Gilaad G. Kaplan, MD, MPH

Professor | Gastroenterologist | Primary Investigator

Dr. Gilaad G. Kaplan (Google Scholar) is a Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, and a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist whose research focuses on the global epidemiology of digestive diseases. His research seeks to understand the burden, causes, treatment, and outcomes of inflammatory bowel disease and other digestive diseases, translating this knowledge into improvements in patient care, healthcare systems, and public health.

After completing his medical training, Dr. Kaplan earned a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completed advanced fellowship training in inflammatory bowel disease at Massachusetts General Hospital. Since joining the University of Calgary in 2007 as a clinician-scientist, he has built an internationally collaborative research program that integrates epidemiology, clinical research, health administrative data, and global partnerships to address some of the most important challenges in digestive health.

In addition to leading the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab, Dr. Kaplan has contributed to numerous national and international initiatives, including leadership roles with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, helping to advance research, clinical care, and health policy for people living with digestive diseases.

Stephanie Coward, PhD

Director of Epidemiologic Research | Kaplan Lab Manager

Dr. Stephanie Coward (Google Scholar) is the Director of Epidemiologic Research for the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab and the IBD Unit at the University of Calgary. She is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on understanding the burden of digestive diseases, evaluating treatments using real-world health data, and developing innovative epidemiologic methods that improve population health research.

Dr. Coward received her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Calgary, where her doctoral research focused on forecasting the future burden of inflammatory bowel disease in Canada. During her doctoral training, she completed an internship with the World Health Organization and received the Eyes High Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship and the Izaak Walton Killam Doctoral Scholarship.

In her role, Dr. Coward provides scientific leadership across the lab’s epidemiologic research program, overseeing study design, methodology, project management, and research operations. She leads multidisciplinary research teams in the design and execution of population-based studies, collaborating with clinicians, data scientists, knowledge translation specialists, and international partners to translate complex research questions into high-quality studies that advance understanding of digestive diseases and improve patient care.

Lindsay Hracs, PhD

Data Science Lead

Dr. Lindsay Hracs (Google Scholar) completed her PhD in Linguistics at the University of Calgary in 2021 before joining the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab in the Cumming School of Medicine as a postdoctoral scholar. In 2023, she became the lab’s Data Science Lead. Her doctoral research focused on using Bayesian modelling to better understand the role of input and exposure in first language acquisition.

Driven by a strong interest in language and information processing, Dr. Hracs now applies machine learning and artificial intelligence to support epidemiologic research. Drawing on her interdisciplinary background, she develops computational approaches that uncover patterns in complex health data and support scientific discovery. Her work includes developing purpose-built neural network architectures for data mining, predictive models of disease burden, and novel analytical approaches for large-scale health data.

As Data Science Lead, Dr. Hracs collaborates closely with epidemiologists, clinicians, and trainees to integrate these computational methods into multidisciplinary research projects. She supports the development of reproducible analytical workflows that strengthen the lab’s research and help answer complex questions in inflammatory bowel disease and other digestive diseases.

Joseph Windsor, PhD

Knowledge Translation Lead

Dr. Joseph Windsor (Google Scholar) is the Knowledge Translation Lead for the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab. He completed his PhD in Linguistics at the University of Calgary and has a background in literature, language studies, and knowledge translation. His work focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice by facilitating bi-directional knowledge exchange among researchers, clinicians, policymakers, patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders.

Dr. Windsor develops knowledge translation strategies that make epidemiologic and clinical research accessible to diverse audiences while maintaining scientific accuracy and integrity. His research also examines patient experiences and perspectives through qualitative interviews, helping ensure that patient voices inform research, clinical care, and health policy.

Working closely with the lab’s researchers and collaborators, Dr. Windsor supports the integration of knowledge translation throughout the research process—from study design and stakeholder engagement to dissemination and implementation—maximizing the impact of research on healthcare decision-making and patient outcomes. His work helps ensure research is meaningful not only to scientists, but also to the patients, clinicians, and healthcare decision-makers it aims to serve.

James King, MSc

PhD Candidate

James King, MSc (Google Scholar) is a PhD Candidate in Epidemiology at the University of Calgary, jointly supervised by Dr. Tyler Williamson and Dr. Gilaad Kaplan, and a Senior Analyst with Provincial Research Data Services (Alberta). His doctoral research uses population-based administrative health data to investigate the epidemiology and burden of celiac disease in Alberta. His research has been recognized through nationally competitive awards, including a CIHR Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award, and has contributed to high-impact publications in leading medical journals.

James’ research focuses on population-based epidemiology, health services research, and the use of linked administrative health data to study digestive diseases. His work combines advanced epidemiologic methods with large-scale health data to investigate disease incidence, healthcare utilization, diagnostic pathways, and patient outcomes. He has also contributed to international collaborative studies examining the global burden of digestive diseases.

As a member of the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab, James collaborates on multidisciplinary research that advances the understanding of digestive diseases through innovative epidemiologic methods and data science. His research aims to generate evidence that improves disease surveillance, informs healthcare policy, and supports better outcomes for people living with digestive diseases.

Brooke Maracle, MSc

PhD Student

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Shinji Okabayashi, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Shinji Okabayashi (Google Scholar) is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. He completed his MD in Japan before earning a PhD in Epidemiology from Kyoto University, where his doctoral research examined treatment effectiveness and outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease. Prior to joining the University of Calgary, he practiced as a gastroenterologist and Chief of General Internal Medicine while leading multicentre clinical research in Japan.

Dr. Okabayashi’s research focuses on the clinical management and global epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease. His work spans population-based epidemiology, multinational collaborative research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, with the goal of improving the understanding of disease burden, treatment effectiveness, and regional differences in IBD across healthcare systems.

As a member of the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab, Dr. Okabayashi collaborates with international research partners to advance population-based studies of digestive diseases. His research integrates clinical expertise with epidemiologic methods to generate evidence that informs patient care, healthcare policy, and global health.

Sarita Shrestha, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Sarita Shrestha is an epidemiologist with a PhD in Epidemiology from Örebro University, Sweden. Her doctoral research examined the impact of age and inflammation on extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using Swedish national health registers. Prior to joining the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab, she conducted research in Sweden and Denmark, contributing to large population-based studies of IBD and chronic disease epidemiology.

Dr. Shrestha’s research focuses on population-based epidemiology, longitudinal cohort studies, and evidence synthesis. She has extensive experience working with large administrative health databases and applying advanced quantitative methods to investigate disease burden, risk factors, and long-term outcomes. Her work has contributed to a better understanding of inflammatory bowel disease and its associated comorbidities.

As a member of the Kaplan Global Epidemiology Lab, Dr. Shrestha collaborates on international research initiatives that use population health data to advance the understanding of digestive diseases. Her research integrates epidemiologic methods with large-scale health data to generate evidence that informs clinical practice, healthcare policy, and population health.