Recipient of a Vancouver Foundation Community-Based Clinician Investigator Award, 2007-2010, her research interests broadly include: sexually transmitted infection screening, adolescent/young adult health risk behaviours, and continuing professional education. She is currently on leave from her role as Site Research Faculty for the Vancouver Fraser Family Practice Residency Program, while serving as Physician Lead for the HIV Testing Initiative in Family Practice. Marisa graduated from medicine at McMaster in 1988, completed the rural residency program through UBC, and an MHSc in Community Medicine and Epidemiology in 1996. She practiced as a rural family physician in until 2007, and has provided focused primary care in sexual and reproductive health in Whistler for the past 15 years.