Dr. Saskia Sivananthan is currently the Chief Research and KTE Officer at the Alzheimer Society of Canada. Previously, she served as a senior strategy and policy advisor consulting for the World Health Organization (WHO) on its overall global dementia strategy. Dr. Sivananthan co-drafted the WHO’s Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia which was unanimously adopted at the 170th World Health Assembly by all 194 member-states. She and her team were also responsible for developing the WHO Global Dementia Observatory, an online platform for collating data to support countries to develop evidence-based policies in dementia and monitor progress toward targets outlined in the dementia action plan.
Dr. Sivananthan is a neuroscientist and health data scientist who uses population-level data to understand aging. She works in health system development and with governments on health services, policy and strategies to improve health for older adults with complex needs and those living with dementia.
An active researcher, Dr. Sivananthan holds a PhD in Health Services & Policy Research from the University of British Columbia, and an MSc in Neurology and Neuroscience from McGill University.