People

Management Team

Andrew Sixsmith, PhD
Director
STAR Institute

Andrew Sixsmith is the Director of the STAR Institute and a Professor in the SFU Gerontology Department. Andrew was the Scientific Director of AGE-WELL NCE between 2015-2020 and the Associate Scientific Director between 2020-2022. He is now an AGE-WELL Network Advisor. He is past President of the International Society of Gerontechnology and was previously Director of the Gerontology Research Centre and Deputy Director of the IRMACS Centre at SFU. His research interests include aging, social isolation, technologies to connect people, technology for independent living, technology policy and the digital divide, theories and methods in aging and understanding the innovation process. His work has involved him in a leadership and advisory role in numerous major international research projects and initiatives with academic, government and industry partners. He received his doctorate from the University of London and was previously a lecturer at the University of Liverpool in the Institute of Human Ageing and Department of Primary Care. 

Pam Borghardt
Managing Director
STAR Institute

Pam Borghardt is the Managing Director of the SFU STAR Institute. She is responsible for the overall management of the Institute including staff supervision and financial management. Pam has been affiliated with the AGE-WELL Network since the proposal development stage and spent most of 2017 as their Acting Managing Director. Previous to that she was the Managing Director of the highly successful SFU IRMACS Centre for over 12 years.

Mei Lan Fang
Engagement and Education Director
STAR Institute

Mei Lan Fang is the Engagement and Education Director of the STAR Institute and is an Adjunct Professor in the Gerontology Department at SFU. Mei is also a Lecturer / Assistant Professor in health gerontology, located in the School of and Health Sciences at the University of Dundee. Mei holds a Master’s in Public Health, specializing in social and health inequities, and a Ph.D. in Urban Studies, focused on environmental gerontology. Her post graduate research progresses community-based participatory research concepts, theory, and methods for designing age-friendly environments and was nominated for the MacFarlane Award for most outstanding doctoral research contribution at Heriot Watt University. In the past 10 years, Mei has worked as a transdisciplinary research scientist and health sciences methodologist where she both uses and builds intersectional place theory, methods and practice in health-related areas of critical public health, ethnic and migration studies, environmental gerontology, ageing and technology and global health promotion. Mei has produced over 50 peer-reviewed publications ranging from journal articles, books, book chapters, method protocols to published conference proceedings, that all stem from a broad spectrum of completed and ongoing community-oriented and participatory projects.

Juliet Neun-Hornick
Special Projects Manager & Graphic Designer
STAR Institute

Juliet Neun-Hornick is the Special Projects Manager and in-house Graphic Designer of the STAR Institute at Simon Fraser University. Juliet manages the research team and provides direct assistance to STAR Institute Director, managing academic and community-based projects, activities and events, and acting as liaison between Director and research staff. Juliet designs and manages Institute branding and promotional materials including Institute website, social media, research and knowledge mobilization materials. Juliet assists with Institute financial management. As well, Juliet provides direct support to AGE-WELL Network Management Office, managing special activities (including the Springer AgeTech book series and AGE-WELL special collections and symposia) and assisting with special events. Juliet also designs AGE-WELL event and promotional materials. Juliet is also past project manager for the Point of Care Health Technology (PCHT) team at SFU.