiences outside of the status quo, to better serve patients often experiencing health inequities. To do this, we take our work out into the community, to meet people where they are. We design study protocols that acknowledge people’s realities to develop effective solutions.
Next month I start a Postdoctoral Fellowship here at WCH to develop cervical screening interventions for under- or never-screened people with a cervix in Ontario. This work builds off the findings of previous work where we identified important and feasible action items to address low rates of screening, using a participatory method called Concept Mapping. This is an exciting time for cervical screening in the province, as major changes are underway to offer HPV testing. I’m excited to be at WCH working with Dr. Aisha Lofters during this momentous time and hope to make a difference in people’s screening experience!

4. Tell us one to three things that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you.

I love musicals and film festivals. While I’m not a particularly creative person myself, I appreciate the work of people who are!