OUR LEADERSHIP
The Kids' Health Links Team
Our amazing KHLF Team is project specific and on contract for implementations of our programs and initiatives. We have no permanent employees or overhead.
Krista Naugler, National Program Manager
As Upopolis' National Program Manager, Krista is focused on outreach to hospitals and health care centres both across Canada and the U.S. She supports and seeks out new partners, leads training, and looks for ways to increase usership. She also manages special projects and partnerships that involve the Upopolis Program, as well as acting as liaison with the TELUS team responsible for hosting and maintaining the technology platform. Krista is also the main point of contact and responsible for liaising with partner hospitals and organizations, approve referrers, and super users. Krista is a certified child life specialist with over 25 years of experience working in a pediatric tertiary health centre and has been with Upopolis for over five years.
Jessica Miller-Poesch, Upopolis Program Coordinator
Jessica, is the Upopolis Program Coordinator, focused on-site content and programming, supporting users, and managing the Umentor-Upal Leadership Program on the platform. Jessica is also responsible for Uknow, the multimedia library of age-appropriate medical information on Upopolis. Her important work includes updating and adding vetted and valuable resources to the Uknow space and helping to manage the Upopolis hospital and health care organization spaces. Jessica is always looking for creative ways to keep Upopolis users engaged and grow the value and content on the site!
Tija Praulins, Sibling Group & Social Lead
Tija Praulins is a Certified Child Life Specialist who joined KHLF in February 2019 as the Sibling Group and Social Lead for Upopolis. She expressed that she was drawn to Upopolis because it recognizes and supports technology to educate and connect youth and shares this same belief with her KHLF team. Tija’s current role at Upopolis is complemented by her full-time work at McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH), where she coordinates programming, entertainment, and in-kind donations for hospitalized patients and their siblings. Prior to this, Tija worked in the pediatric emergency department and in pediatric inpatient settings including general medicine, oncology, surgery, and the intensive care unit, and has also supported children of adult patients in the acute setting.
