Meet
Susan Chapelle
Registered Massage Therapist
Researcher
Healthcare Consultant
Susan Chapelle is an EXPERT in resolving pain and dysfunction
With expertise in mechanistic science and three decades of hands-on experience nurturing patients to optimal health. Renowned for pioneering innovative startup ventures, shaping local politics, and effecting transformative change.
Welcome to Susan Chapelle Massage Therapy, where your comfort and well-being come first. Devoted to fostering relationships and creating positive outcomes, Susan leads with compassion and evidence-informed care to ensure your needs are met. With over 30 years of hands-on experience combined with a mechanistic neurobiology understanding, your treatment will educate and inform your daily activities. Join me on Lamb Avenue, where every massage is a step towards optimal well-being and a pain-free future.
Researcher and Mechanistic Science
"The old methodologies and paradigms need to shift with the growing body of literature on manual therapy and mechanistic research. I am excited to use scientific data to break through dated stigmas, clearing a path for access to standardized methodology and evidence-informed healthcare.'
Susan is a leader in wound healing and pain management, focusing on mechanistic research in manual therapy. As a researcher in the field of neurobiology, Susan has dedicated over 15 years to researching the soft-tissue healing mechanisms that allow better access to science-based manual therapy solutions.
Susan opened her Toronto clinic specializing in post-surgical care, cancer patients, pain management, musician's therapy, and repetitive strain injury treatment. Providing evidence-based treatments for those in need, Susan is excited to be working in a neighbourhood practice. Through her extensive peer-reviewed research, Susan has established herself as a leader in the field, advancing our understanding of pain mechanisms and post-surgical wound healing.
By applying her research to practical, science-based solutions, Susan aims to improve patient outcomes and provide innovative therapies that are effective and educational.
Business Development, Partnerships & Operational Strategy
I am an entrepreneur and operations strategist who helps organizations understand future markets, digital innovation, and the operational systems required to scale effectively. My work focuses on translating complex problems into practical, workable solutions by integrating technology, people, and process.
I hold an Executive MBA from Simon Fraser University and have developed deep expertise in operations, procurement, and enterprise systems, including SAP S/4HANA. This background allows me to work at the intersection of strategy and execution, designing operational frameworks that improve efficiency, strengthen supply chains, and enable organizations to grow sustainably.
Alongside my work in business and operations, I am a published researcher in the fields of neuroscience and wound healing mechanisms. My research training allows me to approach complex organizational challenges with the same analytical discipline used in scientific investigation: identifying underlying mechanisms, testing solutions, and building systems that work.
As a keynote speaker, I have presented internationally on the intersection of cities, technology, and healthcare innovation. My work explores how digital systems, policy, and operational design shape the future of communities and health systems.
I am also a founder of JaneApp, a clinic operations platform created to solve real-world operational challenges in healthcare practice management. Building JaneApp reinforced my passion for designing systems that remove friction, support practitioners, and allow organizations to operate more effectively.
I thrive in environments where complexity meets opportunity. Whether acting as an entrepreneur, strategist, or chief operating officer, I enjoy solving difficult operational problems, integrating technology into real-world workflows, and building systems that allow organizations and the people they serve to succeed.
Passionate Change Maker & Entrepreneur.
In her government policy, research and business startups, Chapelle drives innovation and forward thinking through market research, customer engagement, and streamlined business systems.
Her clinic work has developed leading, evidence-informed and research proven treatments to help post-surgical patients with recovery. Her expertise in breast health and treatments have been taught globally, and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Chapelle is the founder of multiple companies that have led the innovation curve. She has helped global technology companies innovate medical charting, research and scheduling software.
Susan opened the first multidisciplinary clinic in Squamish, BC in 1999, and has been leading healthcare policy and development, as well as helping patients regain their health since 1987 when she became an RMT.
Aligned Collective was founded to help small businesses thrive in Squamish. It is designed as a space where people can work together across sectors to help each other thrive in turbulent economic times and for NFPs to gather to resolve social issues.
Susan's education has always revolved around community well-being. Her community economic development education from Simon Fraser University has informed many of her choices and led her to focus on scaling nascent industries that all have one thing in common: advocating for better access to health.
The Intersect of Healthcare, Research and Politics
My curiosity has no bounds, and I have always celebrated being a lifelong learner. My personal life, along with my experiences travelling the globe and learning from others, has shaped my belief that healthcare must always remain centred on the needs of patients. These experiences have allowed me to share my wisdom widely; presenting my research findings as a keynote speaker at major international conferences and facilitating workshops for healthcare providers, researchers, businesses, and policy leaders.
As a researcher in the field of neurobiology, I have published extensively in the areas of wound healing and the mechanisms of manual therapy. As a co-investigator with Dr. Geoffrey Bove, D.C., PhD at the University of New England, I participated in research supported by a National Institute of Medical Sciences grant studying the mechanisms of post-operative adhesion formation. This work resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications exploring the biological mechanisms of adhesion formation and their relationship to pain, helping to advance understanding of how patient care can be improved through evidence-informed treatment.
I have published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and travelled the globe to present my research, always with the goal of improving patient outcomes and advancing clinical understanding. My speaking engagements have also explored the broader systems that influence health, including digital innovation in healthcare, cannabis policy, psychedelic medicine, and the role of technology and urban planning in building healthier, more resilient communities.
My commitment to improving patient care extends beyond the clinic and the laboratory into public policy and governance. Through my work in politics and community leadership, I have advocated for equitable access to healthcare, thoughtful regulation of emerging therapies, and the development of systems that better support both patients and healthcare providers.
I completed an Executive Master’s Degree in Business Administration (EMBA) at Simon Fraser University and hold a certificate in Community Economic Development from Simon Fraser University. These studies strengthened my ability to bridge science, policy, and economic development in ways that expand access to care and improve health systems.
I am also an IAP2 practitioner in public engagement and facilitation, helping bring people’s ideas together across divides to find practical and workable solutions. Whether in healthcare, business, or public policy, my work focuses on building consensus around solutions that improve people's lives.
As an entrepreneur and community advocate for more than thirty years, I have built and scaled businesses across healthcare, technology, cannabis, and psychedelic medicine, always with a focus on innovation that expands access to care.
I became a therapist and scientific researcher in manual therapy so that I could apply my understanding of neurobiology and tissue healing directly to patient care. My work continues to focus on advancing patient-centred treatment, improving access to healthcare, and bridging the worlds of research, clinical practice, entrepreneurship, and public policy in service of better health outcomes.
Community Leader & Social Innovator
Susan is an advocate for healthy cities and was successful at moving the dial on access to rape kits for women in the province of BC. Her passion for evidence-informed policy and community economic development has continued to inform her advocacy.
As a two-term elected politician, she successfully lobbied for economic development and sustainability policy changes and for small business zoning to be addressed through the Official Community Plan.
"I was motivated to work in politics because of a desire to influence community decision-making. As an inventive leader and two-term elected politician, I've had the pleasure of influencing changes that brings healthcare to those who need advocacy".
“Susan’s approach to tackling problems is as rare as the individual herself. She operates effortlessly in multiple arenas - science, business, public service, education - to name a few. This, along with an incredible work ethic and a natural gift for building relationships, explains the success she’s had to this point, and will explain all of her future success.
– Advisor, Speaker & HR Executive, Matt Burns
My Values
I'm passionate about helping others optimize their health and performance.
Everything I do is based on the core values of love, respect, wisdom, courage, honesty, humility, and truth. When I see my peers and patients struggling to make the tough decisions to do that one little bit better than yesterday, I use this love and passion for my career to help inspire and motivate patients to achieve pain-free movement.
My Story
I have been a healthcare advocate and practitioner for over 30 years. I have always integrated knowledge of the healthcare environment with my careers in politics, clinics, biotech and research. Access to treatments and knowledge and helping others understand the way our bodies and minds heal with input is the result of my lifelong experience with chronic illness. Having personally experienced the healthcare system, my passion for helping others overcome challenges, understand decision making options and see personal success has led many of my decisions. Entering politics to help plan urban environments with evidence informed decisions through healthcare data, opening clinics to help cancer patients with their recovery, access to cannabis and psychedelic medicine have all been personal choices to help others gain access to services that are known to help us heal. This includes preventative medicine, lobbying for access to Rape Kits across Canada, and utilizing smart technology to gain equitable access to healthcare for First Nations, women and differently abled.
My journey has empowered me to become a bold advocate for helping others and implementing solution-oriented thinking to all of the sectors I work in:
- teaching mechanisms of wound healing and working across the globe to help healthcare providers understand the effects of their work and achieve better outcomes
- training and supervising therapists around the world, including Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists, Osteopaths, Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, and Naturopaths
- Extensively publishing peer-reviewed literature so that others could benefit from my knowledge
- Sharing my knowledge as a keynote speaker on digital innovation and smart cities technology
- Advising global technology companies on the development of online platforms and scheduling solutions