About

Tessa joined the team at Barber Prosthetics Clinic in 2017 after completing her residency at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. She was first exposed to the world of Prosthetics while completing her Engineering degree at the University of Calgary. Her interest in biomechanics and direct patient care led her to the P&O program at BCIT, which she completed in 2014. Tessa is thrilled to be a part of the dynamic, passionate environment at Barber Prosthetics Clinic and thoroughly enjoys providing care for our diverse population of patients. She takes particular interest in working with paediatric patients as well as those with unique presentations and is always up to the challenge of enabling patients to participate in their favourite recreational activities.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Tessa is happy to be home near the mountains and ocean–swimming at Kits pool, snowboarding in Whistler, and eating sushi!

University of Calgary B.Sc. Civil Engineering with Honours in Biomedical Engineering (2008)  |  BCIT P&O (2014)  |   Canadian Certified Prosthetist (2016)  

Leah has been working in Prosthetics since 2016. She started her career working as an engineer and after seven years she made the switch to a profession where she could use her skills as an engineer and her passion for working with people. Leah is excited to be working with the caring and positive team at Barber Prosthetics.

Leah is also involved in the wider prosthetics community in her spare time. She currently volunteers with POABC (Prosthetics and Orthotics Association of BC) and has also volunteered with Range of Motion Prosthetics in Ecuador. Leah loves working with people and is looking forward to a career of collaborating with patients and healthcare professionals. In her spare time, Leah enjoys spending time hiking, paddle boarding, biking and generally enjoying the outdoors.

University of Alberta, B.Sc. Civil Engineering (2009) | BCIT P&O (2018) | McMasters M.Sc., Rehabilitation (2020) | Canadian Certified Prosthetist (2020)

Jesse has been in the prosthetics field since graduating from the Prosthetics program at GBC in Toronto in 2006. It all started when working at a sports camp in Oshawa, Ontario while attending University at McMaster. He met a national-calibre runner with a below-knee amputation, who trained at the same facility. Witnessing this runner’s abilities despite his amputation was eye-opening for Jesse. Not only could someone with an amputation run faster than most people he knew, but someone, somewhere, made him this device that allowed this runner to perform at such a high level. This interaction set Jesse on his prosthetic journey.

A few years later, during a volunteer trip to Kosovo, Jesse was shocked to realize the severity of landmine-related amputations to adults and kids alike. The prosthetic journey continued and saw Jesse attending prosthetic school while simultaneously working with the Canadian National Amputee Hockey Team as well as prosthetic-related trips to Beijing and Hong Kong. Years later, soon after a major earthquake hit Haiti, Jesse travelled there to help train Haitian-born prosthetic technicians to cast, fabricate and fit prosthetic limbs to those in need.

It is the past that shapes the future. So too have Jesse’s experiences shaped him into the prosthetist he is today. Jesse strives for empathy, while using his knowledge and experience to better the quality of life for his patients. When not prosthetising, Jesse can usually be seen at one of Vancouver’s many playgrounds with his wife and daughter, scheming up a master plan for his next family-oriented Halloween costume, or winning at Christmas-related trivia.

McMaster University, Bachelor of Kinesiology, Honours (2001)  |  GBC P&O Clinical Program (2004)  | Canadian Certified Prosthetist (2006)  

Lauren has been working as a professional administrator in the prosthetics and orthotics industry since 2010. Her strong attention to detail and creative nature enable her to work magic behind the scenes, allowing the clinicians and support staff to focus on what really matters: patient care. She believes that accuracy is one of the best tools in her arsenal for ensuring a timely response to patients' needs. With a background in retail management and hospitality, Lauren knows that a positive patient experience is rooted in strong relationships and effective systems. She believes that creating comprehensive policies and procedures leads to better access to funding and, ultimately, better patient care.

Lauren was drawn to the field because of her passion for supporting others and believes that compassion, clear communication, and strong advocacy can make a meaningful difference throughout the prosthetic journey. She understands that the process can often feel overwhelming and strives to build strong relationships between patients, the clinic, and funding agencies so that everyone can advocate in the best possible way. Her goal is to ensure every patient has access to the funding they need to live a more active, fulfilled, and limitless life.

Outside the office, Lauren is a full-time dance and baseball mom, with duties that include logistics coordinator, cheerleader, and elite-level snack provider. Her greatest talent is creating a ballet bun that can withstand a wind tunnel. In the rare moments she's not at a competition or game, Lauren can be found in the kitchen recipe-testing her next baked creation, firmly believing that every stressful week can be improved with homemade cinnamon buns. Convincing her family that they're not meant to all be eaten warm from the pan remains one of her greatest challenges.

University of Victoria BFA, Writing (2007)  | University of Victoria BA, Film (2007)

Jade hails from Cork, Ireland. She joined the Barber Prosthetics team in January 2024, she made the exciting move from Ireland to Vancouver back in 2019. Jade has a background in Retail Management and Childcare, showing her kind and friendly nature you meet at our front desk. She has a passion for patient care, acting as an advocate for patient needs, ensuring that our patients always feel heard and are met with a smile. Jade is thrilled to be part of an exciting, passionate, and creative team at Barber Prosthetics Clinic.

In her free time, Jade can be found exploring new parts of Vancouver, enjoying time at the beach, attending music events, and spending time with her friends.

Cork College of Commerce, Language & European Studies (2016) 

Marta graduated from the GBC technician program in 2020, where she fell in love with creating prosthetic devices, and not long after, joined the team at Barber Prosthetics Clinic. She was first introduced to the industry while completing a work placement during her Human Kinetics degree. She was trying to find a way of merging her interests in healthcare and art design when she landed on the perfect fit at a local orthopedic clinic. She has a passion for helping others reach their health and mobility-related goals while enjoying creating high-quality and detailed devices that help them achieve this. 

Born and raised in Ottawa, outside the clinic you can now find her in Vancouver either cycling, running, chasing snow on the mountains by skiing or hiking, or at a local brewery with her partner in search of new delicious beers. 

University of Ottawa, Honours Bachelor of Human Kinetics (2017) | GBC P&O Technician Program (2020)

Coming soon.

Brittany first became captivated by the field of Prosthetics when she discovered that she could combine her love of physics with her love of working with people. She brings her enthusiasm, problem solving skills and creativity to her role as a Prosthetist and absolutely loves the part she gets to play in helping patients achieve their goals. Brittany currently leads our research initiatives at Barber Prosthetics Clinic which aim to improve the care we can offer our patients. Some of her research projects include understanding factors that influence prosthesis use, the integration and evaluation of outcome measures in clinical care, the development of new upper extremity technology and the evaluation of new manufacturing methods. She is also very involved in the wider prosthetics community, sitting on committees with both Orthotics and Prosthetics Canada and the American Academy for Orthotics & Prosthetics and volunteering on the board for the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics International Canada.

When not at work, Brittany can be found working in her vegetable garden, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, or doing pretty much anything else that gets her outside with her husband and kids.

UBC B.Sc., Biophysics (2010)  |  BCIT P&O (2012)  |  McMasters M.Sc., Rehabilitation (2013)  |  Canadian Certified Prosthetist (2014)  |  BCIT Sessional Instructor (2014) |

Donna graduated from UBC with her Master’s degree in socio-cultural Kinesiology in the fall of 2022 and jumped straight into the world of prosthetics research. While new to the field of prosthetics, she brings her qualitative research experience and passion for equity and inclusion in health and physical activity to her role with the Barber Research Team. Donna completed her undergraduate degree in Communications, which has allowed her to specialize in knowledge translation, making complex research findings accessible to a wide range of audiences including patients, practitioners, and policy makers.

Donna has been a core member of two of Barber’s latest research projects: Pregnancy and Lower Limb Absence and Funding and Participation for Individuals with Limb Absence.

Outside of work, you can find Donna at the hockey rink in the winter, backpacking in the mountains in the summer, or at home hanging out with her partner and two cats, Bob and Doug, all year round!

University of Calgary B.A. (Hons), Communications (2016) | University of British Columbia M.A., Kinesiology (2022)